How to create a custom target that copies a library? - cmake

I am trying to create a custom target that just copies a library to the LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH. Below is my CMakeLists.txt.
The contents of the MYCOMPONENT folder is mylib.so and CMakeLists.txt.
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)
project( MYCOMPONENT )
add_custom_target( MYTARGET
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy ./mylib.so ${LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH} )
I do the following:
cd MYCOMPFOLDER
mkdir build_debug
cd build_debug
cmake -DLIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH=<mycompfolderfullpath>/build_debug/bin ..
Now I do an ls of build_debug and I get:
CMakeCache.txt CMakeFiles cmake_install.cmake Makefile
ls CMakeFiles/
3.5.1 CMakeTmp Makefile2
cmake.check_cache feature_tests.bin Makefile.cmake
CMakeDirectoryInformation.cmake feature_tests.c progress.marks
CMakeOutput.log feature_tests.cxx TargetDirectories.txt
CMakeRuleHashes.txt MYCOMPONENT.dir
ls CMakeFiles/MYCOMPONENT.dir/
build.make cmake_clean.cmake DependInfo.cmake progress.make
From build_debug, "find . -name mylib.so" is nowhere, so of course the "make MYTARGET" fails. How do I get cmake to properly handle mylib.so? This is a third party library, we don't build it, the target is to make sure it gets copied to the LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH from this folder so other components can link against it from there.

Don't use relative paths in -E copy part. Variables CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR, CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR, CMAKE_BINARY_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR are at your disposal.

Related

Prohibit cmake build on the top-level source

I would like to prohibit cmake in-source build especially at top-level.
For example prohibited case is cmake -S . -B ., however, I would like to allow cmake -S . -B build
Thus, these following options are not fitted here.
set(CMAKE_DISABLE_SOURCE_CHANGES ON)
set(CMAKE_DISABLE_IN_SOURCE_BUILD ON)
I added small script in CMakeLists.txt
get_filename_component(srcdir "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}" REALPATH)
get_filename_component(bindir "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}" REALPATH)
if("${srcdir}" STREQUAL "${bindir}")
message(FATAL_ERROR "Do not build on the top of the sources")
endif()
It works, but CMakeCache.txt and CMakeFiles are still created. How can I keep my sources clean?
With git, git clean -d -f -x can help me, but I would like to have a solution with cmake itself.
"CMakeCache.txt and CMakeFiles are still created" -- you cannot avoid this with CMake <=3.24, the latest development version at time of writing. You can suggest deleting that folder and file in your FATAL_ERROR message.
if(CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR STREQUAL CMAKE_BINARY_DIR)
message(FATAL_ERROR "Out of source builds required with CMake. "
"Please clean up the CMakeFiles/ directory and CMakeCache.txt file.")
endif()

Can CMake create soft-link to resource directory? [duplicate]

I want to rename certain executables in CMakeLists.txt but also want symbolic links from the older names to new files for backward compatibility. How can this be accomplished on systems that support symbolic links?
Also what are the alternatives for system that does not support symbolic links?
Another way to do it:
INSTALL(CODE "execute_process( \
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink \
${target} \
${link} \
)"
)
This way the symlinking will be done during make install only.
You can create a custom target and use CMake to create symlinks
ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(link_target ALL
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink ${target} ${link})
This will only work on systems that support symlinks, see the documentation.
Before CMake v3.14, this did not work on Windows. In v3.13, support for Windows was added.
Another method that is a bit more verbose and only runs on install:
macro(install_symlink filepath sympath)
install(CODE "execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink ${filepath} ${sympath})")
install(CODE "message(\"-- Created symlink: ${sympath} -> ${filepath}\")")
endmacro(install_symlink)
Use it like this (similar to ln -s):
install_symlink(filepath sympath)
Lets say you need to create a link in binary dir to a target located in source directory.
You can try file CREATE_LINK since version 3.14
${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink is accessible at Windows since 3.17
You can use execute_process since early cmake versions:
if(WIN32)
get_filename_component(real_path "${dirname}" REALPATH)
string(REPLACE "/" "\\" target_path "${real_path}")
execute_process(
COMMAND cmd /C mklink /J ${dirname} "${target_path}"
WORKING_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}"
)
else()
execute_process(COMMAND "ln -s ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${dirname} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${dirname}")
endif()
I've added the check to #ulidtko's approach, so symlink doesn't overridden on every rebuild unconditionally:
install(CODE "if (NOT EXISTS ${link})
execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink \
${target} \
${link})
endif()" )
When I build, I create a symlink to the compile_commands.json. This helps clangd and vscode's intellisense.
Here's a full working example of what worked for me.
add_custom_command is what creates the symlink.
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION "3.1.0")
# project name
project("a-s-i-o")
set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS
"${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -std=c++17 -pthread -Wall -Wextra -Werror -pedantic -Wno-unused-parameter -Wno-unused-variable -Wno-unused-function -Wno-unused-private-field"
)
# Create `compile_commands.json` file.
#
# This is required by `clangd` to find the header files. For this to work, this
# file must be in the root of the project. Therefore, we create a symbolic link in the root that
# points to the `compile_commands.json` file created by CMake in the `build` directory.
#
# This specific commands creates the file in the build directory. The command `add_custom_command`
# creates the symbolic link in the root directory.
set(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)
add_executable(x main.cpp)
target_include_directories(x PUBLIC "/usr/local/include/asio-1.20.0/include")
# When target `x` is built, a symlink will be created to
# `build/compile_commands.json`. This is required for clangd to be able to find
# the header files included in the project.
add_custom_command(TARGET x
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/compile_commands.json" "../compile_commands.json"
DEPENDS compile_commands.json
VERBATIM ON
)
# Print success message to the console
add_custom_command(TARGET x POST_BUILD
COMMAND echo "Created symlink pointing to `compile_commands.json`"
DEPENDS compile_commands.json
VERBATIM ON
)
I've struggled with this a few different ways with the above responses in order to install '.so.#' files that refer to other '.so.#.#' files. I've had success by not introducing a link to the file, but by installing the '.so.#.#' file as the '.so.#' file.
I.e. instead of
install(
FILES
.../libmpi.so.12.0
DESTINATION lib
)
install(CODE
"EXECUTE_PROCESS( ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E create_symlink lib/libmpi.so.12.0 lib/libmpi.so.12)")
Which didn't quite work for me even. I have instead had success by doing this.
install(FILES
.../libmpi.so.12.0
RENAME libmpi.so.12
DESTINATION lib
)
Not 'exactly' the same, but sufficient. Don't defeat the problem, solve the problem.
If what you are looking for is links for your executables and library files based on version numbers you can let CMake take care of that for you by setting the appropriate properties SOVERSION and VERSION on your targets:
The following CMakeLists.txt
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
project(version_links C)
add_library(mylib SHARED lib.c)
set_target_properties(mylib PROPERTIES
PUBLIC_HEADER lib.h
VERSION 3.2.1
SOVERSION 3.2
)
add_executable(exec exec.c)
target_link_libraries(exec PRIVATE mylib)
set_target_properties(exec PROPERTIES
VERSION 3.2.1
)
install(TARGETS mylib exec)
produces the following tree inside CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:
${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}
├── bin
│   ├── exec -> exec-3.2.1
│   └── exec-3.2.1
├── include
│   └── lib.h
└── lib
├── libmylib.so -> libmylib.so.3.2
├── libmylib.so.3.2 -> libmylib.so.3.2.1
└── libmylib.so.3.2.1
References:
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/command/set_target_properties.html
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/cmake-properties.7.html#target-properties
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/prop_tgt/SOVERSION.html

How to instruct CMake to use the build architecture compiler

When using CMake for cross compiling, one generally specifies a toolchain file via the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE option. In GNU terminology, one can specify the host architecture toolset using this file. However, one can generally not expect to be able to execute anything built with this toolchain. So often enough, some build tools need to be compiled for the build architecture.
Consider the following setup. I have two source files genfoo.c and bar.c. During build, genfoo.c needs to be compiled and run. Its output needs to be written to foo.h. Then I can compile bar.c, which #include "foo.h". Since CMake defaults to using the host architecture toolchain, the instructions for bar.c are easy. But how do I tell it to use the build architecture toolchain for compiling genfoo.c? Simply saying add_executable(genfoo genfoo.c) will result in using the wrong compiler.
CMake can only handle one compiler at a time. So - if you don't go the long way to set up the other compiler as a new language - you will end up with two configuration cycles.
I see the following approaches to automate this process:
Taking the example "CMake Cross Compiling - Using executables in the build created during the build?" from the CMake pages as a starting point I'll get:
CMakeLists.txt
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(FooBarTest)
# When crosscompiling import the executable targets
if (CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
set(IMPORT_PATH "IMPORTFILE-NOTFOUND" CACHE FILEPATH "Point it to the export file path from a native build")
file(TO_CMAKE_PATH "${IMPORT_PATH}" IMPORT_PATH_CMAKE)
include(${IMPORT_PATH_CMAKE}/genfooTargets.cmake)
# Then use the target name as COMMAND, CMake >= 2.6 knows how to handle this
add_custom_command(
OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/foo.h
COMMAND genfoo
)
add_executable(bar bar.cpp ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/foo.h)
target_include_directories(bar PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
endif()
# Only build the generator if not crosscompiling
if (NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
add_executable(genfoo genfoo.cpp)
export(TARGETS genfoo FILE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/genfooTargets.cmake")
endif()
Then using a script like:
build.sh
#!/bin/bash
if [ ! -d hostBuild ]; then
cmake -E make_directory hostBuild
cmake -E chdir hostBuild cmake ..
fi
cmake --build hostBuild
if [ ! -d crossBuild ]; then
cmake -E make_directory crossBuild
cmake -E chdir crossBuild cmake .. -DIMPORT_PATH=${PWD}/hostBuild -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=toolchain.cmake
fi
cmake --build crossBuild
I'll get the desired results by calling ./build.sh.
Splitting the CMakeLists.txt and maybe even replace the export()/include() with something where I know the output path of my build tools e.g. by using CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY would simplify things:
CMakeLists.txt
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(FooBarTest)
# Then use the target name as COMMAND. CMake >= 2.6 knows how to handle this
add_custom_command(
OUTPUT ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/foo.h
COMMAND genfoo
)
add_executable(bar bar.cpp ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/foo.h)
target_include_directories(bar PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
buildTools/CMakeLists.txt
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(BuildTools)
add_executable(genfoo genfoo.cpp)
build.sh
#!/bin/bash
if [ ! -d crossBuild ]; then
cmake -E make_directory crossBuild
cmake -E chdir crossBuild cmake .. -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=toolchain.cmake
fi
if [ ! -d hostBuild ]; then
cmake -E make_directory hostBuild
cmake -E chdir hostBuild cmake ../buildTools -DCMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY:PATH=${PWD}/crossBuild
fi
cmake --build hostBuild
cmake --build crossBuild
References
Making a CMake library accessible by other CMake packages automatically
CMake build multiple targets in different build directories
How do I make CMake output into a 'bin' dir?
It is possible to do that completely within CMake.
The trick is to run a separate CMake configuring stage within its own space, silently dismissing every crosscompiling setting and using the host's default toolchain, then import the generated outputs into it's parent, crosscompiling build.
First part:
set(host_tools_list wxrc generate_foo)
if(CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
# Pawn off the creation of the host utilities into its own dedicated space
file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/host_tools)
file(TO_NATIVE_PATH ${CMAKE_COMMAND} native_cmake_command)
file(TO_NATIVE_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} native_cmake_current_source_dir)
execute_process(
COMMAND "${native_cmake_command}" "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}" "${native_cmake_current_source_dir}"
WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/host_tools
)
add_custom_target(host_tools
COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} --build . --target host_tools --config $<CONFIG>
WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/host_tools
)
include(${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/host_tools/host_tools.cmake)
foreach(tgt IN ITEMS ${host_tools_list})
add_dependencies(host${tgt} host_tools)
endforeach()
else()
# Add an empty target, host tools are built inplace
add_custom_target(host_tools
DEPENDS ${host_tools_list}
)
endif()
... then you add the usual add_executable and whatever ...
At the end:
if(NOT CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING)
foreach(tgt IN ITEMS ${host_tools_list})
add_executable(host${tgt} ALIAS ${tgt})
endforeach()
export(TARGETS ${host_tools_list} NAMESPACE host FILE host_tools.cmake)
endif()
When it crosscompiles, it pawns off the creation of the host-run tools into its own dedicated space, and imports the targets as "hostwxrc" and "hostgenerate_foo", with a dependency on generating the host_tools themselves .
When it doesn't crosscompile, it builds wxrc and generate_foo as-is, and aliases them to hostwxrc and hostgenerate_foo.
After this, when you use $<TARGET_FILE:wxrc>, you refer to the wxrc built for the target platform, and $<TARGET_FILE:hostwxrc> refers to the wxrc built for the host platform, regardless whether they are the same or not.

CMake putting build files in source directory

I am very new to CMake. A friend wrote a simple CMakeLists.txt for the project I am coding myself. I am using svn and have just checked out an old version on the same machine into a different folder. Now, in the original source directory (where CMakeLists.txt is located) I create the directory 'build', cd into there, and for the time being run the code
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ..
This nicely puts all of the files in the build directory
-- Build files have been written to: ~/MixedFEMultigrid/build
Now when I check out to another directory, create another 'build' directory in that one and then run the CMake command I get the following
-- Build files have been written to: ~/oldCode
where oldCode is actually the parent directory. I have no idea why this is happening. Can someone explain this to me? The full CMakeLists.txt file is given below,
cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 2.6)
project (MixedFEMultigrid)
FIND_PACKAGE(LAPACK REQUIRED)
set( SRC_FILES multigrid.c
gridHandling.c
interpolation.c
linApprox.c
params.c
sparseMatrix.c
testing.c
richardsFunctions.c
definitions.c
newtonIteration.c
)
#Adds the executable with all the dependencies
add_executable (multigrid ${SRC_FILES})
#Specifies the libraries to link to the target
TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(multigrid ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES} m)
# Update if necessary
set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} -Wall -Wno-long-long -pedantic -fstrict-aliasing -std=c99 -O3")
As per the comment by escrafford I am updating to show what I do on the command line.
cd ~
mkdir oldCode
cd oldCode
svn co <repository>
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ..
The build files are then put into the directory 'oldCode' instead of the 'build' directory. The following, on the other hand, puts the build files into the 'build' directory
cd ~
mkdir MixedFEMultigrid
cd MixedFEMultigrid
svn co <repository>
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ..
That comes from a in-source cmake execution
Remember to remove cmake cache:
$ rm CMakeCache.txt
$ mkdir debug
$ cd debug
$ cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ..
That has another benefit, given that cmake do not provide a clean target
$ cd ..
$ rm -rf debug
is the equivalent of make clean or more precisely make distclean

CMake with "standard" directory layout (Linux)

Let's say I have a simple hello project with the pseudo-standard directory layout
helloworld/
src/
main.c
say.c
say-helper.c
include/
say.h
say-helper.h
build/
and after running
cd ~/helloworld/build
cmake ..
make
I would expect the following
helloworld/
build/lib/
libsay.a
libsay.so
libsay.so.1.0.0
tmp/obj/
main.o
say.o
build/bin/
hello
and after make install I would expect
/usr/local/lib/
libsay.a
libsay.so
libsay.so.1.0.0
/usr/local/bin/
hello
What would the CMakeLists.txt look like for this setup?
I've been looking around for examples, but the only one I've found that shows how to add a library and an executable didn't work.
Basic commands to describe the project:
INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(include)
ADD_LIBRARY(say src/say.c src/say-helper.c)
ADD_EXECUTABLE(hello src/main.c)
TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(hello say)
This is for placing the libs and the executable in the build directory, put that in your CMakeLists.txt:
SET (CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/bin)
SET (CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib)
SET (CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib)
For install you specify
install(TARGETS say hello
RUNTIME DESTINATION bin
LIBRARY DESTINATION lib
ARCHIVE DESTINATION lib)
in your CMakeLists.txt and set CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX to /usr/local in your configuration.
I'm not sure if you can build static and dynamic libraries simultaneously with the same name, though. And I don't know how to tell CMake to put the obj files in some specific location.