specify which tool(s) to install

[2bndy5]

It would be nice to let the user choose which tool(s) to install. This way we could only install clang-tidy in the cpp-linter-action (composite form) if inputs.tidy-checks != '-*. Or we could avoid installing clang-format if the inputs.style != ''.

Since the releases of binary builds also include the clang-query tool, users could specify that as well.

Implementation

Option 1

clang-tools -t clang-format -t clang-tidy -t clang-query

Option 2

clang-tools -t clang-format,clang-tidy,clang-query

I haven't decided which way to support. Maybe there's a way to support either or both options.

I would expect the current default ( clang-tidy + clang-format) to be overridden when -t is specified.

[shenxianpeng]

It would be nice to support users in installing specific tools.

For cpp-linter-action, I think it's OK to provide both tools (including clang-format and clang-tidy) if the user only uses one of them. It will add a small amount of download time, but the logic is more simple than adding more if else to check users' inputs, less code fewer bugs 😆

[shenxianpeng]

clang-format or clang-tidy is installed with clang-tools command before running cpp-linter, so it should be hard to know which needs to be installed in the preparation stage

[2bndy5]

This way we could only install clang-tidy in the cpp-linter-action (composite form) if inputs.tidy-checks != '-*. Or we could avoid installing clang-format if the inputs.style != ''.

This an advanced example. The defaults should suffice for our needs. What if someone wants to use this pkg to get the statically linked clang-query binary?

[shenxianpeng]

What if someone wants to use this pkg to get the statically linked clang-query binary?

Your implementation proposal like great, users could use this way to install clang-query binary.
Option 1
clang-tools -t clang-format -t clang-tidy -t clang-query
Option 2
clang-tools -t clang-format,clang-tidy,clang-query

[shenxianpeng]

I saw that the user from the upstream repo of cpp-linter/clang-tools-static-binaries was asking to have clang-apply-replacements binary, so I added it to the latest release master-a2d1eff4. so this enhancement becomes more and more worth to implement.

I don't have much of an impression of how other tools implement similar functionality, and so far I prefer option 1 (option 2 is also not bad)