What is CMake?
CMake (Cross-Platform Makefile) is a build system that generates build files for various environments, such as Unix Makefiles, Visual Studio, and Xcode. It provides a platform-independent way to describe a project’s build process using a CMakeLists.txt file.
Example
Let’s create a simple executable to better understand how CMake works. Suppose we have a project with a source file, main.cpp, that contains Hello, World!. Here’s how we can use CMake to build this project:
We’ll create a directory for our project and navigate into it.
We’ll create a
CMakeLists.txtfile with the following content:
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)project(HelloWorld)add_executable(HelloWorld main.cpp)
This file can be explained as follows:
Line 1: Define the minimum required version of CMake.
Line 3: Define the name of our project.
Line 5: We define an executable target.
We create a
main.cppfile with the following content:
#include <iostream>int main() {std::cout << "Hello, World!" << std::endl;return 0;}
We run CMake to generate build files as follows:
cmake .
We build the project using the generated build system as follows:
cmake --build .
Finally, we run the executable as follows:
./HelloWorld
We’ll see Hello, World! printed to the console. We can execute these commands in the terminal below:
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout << "Hello, World!" << std::endl;
return 0;
}Note: Enter commands from the fourth step provided above. The file and the directory navigation has been done in the widget already.
Features
The table below defines a few key features of CMake:
Features | Description |
Platform Independence | Scripts are written in a platform-independent language, allowing developers to generate build files for various platforms. |
Modular Design | CMake promotes modular project organization by allowing the creation of multiple executables and defining the dependencies between them. |
Generator Expressions | It provides generator expressions that enable conditional configuration settings during the build process. |
Customization | The build process can be customized with custom commands and variables tailored to the project requirements. |
Conclusion
To conclude, CMake is a versatile build system for software projects. Its platform independence and extensibility give it several advantages when seeking a build solution. Mastering CMake can improve our build process, allowing for better build solutions.
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