---
name: "bcp"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "libboost1.83-tools-dev"
version: "1.83.0-4.2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/bcp"
---

# bcp(1)

extract subsets of Boost

## NAME

bcp - extract subsets of Boost

## SYNOPSIS

**bcp** **--list** \[*options*\] *module-list*\
 **bcp** \[*options*\] *module-list output-path*\
 **bcp** **--report** \[*options*\] *module-list html-file*\
 **bcp** **--help**

## DESCRIPTION

Copies all the files, including dependencies, found in *module-list* to *output-path*. *output-path* must be an existing path.

With **--list**, prints the list of all the files in *module-list*, including dependencies.

With **--report**, writes the HTML report to *html-file*.

With **--help**, prints a quick usage reminder.

It is useful for Boost authors who want to distribute their library separately from Boost and for Boost users who want to distribute a subset of Boost with their application.

### *module-list*

When the --scan option is not used, a list of Boost files or library names to copy. It can be:

-

  \- The name of a tool: for example "build" will find "tools/build".

-

  \- The name of a library: for example "regex".

-

  \- The title of a header: for example "scoped\_ptr" will find "boost/scoped\_ptr.hpp".

-

  \- The name of a header: for example "scoped\_ptr.hpp" will find "boost/scoped\_ptr.hpp".

-

  \- The name of a file: for example "boost/regex.hpp".

When the --scan option is used, a list of (probably non-boost) files to scan for Boost dependencies, the files in the module list are not therefore copied/listed.

### File dependencies

C++ source files are scanned for #includes, all #includes present in the Boost source tree will then be scanned for their dependencies and so on.

C++ source files are associated with the name of a library, if that library has source code (and possibly build data), then include that source in the dependencies.

C++ source files are checked for dependencies on Boost.Test (for example to see if they use cpp\_main as an entry point).

HTML files are scanned for immediate dependencies (images and style sheets, but not links).

### HTML report contains:

\- all the licenses in effect, plus the files using each license, and the copyright holders using each license

\- any files with no recognizable license (please report these to the Boost mailing lists)

\- any files with no recognizable copyright holders (please report these to the Boost mailing lists)

\- all the copyright holders and the files on which they hold copyright

\- file dependency information - indicates the reason for the inclusion of any particular file in the dependencies found

## OPTIONS

- **--boost**=*path*

  sets the location of the Boost tree to path

- **--scan**

  treat the module list as a list of (possibly non-boost) files to scan for Boost dependencies

- **--cvs**

  only copy files under CVS version control

- **--unix-lines**

  make sure that all copied files use Unix style line endings

## EXAMPLES

- **bcp** scoped\_ptr /foo

  Copies boost/scoped\_ptr.hpp and dependencies to /foo.

- **bcp** boost/regex.hpp /foo

  Copies boost/regex.hpp and all dependencies including the regex source code (in libs/regex/src) and build files (in libs/regex/build) to /foo. Does not copy the regex documentation, test or example code.

- **bcp** regex /foo

  Copies the full regex lib (in libs/regex) including dependencies (such as the Boost.Test source required by the regex test programs) to /foo.

- **bcp** regex config build /foo

  Copies the full regex lib (in libs/regex) plus the config lib (libs/config) and the build system (tools/build) to /foo including all the dependencies.

- **bcp --scan --boost**=/boost foo.cpp bar.cpp boost

  Scans the \[non-boost\] files foo.cpp and bar.cpp for Boost dependencies and copies those dependencies to the sub-directory boost.

- **bcp --report** regex.hpp boost-regex-report.html

  Creates a HTML report called boost-regex-report.html for the Boost module regex.hpp.

## AUTHORS

Author of bcp is John Maddock.

Author of this manpage is Domenico Andreoli, who copied stuff from bcp --help and the HTML documentation.