Provide pre-compiled library as install(TARGET ...) to other projects in CMake - cmake

Question

I want to define a CMakeLists which is able to export a precompiled library to an out of source output folder.
This is how it currently look like:
cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 3.3)
project(duktape)
include_directories("./code" "./code")
file(GLOB allCodeFiles
"./code/*.h"
#"./code/*.cpp"
)
add_library(${PROJECT_NAME} SHARED IMPORTED)
set_property(TARGET ${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION ./bin/duktape.dll)
set_property(TARGET ${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTY IMPORTED_IMPLIB ./lib/duktape.lib)
export(PACKAGE ${PROJECT_NAME})
Message(INSTALL_INCLUDE_DIR=${INSTALL_INCLUDE_DIR})
install(TARGETS ${PROJECT_NAME}
RUNTIME DESTINATION "${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}"
ARCHIVE DESTINATION "${CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}"
LIBRARY DESTINATION "${CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}"
PUBLIC_HEADER DESTINATION "${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/${PROJECT_NAME}/code"
)
My current understanding of the install(TARGETS ...) is that it moves my libs to my out of soruce output folder and shares the headers to the project (some binary maybe) which depends on the lib.
The problem is that the export than tells:
CMake Error at C:/Test1/duktape-1.4.0.win32/CMakeLists.txt:30 (install):
install TARGETS given target "duktape" which does not exist in this directory.
[Edit]:
I still found no solution to just define a "project" to link a pre-compiled lib for integration purpose as a dependency to other projects?! I saw this kind of question ~10 times on google etc. and still can't belive that i didnt found one clear easy answer for this generic thing...
This is what i now end up with trying:
cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 3.3)
project(duktape)
#include(${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/DebugCmakeStuff.wtf)
# https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/add_library.html
add_library(${PROJECT_NAME} SHARED IMPORTED GLOBAL)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ./include)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS "")
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES INTERFACE_COMPILE_OPTIONS "")
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/duktape.lib)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION_DEBUG ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION_DEBUG ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/duktape.lib)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION_RELEASE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll)
set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION_RELEASE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/duktape.lib)
#target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} LINK_PUBLIC "duktape.lib")
#add_custom_target(${PROJECT_NAME}_Export MODULE)
#add_dependencies(${PROJECT_NAME} duktape)
#export(PACKAGE ${PROJECT_NAME})
#install(TARGETS ${PROJECT_NAME}
# #EXPORT ${PROJECT_NAME}_Targets
# RUNTIME DESTINATION "${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}"
# ARCHIVE DESTINATION "${LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH}"
# LIBRARY DESTINATION "${LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH}"
# PUBLIC_HEADER DESTINATION "${INSTALL_INCLUDE_DIR}/${PROJECT_NAME}/include")
#install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll DESTINATION "${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}")
#install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/duktape.lib DESTINATION "${LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH}")
#add_custom_command(TARGET ${PROJECT_NAME}
# PRE_LINK
# COMMAND copy ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll "${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}"
# COMMAND copy ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/duktape.lib "${LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH}"
# )
#add_custom_command(OUTPUT duktape.dll
# COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}/duktape.dll
# COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}/duktape.dll
# COMMAND "copy ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib/duktape.lib ${LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH}"
# )
So after 2 days wasting time with CMake and its crashes... i just realized that i'm most propably 90% fast, if i would have write the build files manually...
A solution would be nice

Answer 1

Command flow install(TARGETS) installs only targets built within project. It doesn't install imported targets. See, e.g., this bugreport.
For install imported libraries you may use install(FILES) command flow:
install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.dll
DESTINATION <...>)
install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/duktape.lib
DESTINATION <...>)
(In your code you install into CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY and similar dirs, which refers to build tree. Never install under build tree!)