GitHub - tsnl/cc_embed: Bazel rules to generate C++ source files with binary files embedded as array literals.

Bazel rules and utilities to generate C++ source files that embed arbitrary binary/text files as array literals.

Minimal Example

In Bazel, add this module as a dependency and use the included cc_embed macro to define a cc_library target that you can link against.

# MODULE.bazel

bazel_dep(name = "tsnl.cc_embed")
git_override(
    module_name = "tsnl.cc_embed",
    remote = "https://github.com/tsnl/cc_embed",
    branch = "main",
)

# BUILD.bazel

load("@tsnl.cc_embed//:bazel/defs.bzl", "cc_embed")

cc_embed(name = "embedded_resource", data_file = "data/example.bin")

# ...

The above invocation of cc_embed will generate this header file (along with the backing source file containing the data):

// Auto-generated by embed_cpp, do not edit
#pragma once

#include <span>

#include <cstddef>

namespace tsnl::embed_cpp {

extern std::span<const std::byte> embedded_resource;

} // namespace tsnl::embed_cpp

The variable tsnl::cc_embed::embedded_resource is now accessible in your binary/library by...

Adding the "embedded_resource" target as a dependency in Bazel.
Including the <tsnl/cc_embed/embedded_resource.hpp> header.

# BUILD.bazel

# ...

cc_binary(name = "hello_world", srcs = ["main.cpp"], deps = [":embedded_resource"])

// main.cpp

#include <tsnl/cc_embed/embedded_resource.hpp>

auto main(int argc, char const* argv[]) -> int {
    tsnl::cc_embed::embedded_resource;
}