noble (7) cmake-variables.7.gz
NAME
cmake-variables - CMake Variables Reference
This page documents variables that are provided by CMake or have meaning to CMake when set by project
code.
For general information on variables, see the Variables section in the cmake-language manual.
NOTE:
CMake reserves identifiers that:
• begin with CMAKE_ (upper-, lower-, or mixed-case), or
• begin with _CMAKE_ (upper-, lower-, or mixed-case), or
• begin with _ followed by the name of any CMake Command.
VARIABLES THAT PROVIDE INFORMATION
CMAKE_AR
Name of archiving tool for static libraries.
This specifies the name of the program that creates archive or static libraries.
CMAKE_ARGC
Number of command line arguments passed to CMake in script mode.
When run in -P script mode, CMake sets this variable to the number of command line arguments. See also
CMAKE_ARGV0, 1, 2 ...
CMAKE_ARGV0
Command line argument passed to CMake in script mode.
When run in -P script mode, CMake sets this variable to the first command line argument. It then also
sets CMAKE_ARGV1, CMAKE_ARGV2, ... and so on, up to the number of command line arguments given. See also
CMAKE_ARGC.
CMAKE_BINARY_DIR
The path to the top level of the build tree.
This is the full path to the top level of the current CMake build tree. For an in-source build, this
would be the same as CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR.
When run in cmake -P script mode, CMake sets the variables CMAKE_BINARY_DIR, CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR,
CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR to the current working directory.
CMAKE_BUILD_TOOL
This variable exists only for backwards compatibility. It contains the same value as CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM.
Use that variable instead.
CMAKE_CACHE_MAJOR_VERSION
Major version of CMake used to create the CMakeCache.txt file
This stores the major version of CMake used to write a CMake cache file. It is only different when a
different version of CMake is run on a previously created cache file.
CMAKE_CACHE_MINOR_VERSION
Minor version of CMake used to create the CMakeCache.txt file
This stores the minor version of CMake used to write a CMake cache file. It is only different when a
different version of CMake is run on a previously created cache file.
CMAKE_CACHE_PATCH_VERSION
Patch version of CMake used to create the CMakeCache.txt file
This stores the patch version of CMake used to write a CMake cache file. It is only different when a
different version of CMake is run on a previously created cache file.
CMAKE_CACHEFILE_DIR
This variable is used internally by CMake, and may not be set during the first configuration of a build
tree. When it is set, it has the same value as CMAKE_BINARY_DIR. Use that variable instead.
CMAKE_CFG_INTDIR
Deprecated since version 3.21: This variable has poor support on Ninja Multi-Config, and predates the
existence of the $<CONFIG> generator expression. Use $<CONFIG> instead.
Build-time reference to per-configuration output subdirectory.
For native build systems supporting multiple configurations in the build tree (such as Visual Studio
Generators and Xcode), the value is a reference to a build-time variable specifying the name of the
per-configuration output subdirectory. On Makefile Generators this evaluates to . because there is only
one configuration in a build tree. Example values:
$(ConfigurationName) = Visual Studio 9
$(Configuration) = Visual Studio 12 and above
$(CONFIGURATION) = Xcode
. = Make-based tools
. = Ninja
${CONFIGURATION} = Ninja Multi-Config
Since these values are evaluated by the native build system, this variable is suitable only for use in
command lines that will be evaluated at build time. Example of intended usage:
add_executable(mytool mytool.c)
add_custom_command(
OUTPUT out.txt
COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${CMAKE_CFG_INTDIR}/mytool
${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/in.txt out.txt
DEPENDS mytool in.txt
)
add_custom_target(drive ALL DEPENDS out.txt)
Note that CMAKE_CFG_INTDIR is no longer necessary for this purpose but has been left for compatibility
with existing projects. Instead add_custom_command() recognizes executable target names in its COMMAND
option, so ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${CMAKE_CFG_INTDIR}/mytool can be replaced by just mytool.
This variable is read-only. Setting it is undefined behavior. In multi-configuration build systems the
value of this variable is passed as the value of preprocessor symbol CMAKE_INTDIR to the compilation of
all source files.
CMAKE_COMMAND
The full path to the cmake(1) executable.
This is the full path to the CMake executable cmake(1) which is useful from custom commands that want to
use the cmake -E option for portable system commands. (e.g. /usr/local/bin/cmake)
CMAKE_CPACK_COMMAND
New in version 3.13.
Full path to cpack(1) command installed with CMake.
This is the full path to the CPack executable cpack(1) that can be used for custom commands or tests to
invoke CPack commands.
CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING
This variable is set by CMake to indicate whether it is cross compiling, but note limitations discussed
below.
This variable will be set to true by CMake if the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable has been set manually (i.e.
in a toolchain file or as a cache entry from the cmake command line). In most cases, manually setting
CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME will only be done when cross compiling since, if not manually set, it will be given the
same value as CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME, which is correct for the non-cross-compiling case. In the event
that CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME is manually set to the same value as CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME, then
CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING will still be set to true.
Another case to be aware of is that builds targeting Apple platforms other than macOS are handled
differently to other cross compiling scenarios. Rather than relying on CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME to select the
target platform, Apple device builds use CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT to select the appropriate SDK, which
indirectly determines the target platform. Furthermore, when using the Xcode generator, developers can
switch between device and simulator builds at build time rather than having a single choice at configure
time, so the concept of whether the build is cross compiling or not is more complex. Therefore, the use
of CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING is not recommended for projects targeting Apple devices.
CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR
New in version 3.3.
This variable is only used when CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING is on. It should point to a command on the host
system that can run executable built for the target system.
New in version 3.15: If this variable contains a semicolon-separated list, then the first value is the
command and remaining values are its arguments.
New in version 3.28: This variable can be initialized via an CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR environment
variable.
The command will be used to run try_run() generated executables, which avoids manual population of the
TryRunResults.cmake file.
It is also used as the default value for the CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR target property of executables.
CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND
Full path to ctest(1) command installed with CMake.
This is the full path to the CTest executable ctest(1) that can be used for custom commands or tests to
invoke CTest commands.
CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR
The path to the binary directory currently being processed.
This is the full path to the build directory that is currently being processed by cmake. Each directory
added by add_subdirectory() will create a binary directory in the build tree, and as it is being
processed this variable will be set. For in-source builds this is the current source directory being
processed.
When run in cmake -P script mode, CMake sets the variables CMAKE_BINARY_DIR, CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR,
CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR to the current working directory.
CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION
New in version 3.17.
When executing code inside a function(), this variable contains the name of the current function. It can
be useful for diagnostic or debug messages.
See also CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR, CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_FILE and
CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_LINE.
CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR
New in version 3.17.
When executing code inside a function(), this variable contains the full directory of the listfile that
defined the current function.
It is quite common practice in CMake for modules to use some additional files, such as templates to be
copied in after substituting CMake variables. In such cases, a function needs to know where to locate
those files in a way that doesn't depend on where the function is called. Without
CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR, the code to do that would typically use the following pattern:
set(_THIS_MODULE_BASE_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}")
function(foo)
configure_file(
"${_THIS_MODULE_BASE_DIR}/some.template.in"
some.output
)
endfunction()
Using CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR inside the function instead eliminates the need for the extra
variable which would otherwise be visible outside the function's scope. The above example can be written
in the more concise and more robust form:
function(foo)
configure_file(
"${CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR}/some.template.in"
some.output
)
endfunction()
See also CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION, CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_FILE and CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_LINE.
CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_FILE
New in version 3.17.
When executing code inside a function(), this variable contains the full path to the listfile that
defined the current function.
See also CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION, CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_LINE.
CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_LINE
New in version 3.17.
When executing code inside a function(), this variable contains the line number in the listfile where the
current function was defined.
See also CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION, CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_FUNCTION_LIST_FILE.
CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR
Full directory of the listfile currently being processed.
As CMake processes the listfiles in your project this variable will always be set to the directory where
the listfile which is currently being processed (CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE) is located. The value has
dynamic scope. When CMake starts processing commands in a source file it sets this variable to the
directory where this file is located. When CMake finishes processing commands from the file it restores
the previous value. Therefore the value of the variable inside a macro or function is the directory of
the file invoking the bottom-most entry on the call stack, not the directory of the file containing the
macro or function definition.
See also CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE.
CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE
Full path to the listfile currently being processed.
As CMake processes the listfiles in your project this variable will always be set to the one currently
being processed. The value has dynamic scope. When CMake starts processing commands in a source file it
sets this variable to the location of the file. When CMake finishes processing commands from the file it
restores the previous value. Therefore the value of the variable inside a macro or function is the file
invoking the bottom-most entry on the call stack, not the file containing the macro or function
definition.
See also CMAKE_PARENT_LIST_FILE.
CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_LINE
The line number of the current file being processed.
This is the line number of the file currently being processed by cmake.
If CMake is currently processing deferred calls scheduled by the cmake_language(DEFER) command, this
variable evaluates to DEFERRED instead of a specific line number.
CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR
The path to the source directory currently being processed.
This is the full path to the source directory that is currently being processed by cmake.
When run in cmake -P script mode, CMake sets the variables CMAKE_BINARY_DIR, CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR,
CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR to the current working directory.
CMAKE_DEBUG_TARGET_PROPERTIES
Enables tracing output for target properties.
This variable can be populated with a list of properties to generate debug output for when evaluating
target properties. Currently it can only be used when evaluating:
• AUTOUIC_OPTIONS
• COMPILE_DEFINITIONS
• COMPILE_FEATURES
• COMPILE_OPTIONS
• INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
• LINK_DIRECTORIES
• LINK_OPTIONS
• POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE
• SOURCES
target properties and any other property listed in COMPATIBLE_INTERFACE_STRING and other
COMPATIBLE_INTERFACE_ properties. It outputs an origin for each entry in the target property. Default
is unset.
CMAKE_DIRECTORY_LABELS
New in version 3.10.
Specify labels for the current directory.
This is used to initialize the LABELS directory property.
CMAKE_DL_LIBS
Name of library containing dlopen and dlclose.
The name of the library that has dlopen and dlclose in it, usually -ldl on most UNIX machines.
CMAKE_DOTNET_SDK
New in version 3.23.
Default value for DOTNET_SDK property of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the DOTNET_SDK property on all targets. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK
New in version 3.17.
Default value for DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK property of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK property on all targets. See that target
property for additional information.
Setting CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK may be necessary when working with C# and newer .NET framework
versions to avoid referencing errors with the ALL_BUILD CMake target.
This variable is only evaluated for Visual Studio Generators VS 2010 and above.
CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION
New in version 3.12.
Default value for DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION property of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION property on all targets. See that
target property for additional information. When set, CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK takes precednece over
this variable. See that variable or the associated target property DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK for additional
information.
Setting CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION may be necessary when working with C# and newer .NET
framework versions to avoid referencing errors with the ALL_BUILD CMake target.
This variable is only evaluated for Visual Studio Generators VS 2010 and above.
CMAKE_EDIT_COMMAND
Full path to cmake-gui(1) or ccmake(1). Defined only for Makefile Generators and Ninja Generators when
not using any Extra Generators.
This is the full path to the CMake executable that can graphically edit the cache. For example,
cmake-gui(1) or ccmake(1).
CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX
The suffix for executables on this platform.
The suffix to use for the end of an executable filename if any, .exe on Windows.
CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX_<LANG>
The suffix to use for the end of an executable filename of <LANG> compiler target architecture, if any.
It overrides CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_EXTRA_GENERATOR
Deprecated since version 3.27: Support for Extra Generators is deprecated and will be removed from a
future version of CMake. IDEs may use the cmake-file-api(7) to view CMake-generated project build trees.
The extra generator used to build the project. See cmake-generators(7).
When using the Eclipse, CodeBlocks, CodeLite, Kate or Sublime generators, CMake generates Makefiles (‐
CMAKE_GENERATOR) and additionally project files for the respective IDE. This IDE project file generator
is stored in CMAKE_EXTRA_GENERATOR (e.g. Eclipse CDT4).
CMAKE_EXTRA_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIXES
Additional suffixes for shared libraries.
Extensions for shared libraries other than that specified by CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX, if any. CMake
uses this to recognize external shared library files during analysis of libraries linked by a target.
CMAKE_FIND_DEBUG_MODE
New in version 3.17.
Print extra find call information for the following commands to standard error:
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
Output is designed for human consumption and not for parsing. Enabling this variable is equivalent to
using cmake --debug-find with the added ability to enable debugging for a subset of find calls.
set(CMAKE_FIND_DEBUG_MODE TRUE)
find_program(...)
set(CMAKE_FIND_DEBUG_MODE FALSE)
Default is unset.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NAME
New in version 3.1.1.
Defined by the find_package() command while loading a find module to record the caller-specified package
name. See command documentation for details.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR
New in version 3.24.
This read-only variable specifies a directory that the find_package() command will check first before
searching anywhere else for a module or config package file. A config package file in this directory
will always be found in preference to any other Find module file or config package file.
The primary purpose of this variable is to facilitate integration between find_package() and
FetchContent_MakeAvailable(). The latter command may create files in the
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR directory when it populates a dependency. This allows subsequent calls
to find_package() for the same dependency to reuse the populated contents instead of trying to satisfy
the dependency from somewhere external to the build. Projects may also want to write files into this
directory in some situations (see Integrating With find_package() for examples).
The directory that CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR points to will always be erased and recreated empty
at the start of every CMake run. Any files written into this directory during the CMake run will be lost
the next time CMake configures the project.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR is only set in CMake project mode. It is not set when CMake is run in
script mode (i.e. cmake -P).
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_SORT_DIRECTION
New in version 3.7.
The sorting direction used by CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_SORT_ORDER. It can assume one of the following values:
DEC Default. Ordering is done in descending mode. The highest folder found will be tested first.
ASC Ordering is done in ascending mode. The lowest folder found will be tested first.
If CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_SORT_ORDER is not set or is set to NONE this variable has no effect.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_SORT_ORDER
New in version 3.7.
The default order for sorting packages found using find_package(). It can assume one of the following
values:
NONE Default. No attempt is done to sort packages. The first valid package found will be selected.
NAME Sort packages lexicographically before selecting one.
NATURAL
Sort packages using natural order (see strverscmp(3) manual), i.e. such that contiguous digits are
compared as whole numbers.
Natural sorting can be employed to return the highest version when multiple versions of the same library
are found by find_package(). For example suppose that the following libraries have been found:
• libX-1.1.0
• libX-1.2.9
• libX-1.2.10
By setting NATURAL order we can select the one with the highest version number libX-1.2.10.
set(CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_SORT_ORDER NATURAL)
find_package(libX CONFIG)
The sort direction can be controlled using the CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_SORT_DIRECTION variable (by default
decrescent, e.g. lib-B will be tested before lib-A).
CMAKE_GENERATOR
The generator used to build the project. See cmake-generators(7).
The name of the generator that is being used to generate the build files. (e.g. Unix Makefiles, Ninja,
etc.)
The value of this variable should never be modified by project code. A generator may be selected via the
cmake -G option, interactively in cmake-gui(1), or via the CMAKE_GENERATOR environment variable.
CMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE
New in version 3.11.
Generator-specific instance specification provided by user.
Some CMake generators support selection of an instance of the native build system when multiple instances
are available. If the user specifies an instance (e.g. by setting this cache entry or via the
CMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE environment variable), or after a default instance is chosen when a build tree
is first configured, the value will be available in this variable.
The value of this variable should never be modified by project code. A toolchain file specified by the
CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable may initialize CMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE as a cache entry. Once a given
build tree has been initialized with a particular value for this variable, changing the value has
undefined behavior.
Instance specification is supported only on specific generators.
Visual Studio Instance Selection
Visual Studio Generators support instance specification for Visual Studio 2017 and above. The
CMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE variable may be set as a cache entry selecting an instance of Visual Studio via
one of the following forms:
• location
• location[,key=value]*
• key=value[,key=value]*
The location specifies the absolute path to the top-level directory of the VS installation.
The key=value pairs form a comma-separated list of options to specify details of the instance selection.
Supported pairs are:
version=<major>.<minor>.<date>.<build>
New in version 3.23.
Specify the 4-component VS Build Version, a.k.a. Build Number.
The components are:
<major>.<minor>
The VS major and minor version numbers. These are the same as the release version numbers.
<date>
A build date in the format MMMDD, where MMM is a month index since an epoch used by Microsoft,
and DD is a day in that month.
<build>
A build index on the day represented by <date>.
The build number is reported by vswhere as installationVersion. For example, VS 16.11.10 has
build number 16.11.32126.315.
New in version 3.23: A portable VS instance, which is not known to the Visual Studio Installer, may be
specified by providing both location and version=.
If the value of CMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE is not specified explicitly by the user or a toolchain file,
CMake queries the Visual Studio Installer to locate VS instances, chooses one, and sets the variable as a
cache entry to hold the value persistently. If an environment variable of the form VS##0COMNTOOLS, where
## the Visual Studio major version number, is set and points to the Common7/Tools directory within one of
the VS instances, that instance will be used. Otherwise, if more than one VS instance is installed we do
not define which one is chosen by default.
The VS version build number of the selected VS instance is provided in the CMAKE_VS_VERSION_BUILD_NUMBER
variable.
CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM
New in version 3.1.
Generator-specific target platform specification provided by user.
Some CMake generators support a target platform name to be given to the native build system to choose a
compiler toolchain. If the user specifies a platform name (e.g. via the cmake -A option or via the
CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM environment variable) the value will be available in this variable.
The value of this variable should never be modified by project code. A toolchain file specified by the
CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable may initialize CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM. Once a given build tree has been
initialized with a particular value for this variable, changing the value has undefined behavior.
Platform specification is supported only on specific generators:
• For Visual Studio Generators with VS 2005 and above this specifies the target architecture.
• For Green Hills MULTI this specifies the target architecture.
See native build system documentation for allowed platform names.
Visual Studio Platform Selection
The Visual Studio Generators support platform specification using one of these forms:
• platform
• platform[,key=value]*
• key=value[,key=value]*
The platform specifies the target platform (VS target architecture), such as x64, ARM64, or Win32. The
selected platform name is provided in the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_NAME variable.
The key=value pairs form a comma-separated list of options to specify generator-specific details of the
platform selection. Supported pairs are:
version=<version>
New in version 3.27.
Specify the Windows SDK version to use. This is supported by VS 2015 and above when targeting
Windows or Windows Store. CMake will set the CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION variable to
the selected SDK version.
The <version> may be one of:
10.0 Specify that any 10.0 SDK version may be used, and let Visual Studio pick one. This is
supported by VS 2019 and above.
10.0.<build>.<increment>
Specify the exact 4-component SDK version, e.g., 10.0.19041.0. The specified version of
the SDK must be installed. It may not exceed the value of
CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION_MAXIMUM, if that variable is set.
8.1 Specify the 8.1 SDK version. This is always supported by VS 2015. On VS 2017 and above
the 8.1 SDK must be installed.
If the version field is not specified, CMake selects a version as described in the
CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION variable documentation.
CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET
Native build system toolset specification provided by user.
Some CMake generators support a toolset specification to tell the native build system how to choose a
compiler. If the user specifies a toolset (e.g. via the cmake -T option or via the
CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET environment variable) the value will be available in this variable.
The value of this variable should never be modified by project code. A toolchain file specified by the
CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable may initialize CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET. Once a given build tree has been
initialized with a particular value for this variable, changing the value has undefined behavior.
Toolset specification is supported only on specific generators:
• Visual Studio Generators for VS 2010 and above
• The Xcode generator for Xcode 3.0 and above
• The Green Hills MULTI generator
See native build system documentation for allowed toolset names.
Visual Studio Toolset Selection
The Visual Studio Generators support toolset specification using one of these forms:
• toolset
• toolset[,key=value]*
• key=value[,key=value]*
The toolset specifies the toolset name. The selected toolset name is provided in the
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET variable.
The key=value pairs form a comma-separated list of options to specify generator-specific details of the
toolset selection. Supported pairs are:
cuda=<version>|<path>
Specify the CUDA toolkit version to use or the path to a standalone CUDA toolkit directory.
Supported by VS 2010 and above. The version can only be used with the CUDA toolkit VS integration
globally installed. See the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_CUDA and
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_CUDA_CUSTOM_DIR variables.
host=<arch>
Specify the host tools architecture as x64 or x86. Supported by VS 2013 and above. See the
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_HOST_ARCHITECTURE variable.
version=<version>
Specify the toolset version to use. Supported by VS 2017 and above with the specified toolset
installed. See the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_VERSION variable.
VCTargetsPath=<path>
Specify an alternative VCTargetsPath value for Visual Studio project files. This allows use of VS
platform extension configuration files (.props and .targets) that are not installed with VS.
Visual Studio Toolset Customization
These are unstable interfaces with no compatibility guarantees because they hook into undocumented
internal CMake implementation details. Institutions may use these to internally maintain support for
non-public Visual Studio platforms and toolsets, but must accept responsibility to make updates as
changes are made to CMake.
Additional key=value pairs are available:
customFlagTableDir=<path>
New in version 3.21.
Specify the absolute path to a directory from which to load custom flag tables stored as JSON
documents with file names of the form <platform>_<toolset>_<tool>.json or <platform>_<tool>.json,
where <platform> is the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_NAME, <toolset> is the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET, and
<tool> is the tool for which the flag table is meant. This naming pattern is an internal CMake
implementation detail. The <tool> names are undocumented. The format of the .json flag table
files is undocumented.
CMAKE_IMPORT_LIBRARY_PREFIX
The prefix for import libraries that you link to.
The prefix to use for the name of an import library if used on this platform.
CMAKE_IMPORT_LIBRARY_PREFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_IMPORT_LIBRARY_SUFFIX
The suffix for import libraries that you link to.
The suffix to use for the end of an import library filename if used on this platform.
CMAKE_IMPORT_LIBRARY_SUFFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_JOB_POOL_COMPILE
This variable is used to initialize the JOB_POOL_COMPILE property on all the targets. See
JOB_POOL_COMPILE for additional information.
CMAKE_JOB_POOL_LINK
This variable is used to initialize the JOB_POOL_LINK property on all the targets. See JOB_POOL_LINK for
additional information.
CMAKE_JOB_POOL_PRECOMPILE_HEADER
New in version 3.17.
This variable is used to initialize the JOB_POOL_PRECOMPILE_HEADER property on all the targets. See
JOB_POOL_PRECOMPILE_HEADER for additional information.
CMAKE_JOB_POOLS
New in version 3.11.
If the JOB_POOLS global property is not set, the value of this variable is used in its place. See
JOB_POOLS for additional information.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_AR
New in version 3.9.
A wrapper around ar adding the appropriate --plugin option for the compiler.
See also CMAKE_AR.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_FRONTEND_VARIANT
New in version 3.14.
Identification string of the compiler frontend variant.
Some compilers have multiple, different frontends for accepting command line options. (For example Clang
originally only had a frontend compatible with the GNU compiler but since its port to Windows (Clang-Cl)
it now also supports a frontend compatible with MSVC.) When CMake detects such a compiler it sets this
variable to what would have been the CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ID for the compiler whose frontend it
resembles.
NOTE:
In other words, this variable describes what command line options and language extensions the compiler
frontend expects.
Changed in version 3.26: This variable is set for GNU, MSVC, and AppleClang compilers that have only one
frontend variant.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_RANLIB
New in version 3.9.
A wrapper around ranlib adding the appropriate --plugin option for the compiler.
See also CMAKE_RANLIB.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_SUFFIX
New in version 3.16.
Language-specific suffix for libraries that you link to.
The suffix to use for the end of a library filename, .lib on Windows.
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_SUFFIX
The suffix for libraries that you link to.
The suffix to use for the end of a library filename, .lib on Windows.
CMAKE_LINK_SEARCH_END_STATIC
New in version 3.4.
End a link line such that static system libraries are used.
Some linkers support switches such as -Bstatic and -Bdynamic to determine whether to use static or shared
libraries for -lXXX options. CMake uses these options to set the link type for libraries whose full
paths are not known or (in some cases) are in implicit link directories for the platform. By default
CMake adds an option at the end of the library list (if necessary) to set the linker search type back to
its starting type. This property switches the final linker search type to -Bstatic regardless of how it
started.
This variable is used to initialize the target property LINK_SEARCH_END_STATIC for all targets. If set,
its value is also used by the try_compile() command.
See also CMAKE_LINK_SEARCH_START_STATIC.
CMAKE_LINK_SEARCH_START_STATIC
New in version 3.4.
Assume the linker looks for static libraries by default.
Some linkers support switches such as -Bstatic and -Bdynamic to determine whether to use static or shared
libraries for -lXXX options. CMake uses these options to set the link type for libraries whose full
paths are not known or (in some cases) are in implicit link directories for the platform. By default the
linker search type is assumed to be -Bdynamic at the beginning of the library list. This property
switches the assumption to -Bstatic. It is intended for use when linking an executable statically (e.g.
with the GNU -static option).
This variable is used to initialize the target property LINK_SEARCH_START_STATIC for all targets. If
set, its value is also used by the try_compile() command.
See also CMAKE_LINK_SEARCH_END_STATIC.
CMAKE_MAJOR_VERSION
First version number component of the CMAKE_VERSION variable.
CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM
Tool that can launch the native build system. The value may be the full path to an executable or just
the tool name if it is expected to be in the PATH.
The tool selected depends on the CMAKE_GENERATOR used to configure the project:
• The Makefile Generators set this to make, gmake, or a generator-specific tool (e.g. nmake for NMake
Makefiles).
These generators store CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM in the CMake cache so that it may be edited by the user.
• The Ninja generator sets this to ninja.
This generator stores CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM in the CMake cache so that it may be edited by the user.
• The Xcode generator sets this to xcodebuild.
This generator prefers to lookup the build tool at build time rather than to store CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM
in the CMake cache ahead of time. This is because xcodebuild is easy to find.
For compatibility with versions of CMake prior to 3.2, if a user or project explicitly adds
CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM to the CMake cache then CMake will use the specified value.
• The Visual Studio Generators set this to the full path to MSBuild.exe (VS >= 10), devenv.com (VS
7,8,9), or VCExpress.exe (VS Express 8,9). (See also variables CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND and
CMAKE_VS_DEVENV_COMMAND.
These generators prefer to lookup the build tool at build time rather than to store CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM
in the CMake cache ahead of time. This is because the tools are version-specific and can be located
using the Windows Registry. It is also necessary because the proper build tool may depend on the
project content (e.g. the Intel Fortran plugin to VS 10 and 11 requires devenv.com to build its .vfproj
project files even though MSBuild.exe is normally preferred to support the CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET).
For compatibility with versions of CMake prior to 3.0, if a user or project explicitly adds
CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM to the CMake cache then CMake will use the specified value if possible.
• The Green Hills MULTI generator sets this to the full path to gbuild.exe(Windows) or gbuild(Linux)
based upon the toolset being used.
Once the generator has initialized a particular value for this variable, changing the value has
undefined behavior.
The CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM variable is set for use by project code. The value is also used by the cmake
--build and ctest --build-and-test tools to launch the native build process.
CMAKE_MATCH_COUNT
New in version 3.2.
The number of matches with the last regular expression.
When a regular expression match is used, CMake fills in CMAKE_MATCH_<n> variables with the match
contents. The CMAKE_MATCH_COUNT variable holds the number of match expressions when these are filled.
CMAKE_MATCH_<n>
New in version 3.9.
Capture group <n> matched by the last regular expression, for groups 0 through 9. Group 0 is the entire
match. Groups 1 through 9 are the subexpressions captured by () syntax.
When a regular expression match is used, CMake fills in CMAKE_MATCH_<n> variables with the match
contents. The CMAKE_MATCH_COUNT variable holds the number of match expressions when these are filled.
CMAKE_MINIMUM_REQUIRED_VERSION
The <min> version of CMake given to the most recent call to the cmake_minimum_required(VERSION) command
in the current variable scope or any parent variable scope.
CMAKE_MINOR_VERSION
Second version number component of the CMAKE_VERSION variable.
CMAKE_NETRC
New in version 3.11.
This variable is used to initialize the NETRC option for the file(DOWNLOAD) and file(UPLOAD) commands.
See those commands for additional information.
This variable is also used by the ExternalProject and FetchContent modules for internal calls to
file(DOWNLOAD).
The local option takes precedence over this variable.
CMAKE_NETRC_FILE
New in version 3.11.
This variable is used to initialize the NETRC_FILE option for the file(DOWNLOAD) and file(UPLOAD)
commands. See those commands for additional information.
This variable is also used by the ExternalProject and FetchContent modules for internal calls to
file(DOWNLOAD).
The local option takes precedence over this variable.
CMAKE_PARENT_LIST_FILE
Full path to the CMake file that included the current one.
While processing a CMake file loaded by include() or find_package() this variable contains the full path
to the file including it. The top of the include stack is always the CMakeLists.txt for the current
directory. See also CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE.
CMAKE_PATCH_VERSION
Third version number component of the CMAKE_VERSION variable.
CMAKE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION
New in version 3.9.
The description of the top level project.
This variable holds the description of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by a
project() command. In the event that the top level CMakeLists.txt contains multiple project() calls, the
most recently called one from that top level CMakeLists.txt will determine the value that
CMAKE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION contains. For example, consider the following top level CMakeLists.txt:
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(First DESCRIPTION "I am First")
project(Second DESCRIPTION "I am Second")
add_subdirectory(sub)
project(Third DESCRIPTION "I am Third")
And sub/CMakeLists.txt with the following contents:
project(SubProj DESCRIPTION "I am SubProj")
message("CMAKE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION = ${CMAKE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION}")
The most recently seen project() command from the top level CMakeLists.txt would be project(Second ...),
so this will print:
CMAKE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION = I am Second
To obtain the description from the most recent call to project() in the current directory scope or above,
see the PROJECT_DESCRIPTION variable.
CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
New in version 3.12.
The homepage URL of the top level project.
This variable holds the homepage URL of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by
a project() command. In the event that the top level CMakeLists.txt contains multiple project() calls,
the most recently called one from that top level CMakeLists.txt will determine the value that
CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL contains. For example, consider the following top level CMakeLists.txt:
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(First HOMEPAGE_URL "http://first.example.com")
project(Second HOMEPAGE_URL "http://second.example.com")
add_subdirectory(sub)
project(Third HOMEPAGE_URL "http://third.example.com")
And sub/CMakeLists.txt with the following contents:
project(SubProj HOMEPAGE_URL "http://subproj.example.com")
message("CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL = ${CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL}")
The most recently seen project() command from the top level CMakeLists.txt would be project(Second ...),
so this will print:
CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL = http://second.example.com
To obtain the homepage URL from the most recent call to project() in the current directory scope or
above, see the PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME
The name of the top level project.
This variable holds the name of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by a
project() command. In the event that the top level CMakeLists.txt contains multiple project() calls, the
most recently called one from that top level CMakeLists.txt will determine the name that
CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME contains. For example, consider the following top level CMakeLists.txt:
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(First)
project(Second)
add_subdirectory(sub)
project(Third)
And sub/CMakeLists.txt with the following contents:
project(SubProj)
message("CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME = ${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME}")
The most recently seen project() command from the top level CMakeLists.txt would be project(Second), so
this will print:
CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME = Second
To obtain the name from the most recent call to project() in the current directory scope or above, see
the PROJECT_NAME variable.
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION
New in version 3.12.
The version of the top level project.
This variable holds the version of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by a
project() command. In the event that the top level CMakeLists.txt contains multiple project() calls, the
most recently called one from that top level CMakeLists.txt will determine the value that
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION contains. For example, consider the following top level CMakeLists.txt:
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(First VERSION 1.2.3)
project(Second VERSION 3.4.5)
add_subdirectory(sub)
project(Third VERSION 6.7.8)
And sub/CMakeLists.txt with the following contents:
project(SubProj VERSION 1)
message("CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION = ${CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION}")
The most recently seen project() command from the top level CMakeLists.txt would be project(Second ...),
so this will print:
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION = 3.4.5
To obtain the version from the most recent call to project() in the current directory scope or above, see
the PROJECT_VERSION variable.
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR
New in version 3.12.
The major version of the top level project.
This variable holds the major version of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by
a project() command. Please see CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION documentation for the behavior when multiple
project() commands are used in the sources.
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR
New in version 3.12.
The minor version of the top level project.
This variable holds the minor version of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by
a project() command. Please see CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION documentation for the behavior when multiple
project() commands are used in the sources.
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH
New in version 3.12.
The patch version of the top level project.
This variable holds the patch version of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by
a project() command. Please see CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION documentation for the behavior when multiple
project() commands are used in the sources.
CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK
New in version 3.12.
The tweak version of the top level project.
This variable holds the tweak version of the project as specified in the top level CMakeLists.txt file by
a project() command. Please see CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION documentation for the behavior when multiple
project() commands are used in the sources.
CMAKE_RANLIB
Name of randomizing tool for static libraries.
This specifies name of the program that randomizes libraries on UNIX, not used on Windows, but may be
present.
CMAKE_ROOT
Install directory for running cmake.
This is the install root for the running CMake and the Modules directory can be found here. This is
commonly used in this format: ${CMAKE_ROOT}/Modules
CMAKE_RULE_MESSAGES
New in version 3.13.
Specify whether to report a message for each make rule.
If set in the cache it is used to initialize the value of the RULE_MESSAGES property. Users may disable
the option in their local build tree to disable granular messages and report only as each target
completes in Makefile builds.
CMAKE_SCRIPT_MODE_FILE
Full path to the cmake -P script file currently being processed.
When run in cmake -P script mode, CMake sets this variable to the full path of the script file. When run
to configure a CMakeLists.txt file, this variable is not set.
CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX
The prefix for shared libraries that you link to.
The prefix to use for the name of a shared library, lib on UNIX.
CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX
The suffix for shared libraries that you link to.
The suffix to use for the end of a shared library filename, .dll on Windows.
CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_PREFIX
The prefix for loadable modules that you link to.
The prefix to use for the name of a loadable module on this platform.
CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_PREFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_SUFFIX
The suffix for shared libraries that you link to.
The suffix to use for the end of a loadable module filename on this platform
CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_SUFFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P
Size of a void pointer.
This is set to the size of a pointer on the target machine, and is determined when a compiled language is
enabled. If a 64-bit size is found, then the library search path is modified to look for 64-bit
libraries first.
CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RULES
Whether to disable generation of installation rules.
If TRUE, CMake will neither generate installation rules nor will it generate cmake_install.cmake files.
This variable is FALSE by default.
CMAKE_SKIP_RPATH
If true, do not add run time path information.
If this is set to TRUE, then the rpath information is not added to compiled executables. The default is
to add rpath information if the platform supports it. This allows for easy running from the build tree.
To omit RPATH in the install step, but not the build step, use CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH instead. To omit
RPATH in the build step, use CMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH.
For more information on RPATH handling see the INSTALL_RPATH and BUILD_RPATH target properties.
CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR
The path to the top level of the source tree.
This is the full path to the top level of the current CMake source tree. For an in-source build, this
would be the same as CMAKE_BINARY_DIR.
When run in cmake -P script mode, CMake sets the variables CMAKE_BINARY_DIR, CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR,
CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR to the current working directory.
CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_PREFIX
The prefix for static libraries that you link to.
The prefix to use for the name of a static library, lib on UNIX.
CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_PREFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX
The suffix for static libraries that you link to.
The suffix to use for the end of a static library filename, .lib on Windows.
CMAKE_STATIC_LIBRARY_SUFFIX_<LANG> overrides this for language <LANG>.
CMAKE_Swift_MODULE_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.15.
Swift module output directory.
This variable is used to initialize the Swift_MODULE_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See the
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_Swift_NUM_THREADS
New in version 3.15.1.
Number of threads for parallel compilation for Swift targets.
This variable controls the number of parallel jobs that the swift driver creates for building targets.
If not specified, it will default to the number of logical CPUs on the host.
CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE
Path to toolchain file supplied to cmake(1).
This variable is specified on the command line when cross-compiling with CMake. It is the path to a file
which is read early in the CMake run and which specifies locations for compilers and toolchain utilities,
and other target platform and compiler related information.
Relative paths are allowed and are interpreted first as relative to the build directory, and if not
found, relative to the source directory.
This is initialized by the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE environment variable if it is set when a new build tree
is first created.
See the CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES variable for setting other things not directly related to the
toolchain.
CMAKE_TWEAK_VERSION
Defined to 0 for compatibility with code written for older CMake versions that may have defined higher
values.
NOTE:
In CMake versions 2.8.2 through 2.8.12, this variable holds the fourth version number component of the
CMAKE_VERSION variable.
CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE
Enable verbose output from Makefile builds.
This variable is a cache entry initialized (to FALSE) by the project() command. Users may enable the
option in their local build tree to get more verbose output from Makefile builds and show each command
line as it is launched.
CMAKE_VERSION
The CMake version string as three non-negative integer components separated by . and possibly followed by
- and other information. The first two components represent the feature level and the third component
represents either a bug-fix level or development date.
Release versions and release candidate versions of CMake use the format:
<major>.<minor>.<patch>[-rc<n>]
where the <patch> component is less than 20000000. Development versions of CMake use the format:
<major>.<minor>.<date>[-<id>]
where the <date> component is of format CCYYMMDD and <id> may contain arbitrary text. This represents
development as of a particular date following the <major>.<minor> feature release.
Individual component values are also available in variables:
• CMAKE_MAJOR_VERSION
• CMAKE_MINOR_VERSION
• CMAKE_PATCH_VERSION
• CMAKE_TWEAK_VERSION
Use the if() command VERSION_LESS, VERSION_GREATER, VERSION_EQUAL, VERSION_LESS_EQUAL, or
VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL operators to compare version string values against CMAKE_VERSION using a
component-wise test. Version component values may be 10 or larger so do not attempt to compare version
strings as floating-point numbers.
NOTE:
CMake versions 2.8.2 through 2.8.12 used three components for the feature level. Release versions
represented the bug-fix level in a fourth component, i.e. <major>.<minor>.<patch>[.<tweak>][-rc<n>].
Development versions represented the development date in the fourth component, i.e.
<major>.<minor>.<patch>.<date>[-<id>].
CMake versions prior to 2.8.2 used three components for the feature level and had no bug-fix
component. Release versions used an even-valued second component, i.e.
<major>.<even-minor>.<patch>[-rc<n>]. Development versions used an odd-valued second component with
the development date as the third component, i.e. <major>.<odd-minor>.<date>.
The CMAKE_VERSION variable is defined by CMake 2.6.3 and higher. Earlier versions defined only the
individual component variables.
CMAKE_VS_DEVENV_COMMAND
The generators for Visual Studio 9 2008 and above set this variable to the devenv.com command installed
with the corresponding Visual Studio version. Note that this variable may be empty on Visual Studio
Express editions because they do not provide this tool.
This variable is not defined by other generators even if devenv.com is installed on the computer.
The CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND is also provided for Visual Studio 12 2013 and above. See also the
CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM variable.
CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND
The generators for Visual Studio 12 2013 and above set this variable to the MSBuild.exe command installed
with the corresponding Visual Studio version.
This variable is not defined by other generators even if MSBuild.exe is installed on the computer.
The CMAKE_VS_DEVENV_COMMAND is also provided for the non-Express editions of Visual Studio. See also the
CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM variable.
CMAKE_VS_NsightTegra_VERSION
New in version 3.1.
When using a Visual Studio generator with the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable set to Android, this variable
contains the version number of the installed NVIDIA Nsight Tegra Visual Studio Edition.
CMAKE_VS_NUGET_PACKAGE_RESTORE
New in version 3.23.
When using a Visual Studio generator, this cache variable controls if msbuild should automatically
attempt to restore NuGet packages prior to a build. NuGet packages can be defined using the
VS_PACKAGE_REFERENCES property on a target. If no package references are defined, this setting will do
nothing.
The command line option --resolve-package-references can be used alternatively to control the resolve
behavior globally. This option will take precedence over the cache variable.
Targets that use the DOTNET_SDK are required to run a restore before building. Disabling this option may
cause the build to fail in such projects.
This setting is stored as a cache entry. Default value is ON.
See also the VS_PACKAGE_REFERENCES property.
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_NAME
New in version 3.1.
Visual Studio target platform name used by the current generator.
VS 8 and above allow project files to specify a target platform. CMake provides the name of the chosen
platform in this variable. See the CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM variable for details.
See also the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_NAME_DEFAULT variable.
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_NAME_DEFAULT
New in version 3.14.3.
Default for the Visual Studio target platform name for the current generator without considering the
value of the CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM variable. For Visual Studio Generators for VS 2017 and below this
is always Win32. For VS 2019 and above this is based on the host platform.
See also the CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_NAME variable.
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET
Visual Studio Platform Toolset name.
VS 10 and above use MSBuild under the hood and support multiple compiler toolchains. CMake may specify a
toolset explicitly, such as v110 for VS 11 or Windows7.1SDK for 64-bit support in VS 10 Express. CMake
provides the name of the chosen toolset in this variable.
See the CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET variable for details.
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_CUDA
New in version 3.9.
NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit version whose Visual Studio toolset to use.
The Visual Studio Generators for VS 2010 and above support using a CUDA toolset provided by a CUDA
Toolkit. The toolset version number may be specified by a field in CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET of the form
cuda=8.0. Or it is automatically detected if a path to a standalone CUDA directory is specified in the
form cuda=C:\path\to\cuda. If none is specified CMake will choose a default version. CMake provides the
selected CUDA toolset version in this variable. The value may be empty if no CUDA Toolkit with Visual
Studio integration is installed.
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_CUDA_CUSTOM_DIR
New in version 3.16.
Path to standalone NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit (eg. extracted from installer).
The Visual Studio Generators for VS 2010 and above support using a standalone (non-installed) NVIDIA CUDA
toolkit. The path may be specified by a field in CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET of the form
cuda=C:\path\to\cuda. The given directory must at least contain the nvcc compiler in path .\bin and must
provide Visual Studio integration files in path .\extras\visual_studio_integration\ MSBuildExtensions\.
One can create a standalone CUDA toolkit directory by either opening a installer with 7zip or copying the
files that are extracted by the running installer. The value may be empty if no path to a standalone CUDA
Toolkit was specified.
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_HOST_ARCHITECTURE
New in version 3.8.
Visual Studio preferred tool architecture.
The Visual Studio Generators for VS 2013 and above support using either the 32-bit or 64-bit host
toolchains by specifying a host=x86 or host=x64 value in the CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET option. CMake
provides the selected toolchain architecture preference in this variable (x86, x64, ARM64 or empty).
CMAKE_VS_PLATFORM_TOOLSET_VERSION
New in version 3.12.
Visual Studio Platform Toolset version.
The Visual Studio Generators for VS 2017 and above allow to select minor versions of the same toolset.
The toolset version number may be specified by a field in CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET of the form
version=14.11. If none is specified CMake will choose a default toolset. The value may be empty if no
minor version was selected and the default is used.
If the value is not empty, it is the version number that MSBuild uses in its
Microsoft.VCToolsVersion.*.props file names.
New in version 3.19.7: VS 16.9's toolset may also be specified as 14.28.16.9 because VS 16.10 uses the
file name Microsoft.VCToolsVersion.14.28.16.9.props.
Three-Component MSVC Toolset Versions
New in version 3.19.7.
The version= field may be given a three-component toolset version such as 14.28.29910, and CMake will
convert it to the name used by MSBuild Microsoft.VCToolsVersion.*.props files. This is useful to
distinguish between VS 16.8's 14.28.29333 toolset and VS 16.9's 14.28.29910 toolset. It also matches
vcvarsall's -vcvars_ver= behavior.
CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_IDENTIFIER
New in version 3.22.
Visual Studio target framework identifier.
In some cases, the Visual Studio Generators may use an explicit value for the MSBuild
TargetFrameworkIdentifier setting in .csproj files. CMake provides the chosen value in this variable.
See also CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION and CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_TARGETS_VERSION.
CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_TARGETS_VERSION
New in version 3.22.
Visual Studio target framework targets version.
In some cases, the Visual Studio Generators may use an explicit value for the MSBuild
TargetFrameworkTargetsVersion setting in .csproj files. CMake provides the chosen value in this
variable.
See also CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION and CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_IDENTIFIER.
CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION
New in version 3.22.
Visual Studio target framework version.
In some cases, the Visual Studio Generators may use an explicit value for the MSBuild
TargetFrameworkVersion setting in .csproj files. CMake provides the chosen value in this variable.
See the CMAKE_DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION variable and DOTNET_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_VERSION target
property to specify custom TargetFrameworkVersion values for project targets.
See also CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_IDENTIFIER and CMAKE_VS_TARGET_FRAMEWORK_TARGETS_VERSION.
CMAKE_VS_VERSION_BUILD_NUMBER
New in version 3.26.
Visual Studio version.
Visual Studio Generators for VS 2017 and above set this variable to the Visual Studio version build
number in the format <major>.<minor>.<date>.<build>.
The components are:
<major>.<minor>
The VS major and minor version numbers. These are the same as the release version numbers.
<date>
A build date in the format MMMDD, where MMM is a month index since an epoch used by Microsoft, and DD
is a day in that month.
<build>
A build index on the day represented by <date>.
The build number is reported by vswhere as installationVersion. For example, VS 16.11.10 has build
number 16.11.32126.315.
See also the CMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE variable.
CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_MIN_VERSION
New in version 3.27.
Tell Visual Studio Generators to use the given Windows Target Platform Minimum Version.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_MIN_VERSION property on all targets
when they are created. See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION
New in version 3.4.
Visual Studio Windows Target Platform Version.
When targeting Windows 10 and above, Visual Studio Generators for VS 2015 and above support specification
of a Windows SDK version:
• If CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM specifies a version= field, as documented by Visual Studio Platform
Selection, that SDK version is selected.
• Otherwise, if the WindowsSDKVersion environment variable is set to an available SDK version, that
version is selected. This is intended for use in environments established by vcvarsall.bat or similar
scripts.
New in version 3.27: This is enabled by policy CMP0149.
• Otherwise, if CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION is set to an available SDK version, that version is selected.
Changed in version 3.27: This is disabled by policy CMP0149.
• Otherwise, CMake uses the latest Windows SDK version available.
The chosen Windows target version number is provided in CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION. If no
Windows 10 SDK is available this value will be empty.
One may set a CMAKE_WINDOWS_KITS_10_DIR environment variable to an absolute path to tell CMake to look
for Windows 10 SDKs in a custom location. The specified directory is expected to contain Include/10.0.*
directories.
See also CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION_MAXIMUM.
CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION_MAXIMUM
New in version 3.19.
Override the Windows 10 SDK Maximum Version for VS 2015 and beyond.
The CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION_MAXIMUM variable may be set to a false value (e.g. OFF,
FALSE, or 0) or the SDK version to use as the maximum (e.g. 10.0.14393.0). If unset, the default depends
on which version of Visual Studio is targeted by the current generator.
This can be used to exclude Windows SDK versions from consideration for
CMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION.
CMAKE_XCODE_BUILD_SYSTEM
New in version 3.19.
Xcode build system selection.
The Xcode generator defines this variable to indicate which variant of the Xcode build system will be
used. The value is the version of Xcode in which the corresponding build system first became mature
enough for use by CMake. The possible values are:
1 The original Xcode build system. This is the default when using Xcode 11.x or below and supported
up to Xcode 13.x.
12 The Xcode "new build system" introduced by Xcode 10. It became mature enough for use by CMake in
Xcode 12. This is the default when using Xcode 12.x or above.
The CMAKE_XCODE_BUILD_SYSTEM variable is informational and should not be modified by project code. See
the Toolset and Build System Selection documentation section to select the Xcode build system.
CMAKE_XCODE_PLATFORM_TOOLSET
Xcode compiler selection.
Xcode supports selection of a compiler from one of the installed toolsets. CMake provides the name of
the chosen toolset in this variable, if any is explicitly selected (e.g. via the cmake -T option).
<PROJECT-NAME>_BINARY_DIR
Top level binary directory for the named project.
A variable is created with the name used in the project() command, and is the binary directory for the
project. This can be useful when add_subdirectory() is used to connect several projects.
<PROJECT-NAME>_DESCRIPTION
New in version 3.12.
Value given to the DESCRIPTION option of the most recent call to the project() command with project name
<PROJECT-NAME>, if any.
<PROJECT-NAME>_HOMEPAGE_URL
New in version 3.12.
Value given to the HOMEPAGE_URL option of the most recent call to the project() command with project name
<PROJECT-NAME>, if any.
<PROJECT-NAME>_IS_TOP_LEVEL
New in version 3.21.
A boolean variable indicating whether the named project was called in a top level CMakeLists.txt file.
To obtain the value from the most recent call to project() in the current directory scope or above, see
the PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL variable.
The variable value will be true in:
• the top-level directory of the project
• the top-level directory of an external project added by ExternalProject
• a directory added by add_subdirectory() that does not also contain a project() call
• a directory added by FetchContent_MakeAvailable(), if the fetched content does not contain a project()
call
The variable value will be false in:
• a directory added by add_subdirectory() that also contains a project() call
• a directory added by FetchContent_MakeAvailable(), if the fetched content contains a project() call
<PROJECT-NAME>_SOURCE_DIR
Top level source directory for the named project.
A variable is created with the name used in the project() command, and is the source directory for the
project. This can be useful when add_subdirectory() is used to connect several projects.
<PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION
Value given to the VERSION option of the most recent call to the project() command with project name
<PROJECT-NAME>, if any.
See also the component-wise version variables <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_MAJOR, <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_MINOR,
<PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_PATCH, and <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_TWEAK.
<PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_MAJOR
First version number component of the <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
<PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_MINOR
Second version number component of the <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
<PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_PATCH
Third version number component of the <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
<PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION_TWEAK
Fourth version number component of the <PROJECT-NAME>_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
PROJECT_BINARY_DIR
Full path to build directory for project.
This is the binary directory of the most recent project() command.
PROJECT_DESCRIPTION
New in version 3.9.
Short project description given to the project command.
This is the description given to the most recently called project() command in the current directory
scope or above. To obtain the description of the top level project, see the CMAKE_PROJECT_DESCRIPTION
variable.
PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
New in version 3.12.
The homepage URL of the project.
This is the homepage URL given to the most recently called project() command in the current directory
scope or above. To obtain the homepage URL of the top level project, see the CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
variable.
PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL
New in version 3.21.
A boolean variable indicating whether the most recently called project() command in the current scope or
above was in the top level CMakeLists.txt file.
Some modules should only be included as part of the top level CMakeLists.txt file to not cause unintended
side effects in the build tree, and this variable can be used to conditionally execute such code. For
example, consider the CTest module, which creates targets and options:
project(MyProject)
...
if(PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL)
include(CTest)
endif()
The variable value will be true in:
• the top-level directory of the project
• the top-level directory of an external project added by ExternalProject
• a directory added by add_subdirectory() that does not also contain a project() call
• a directory added by FetchContent_MakeAvailable(), if the fetched content does not contain a project()
call
The variable value will be false in:
• a directory added by add_subdirectory() that also contains a project() call
• a directory added by FetchContent_MakeAvailable(), if the fetched content contains a project() call
PROJECT_NAME
Name of the project given to the project command.
This is the name given to the most recently called project() command in the current directory scope or
above. To obtain the name of the top level project, see the CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME variable.
PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR
This is the source directory of the last call to the project() command made in the current directory
scope or one of its parents. Note, it is not affected by calls to project() made within a child directory
scope (i.e. from within a call to add_subdirectory() from the current scope).
PROJECT_VERSION
Value given to the VERSION option of the most recent call to the project() command, if any.
See also the component-wise version variables PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR, PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR,
PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH, and PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK.
PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR
First version number component of the PROJECT_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR
Second version number component of the PROJECT_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH
Third version number component of the PROJECT_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK
Fourth version number component of the PROJECT_VERSION variable as set by the project() command.
VARIABLES THAT CHANGE BEHAVIOR
BUILD_SHARED_LIBS
Global flag to cause add_library() to create shared libraries if on.
If present and true, this will cause all libraries to be built shared unless the library was explicitly
added as a static library. This variable is often added to projects as an option() so that each user of
a project can decide if they want to build the project using shared or static libraries.
CMAKE_ABSOLUTE_DESTINATION_FILES
List of files which have been installed using an ABSOLUTE DESTINATION path.
This variable is defined by CMake-generated cmake_install.cmake scripts. It can be used (read-only) by
programs or scripts that source those install scripts. This is used by some CPack generators (e.g.
RPM).
CMAKE_ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND_DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY
New in version 3.27.
Whether to enable the DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY option by default in add_custom_command().
This variable affects the default behavior of the add_custom_command() command. Setting this variable to
ON is equivalent to using the DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY option in all uses of that command.
See also CMAKE_OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES.
CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for macOS application bundles used by
the find_program(), and find_package() commands.
There is also an environment variable CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH, which is used as an additional list of search
directories.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_RELAXED_MODE
Deprecated since version 3.15.
Switch between strict and relaxed automoc mode.
By default, AUTOMOC behaves exactly as described in the documentation of the AUTOMOC target property.
When set to TRUE, it accepts more input and tries to find the correct input file for moc even if it
differs from the documented behavior. In this mode it e.g. also checks whether a header file is
intended to be processed by moc when a "foo.moc" file has been included.
Relaxed mode has to be enabled for KDE4 compatibility.
CMAKE_BACKWARDS_COMPATIBILITY
Deprecated. See CMake Policy CMP0001 documentation.
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE
Specifies the build type on single-configuration generators (e.g. Makefile Generators or Ninja).
Typical values include Debug, Release, RelWithDebInfo and MinSizeRel, but custom build types can also be
defined.
This variable is initialized by the first project() or enable_language() command called in a project when
a new build tree is first created. If the CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE environment variable is set, its value is
used. Otherwise, a toolchain-specific default is chosen when a language is enabled. The default value
is often an empty string, but this is usually not desirable and one of the other standard build types is
usually more appropriate.
Depending on the situation, the value of this variable may be treated case-sensitively or
case-insensitively. See Build Configurations for discussion of this and other related topics.
For multi-config generators, see CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES.
CMAKE_CLANG_VFS_OVERLAY
New in version 3.19.
When cross compiling for windows with clang-cl, this variable can be an absolute path pointing to a clang
virtual file system yaml file, which will enable clang-cl to resolve windows header names on a case
sensitive file system.
CMAKE_CODEBLOCKS_COMPILER_ID
New in version 3.11.
Change the compiler id in the generated CodeBlocks project files.
CodeBlocks uses its own compiler id string which differs from CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ID. If this variable
is left empty, CMake tries to recognize the CodeBlocks compiler id automatically. Otherwise the
specified string is used in the CodeBlocks project file. See the CodeBlocks documentation for valid
compiler id strings.
Other IDEs like QtCreator that also use the CodeBlocks generator may ignore this setting.
CMAKE_CODEBLOCKS_EXCLUDE_EXTERNAL_FILES
New in version 3.10.
Change the way the CodeBlocks generator creates project files.
If this variable evaluates to ON the generator excludes from the project file any files that are located
outside the project root.
CMAKE_CODELITE_USE_TARGETS
New in version 3.7.
Change the way the CodeLite generator creates projectfiles.
If this variable evaluates to ON at the end of the top-level CMakeLists.txt file, the generator creates
projectfiles based on targets rather than projects.
CMAKE_COLOR_DIAGNOSTICS
New in version 3.24.
Enable color diagnostics throughout.
This variable uses three states: ON, OFF and not defined.
When not defined:
• Makefile Generators initialize the CMAKE_COLOR_MAKEFILE variable to ON. It controls color buildsystem
messages.
• GNU/Clang compilers are not invoked with any color diagnostics flag.
When ON:
• Makefile Generators produce color buildsystem messages by default. CMAKE_COLOR_MAKEFILE is not
initialized, but may be explicitly set to OFF to disable color buildsystem messages.
• GNU/Clang compilers are invoked with a flag enabling color diagnostics (-fcolor-diagnostics).
When OFF:
• Makefile Generators do not produce color buildsystem messages by default. CMAKE_COLOR_MAKEFILE is not
initialized, but may be explicitly set to ON to enable color buildsystem messages.
• GNU/Clang compilers are invoked with a flag disabling color diagnostics (-fno-color-diagnostics).
If the CMAKE_COLOR_DIAGNOSTICS environment variable is set, its value is used. Otherwise,
CMAKE_COLOR_DIAGNOSTICS is not defined by default.
CMAKE_COLOR_MAKEFILE
Enables color output when using the Makefile Generators.
When enabled, the generated Makefiles will produce colored output. Default is ON.
CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES
Specifies the available build types (configurations) on multi-config generators (e.g. Visual Studio,
Xcode, or Ninja Multi-Config) as a semicolon-separated list. Typical entries include Debug, Release,
RelWithDebInfo and MinSizeRel, but custom build types can also be defined.
This variable is initialized by the first project() or enable_language() command called in a project when
a new build tree is first created. If the CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES environment variable is set, its
value is used. Otherwise, the default value is generator-specific.
Depending on the situation, the values in this variable may be treated case-sensitively or
case-insensitively. See Build Configurations for discussion of this and other related topics.
For single-config generators, see CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE.
CMAKE_DEPENDS_IN_PROJECT_ONLY
New in version 3.6.
When set to TRUE in a directory, the build system produced by the Makefile Generators is set up to only
consider dependencies on source files that appear either in the source or in the binary directories.
Changes to source files outside of these directories will not cause rebuilds.
This should be used carefully in cases where some source files are picked up through external headers
during the build.
CMAKE_DISABLE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName>
Variable for disabling find_package() calls.
Every non-REQUIRED find_package() call in a project can be disabled by setting the variable
CMAKE_DISABLE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName> to TRUE. This can be used to build a project without an
optional package, although that package is installed.
This switch should be used during the initial CMake run. Otherwise if the package has already been found
in a previous CMake run, the variables which have been stored in the cache will still be there. In that
case it is recommended to remove the cache variables for this package from the cache using the cache
editor or cmake -U.
See also the CMAKE_REQUIRE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName> variable.
CMAKE_ECLIPSE_GENERATE_LINKED_RESOURCES
New in version 3.6.
This cache variable is used by the Eclipse project generator. See cmake-generators(7).
The Eclipse project generator generates so-called linked resources e.g. to the subproject root dirs in
the source tree or to the source files of targets. This can be disabled by setting this variable to
FALSE.
CMAKE_ECLIPSE_GENERATE_SOURCE_PROJECT
New in version 3.6.
This cache variable is used by the Eclipse project generator. See cmake-generators(7).
If this variable is set to TRUE, the Eclipse project generator will generate an Eclipse project in
CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR . This project can then be used in Eclipse e.g. for the version control functionality.
CMAKE_ECLIPSE_GENERATE_SOURCE_PROJECT defaults to FALSE; so nothing is written into the source directory.
CMAKE_ECLIPSE_MAKE_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.6.
This cache variable is used by the Eclipse project generator. See cmake-generators(7).
This variable holds arguments which are used when Eclipse invokes the make tool. By default it is
initialized to hold flags to enable parallel builds (using -j typically).
CMAKE_ECLIPSE_RESOURCE_ENCODING
New in version 3.16.
This cache variable tells the Eclipse CDT4 project generator to set the resource encoding to the given
value in generated project files. If no value is given, no encoding will be set.
CMAKE_ECLIPSE_VERSION
New in version 3.6.
This cache variable is used by the Eclipse project generator. See cmake-generators(7).
When using the Eclipse project generator, CMake tries to find the Eclipse executable and detect the
version of it. Depending on the version it finds, some features are enabled or disabled. If CMake doesn't
find Eclipse, it assumes the oldest supported version, Eclipse Callisto (3.2).
CMAKE_ERROR_DEPRECATED
Whether to issue errors for deprecated functionality.
If TRUE, use of deprecated functionality will issue fatal errors. If this variable is not set, CMake
behaves as if it were set to FALSE.
CMAKE_ERROR_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION
Ask cmake_install.cmake script to error out as soon as a file with absolute INSTALL DESTINATION is
encountered.
The fatal error is emitted before the installation of the offending file takes place. This variable is
used by CMake-generated cmake_install.cmake scripts. If one sets this variable to ON while running the
script, it may get fatal error messages from the script.
CMAKE_EXECUTE_PROCESS_COMMAND_ECHO
New in version 3.15.
If this variable is set to STDERR, STDOUT or NONE then commands in execute_process() calls will be
printed to either stderr or stdout or not at all.
CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS
New in version 3.5.
Enable/Disable output of compile commands during generation.
If enabled, generates a compile_commands.json file containing the exact compiler calls for all
translation units of the project in machine-readable form. The format of the JSON file looks like:
[
{
"directory": "/home/user/development/project",
"command": "/usr/bin/c++ ... -c ../foo/foo.cc",
"file": "../foo/foo.cc",
"output": "../foo.dir/foo.cc.o"
},
...
{
"directory": "/home/user/development/project",
"command": "/usr/bin/c++ ... -c ../foo/bar.cc",
"file": "../foo/bar.cc",
"output": "../foo.dir/bar.cc.o"
}
]
This is initialized by the CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS environment variable, and initializes the
EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS target property for all targets.
NOTE:
This option is implemented only by Makefile Generators and Ninja Generators. It is ignored on other
generators.
This option currently does not work well in combination with the UNITY_BUILD target property or the
CMAKE_UNITY_BUILD variable.
CMAKE_EXPORT_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
New in version 3.15.
Enables the export(PACKAGE) command when CMP0090 is set to NEW.
The export(PACKAGE) command does nothing by default. In some cases it is desirable to write to the user
package registry, so the CMAKE_EXPORT_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable may be set to enable it.
If CMP0090 is not set to NEW this variable does nothing, and the CMAKE_EXPORT_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
variable controls the behavior instead.
See also Disabling the Package Registry.
CMAKE_EXPORT_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
New in version 3.1.
Disable the export(PACKAGE) command when CMP0090 is not set to NEW.
In some cases, for example for packaging and for system wide installations, it is not desirable to write
the user package registry. If the CMAKE_EXPORT_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable is enabled, the
export(PACKAGE) command will do nothing.
If CMP0090 is set to NEW this variable does nothing, and the CMAKE_EXPORT_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable
controls the behavior instead.
See also Disabling the Package Registry.
CMAKE_FIND_APPBUNDLE
New in version 3.4.
This variable affects how find_* commands choose between macOS Application Bundles and unix-style package
components.
On Darwin or systems supporting macOS Application Bundles, the CMAKE_FIND_APPBUNDLE variable can be set
to empty or one of the following:
FIRST Try to find application bundles before standard programs. This is the default on Darwin.
LAST Try to find application bundles after standard programs.
ONLY Only try to find application bundles.
NEVER Never try to find application bundles.
CMAKE_FIND_FRAMEWORK
New in version 3.4.
This variable affects how find_* commands choose between macOS Frameworks and unix-style package
components.
On Darwin or systems supporting macOS Frameworks, the CMAKE_FIND_FRAMEWORK variable can be set to empty
or one of the following:
FIRST Try to find frameworks before standard libraries or headers. This is the default on Darwin.
LAST Try to find frameworks after standard libraries or headers.
ONLY Only try to find frameworks.
NEVER Never try to find frameworks.
CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_CUSTOM_LIB_SUFFIX
New in version 3.9.
Specify a <suffix> to tell the find_library() command to search in a lib<suffix> directory before each
lib directory that would normally be searched.
This overrides the behavior of related global properties:
• FIND_LIBRARY_USE_LIB32_PATHS
• FIND_LIBRARY_USE_LIB64_PATHS
• FIND_LIBRARY_USE_LIBX32_PATHS
CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES
Prefixes to prepend when looking for libraries.
This specifies what prefixes to add to library names when the find_library() command looks for libraries.
On UNIX systems this is typically lib, meaning that when trying to find the foo library it will look for
libfoo.
CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_SUFFIXES
Suffixes to append when looking for libraries.
This specifies what suffixes to add to library names when the find_library() command looks for libraries.
On Windows systems this is typically .lib and, depending on the compiler, .dll.a, .a (e.g. GCC and
Clang), so when it tries to find the foo library, it will look for [<prefix>]foo.lib and/or
[<prefix>]foo[.dll].a, depending on the compiler used and the <prefix> specified in the
CMAKE_FIND_LIBRARY_PREFIXES.
CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX
Exclude the values of the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX and CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX variables from
CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH. CMake adds these project-destination prefixes to CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH by
default in order to support building a series of dependent packages and installing them into a common
prefix. Set CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX to TRUE to suppress this behavior.
The CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH is initialized on the first call to a project() or enable_language()
command. Therefore one must set CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX before this in order to take effect. A
user may set the variable as a cache entry on the command line to achieve this.
Note that the prefix(es) may still be searched for other reasons, such as being the same prefix as the
CMake installation, or for being a built-in system prefix.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
New in version 3.1.
Deprecated since version 3.16: Use the CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable instead.
By default this variable is not set. If neither CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY nor
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY is set, then find_package() will use the User Package Registry
unless the NO_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY option is provided.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY is ignored if CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY is set.
In some cases, for example to locate only system wide installations, it is not desirable to use the User
Package Registry when searching for packages. If the CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable is
TRUE, all the find_package() commands will skip the User Package Registry as if they were called with the
NO_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY argument.
See also Disabling the Package Registry.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
New in version 3.1.
Deprecated since version 3.16: Use the CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable instead.
By default this variable is not set. If neither CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY nor
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY is set, then find_package() will use the System Package
Registry unless the NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY option is provided.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY is ignored if CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY is
set.
In some cases, it is not desirable to use the System Package Registry when searching for packages. If the
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable is TRUE, all the find_package() commands will skip
the System Package Registry as if they were called with the NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY argument.
See also Disabling the Package Registry.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_PREFER_CONFIG
New in version 3.15.
Tell find_package() to try "Config" mode before "Module" mode if no mode was specified.
The command find_package() operates without an explicit mode when the reduced signature is used without
the MODULE option. In this case, by default, CMake first tries Module mode by searching for a
Find<pkg>.cmake module. If it fails, CMake then searches for the package using Config mode.
Set CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_PREFER_CONFIG to TRUE to tell find_package() to first search using Config mode
before falling back to Module mode.
This variable may be useful when a developer has compiled a custom version of a common library and wishes
to link it to a dependent project. If this variable is set to TRUE, it would prevent a dependent
project's call to find_package() from selecting the default library located by the system's
Find<pkg>.cmake module before finding the developer's custom built library.
Once this variable is set, it is the responsibility of the exported <pkg>Config.cmake files to provide
the same result variables as the Find<pkg>.cmake modules so that dependent projects can use them
interchangeably.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_RESOLVE_SYMLINKS
New in version 3.14.
Set to TRUE to tell find_package() calls to resolve symbolic links in the value of <PackageName>_DIR.
This is helpful in use cases where the package search path points at a proxy directory in which symlinks
to the real package locations appear. This is not enabled by default because there are also common use
cases in which the symlinks should be preserved.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_TARGETS_GLOBAL
New in version 3.24.
Setting to TRUE promotes all IMPORTED targets discoverd by find_package() to a GLOBAL scope.
Setting this to TRUE is akin to specifying GLOBAL as an argument to find_package(). Default value is
OFF.
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_WARN_NO_MODULE
Tell find_package() to warn if called without an explicit mode.
If find_package() is called without an explicit mode option (MODULE, CONFIG, or NO_MODULE) and no
Find<pkg>.cmake module is in CMAKE_MODULE_PATH then CMake implicitly assumes that the caller intends to
search for a package configuration file. If no package configuration file is found then the wording of
the failure message must account for both the case that the package is really missing and the case that
the project has a bug and failed to provide the intended Find module. If instead the caller specifies an
explicit mode option then the failure message can be more specific.
Set CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_WARN_NO_MODULE to TRUE to tell find_package() to warn when it implicitly assumes
Config mode. This helps developers enforce use of an explicit mode in all calls to find_package() within
a project.
This variable has no effect if CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_PREFER_CONFIG is set to TRUE.
CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of root paths to search on the filesystem.
This variable is most useful when cross-compiling. CMake uses the paths in this list as alternative roots
to find filesystem items with find_package(), find_library() etc.
CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH_MODE_INCLUDE
This variable controls whether the CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH and CMAKE_SYSROOT are used by find_file() and
find_path().
If set to ONLY, then only the roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched. If set to NEVER, then the
roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be ignored and only the host system root will be used. If set to BOTH,
then the host system paths and the paths in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched.
CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH_MODE_LIBRARY
This variable controls whether the CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH and CMAKE_SYSROOT are used by find_library().
If set to ONLY, then only the roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched. If set to NEVER, then the
roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be ignored and only the host system root will be used. If set to BOTH,
then the host system paths and the paths in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched.
CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH_MODE_PACKAGE
This variable controls whether the CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH and CMAKE_SYSROOT are used by find_package().
If set to ONLY, then only the roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched. If set to NEVER, then the
roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be ignored and only the host system root will be used. If set to BOTH,
then the host system paths and the paths in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched.
CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH_MODE_PROGRAM
This variable controls whether the CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH and CMAKE_SYSROOT are used by find_program().
If set to ONLY, then only the roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched. If set to NEVER, then the
roots in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be ignored and only the host system root will be used. If set to BOTH,
then the host system paths and the paths in CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH will be searched.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH
New in version 3.16.
Controls the default behavior of the following commands for whether or not to search paths provided by
cmake-specific environment variables:
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
This is useful in cross-compiling environments.
By default this variable is not set, which is equivalent to it having a value of TRUE. Explicit options
given to the above commands take precedence over this variable.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH
New in version 3.16.
Controls the default behavior of the following commands for whether or not to search paths provided by
cmake-specific cache variables:
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
This is useful in cross-compiling environments.
By default this variable is not set, which is equivalent to it having a value of TRUE. Explicit options
given to the above commands take precedence over this variable.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH
New in version 3.16.
Controls the default behavior of the following commands for whether or not to search paths provided by
platform-specific cmake variables:
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
This is useful in cross-compiling environments.
By default this variable is not set, which is equivalent to it having a value of TRUE. Explicit options
given to the above commands take precedence over this variable.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX
New in version 3.24.
Controls the default behavior of the following commands for whether or not to search the locations in the
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX and CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX variables.
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
This is useful in cross-compiling environments.
Due to backwards compatibility with CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX, the behavior of the find command change
based on if this variable exists.
┌──────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┬────────┐
│CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX │ CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX │ Search │
├──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────┤
│Not Defined │ On │ NO │
├──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────┤
│Not Defined │ Off || Not Defined │ YES │
├──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────┤
│Off │ On │ NO │
├──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────┤
│Off │ Off || Not Defined │ NO │
├──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────┤
│On │ On │ YES │
├──────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┼────────┤
│On │ Off || Not Defined │ YES │
└──────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┴────────┘
By default this variable is not defined. Explicit options given to the above commands take precedence
over this variable.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
New in version 3.16.
Controls the default behavior of the find_package() command for whether or not to search paths provided
by the User Package Registry.
By default this variable is not set and the behavior will fall back to that determined by the deprecated
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable. If that is also not set, then find_package() will use
the User Package Registry unless the NO_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY option is provided.
This variable takes precedence over CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY when both are set.
In some cases, for example to locate only system wide installations, it is not desirable to use the User
Package Registry when searching for packages. If the CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable is FALSE,
all the find_package() commands will skip the User Package Registry as if they were called with the
NO_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY argument.
See also Disabling the Package Registry and the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH
New in version 3.16.
Controls the default behavior of the following commands for whether or not to search paths provided by
<PackageName>_ROOT variables:
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
By default this variable is not set, which is equivalent to it having a value of TRUE. Explicit options
given to the above commands take precedence over this variable.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH
New in version 3.16.
Controls the default behavior of the following commands for whether or not to search paths provided by
standard system environment variables:
• find_program()
• find_library()
• find_file()
• find_path()
• find_package()
This is useful in cross-compiling environments.
By default this variable is not set, which is equivalent to it having a value of TRUE. Explicit options
given to the above commands take precedence over this variable.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH, and CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variables.
CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
New in version 3.16.
Controls searching the System Package Registry by the find_package() command.
By default this variable is not set and the behavior will fall back to that determined by the deprecated
CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY variable. If that is also not set, then find_package()
will use the System Package Registry unless the NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY option is provided.
This variable takes precedence over CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY when both are set.
In some cases, for example to locate only user specific installations, it is not desirable to use the
System Package Registry when searching for packages. If the CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
variable is FALSE, all the find_package() commands will skip the System Package Registry as if they were
called with the NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY argument.
See also Disabling the Package Registry.
See also the CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_INSTALL_PREFIX, CMAKE_FIND_USE_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH, CMAKE_FIND_USE_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH,
CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY, and CMAKE_FIND_USE_PACKAGE_ROOT_PATH variables.
CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for macOS frameworks used by the
find_library(), find_package(), find_path(), and find_file() commands.
There is also an environment variable CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH, which is used as an additional list of search
directories.
CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories to be ignored by the various find...() commands.
For find_program(), find_library(), find_file(), and find_path(), any file found in one of the listed
directories will be ignored. The listed directories do not apply recursively, so any subdirectories to be
ignored must also be explicitly listed. CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH does not affect the search prefixes used by
these four commands. To ignore individual paths under a search prefix (e.g. bin, include, lib, etc.),
each path must be listed in CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH as a full absolute path. CMAKE_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH provides
a more appropriate way to ignore a whole search prefix.
find_package() is also affected by CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH, but only for Config mode searches. Any
<Name>Config.cmake or <name>-config.cmake file found in one of the specified directories will be ignored.
In addition, any search prefix found in CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH will be skipped for backward compatibility
reasons, but new code should prefer to use CMAKE_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH to ignore prefixes instead.
Ignoring search locations can be useful in cross-compiling environments where some system directories
contain incompatible but possibly linkable libraries. For example, on cross-compiled cluster
environments, this allows a user to ignore directories containing libraries meant for the front-end
machine.
By default, CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH is empty. It is intended to be set by the project or the end user.
See also the following variables:
• CMAKE_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH
• CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH
• CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH
• CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH
CMAKE_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH
New in version 3.23.
Semicolon-separated list of search prefixes to be ignored by the find_program(), find_library(),
find_file(), and find_path() commands. The prefixes are also ignored by the Config mode of the
find_package() command (Module mode is unaffected). To ignore specific directories instead, see
CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH.
Ignoring search locations can be useful in cross-compiling environments where some system directories
contain incompatible but possibly linkable libraries. For example, on cross-compiled cluster
environments, this allows a user to ignore directories containing libraries meant for the front-end
machine.
By default, CMAKE_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH is empty. It is intended to be set by the project or the end user.
See also the following variables:
• CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH
• CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH
• CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH
CMAKE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES_BEFORE
Whether to append or prepend directories by default in include_directories().
This variable affects the default behavior of the include_directories() command. Setting this variable
to ON is equivalent to using the BEFORE option in all uses of that command.
CMAKE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES_PROJECT_BEFORE
Whether to force prepending of project include directories.
This variable affects the order of include directories generated in compiler command lines. If set to
ON, it causes the CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR and the CMAKE_BINARY_DIR to appear first.
CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for the find_file() and find_path()
commands. By default it is empty, it is intended to be set by the project.
There is also an environment variable CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH, which is used as an additional list of search
directories.
See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE_PATH and CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH.
CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_COMPONENT_NAME
Default component used in install() commands.
If an install() command is used without the COMPONENT argument, these files will be grouped into a
default component. The name of this default install component will be taken from this variable. It
defaults to Unspecified.
CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS
New in version 3.11.
Default permissions for directories created implicitly during installation of files by install() and
file(INSTALL).
If make install is invoked and directories are implicitly created they get permissions set by
CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS variable or platform specific default permissions if the
variable is not set.
Implicitly created directories are created if they are not explicitly installed by install() command but
are needed to install a file on a certain path. Example of such locations are directories created due to
the setting of CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX.
Expected content of the CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS variable is a list of permissions
that can be used by install() command PERMISSIONS section.
Example usage:
set(CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS
OWNER_READ
OWNER_WRITE
OWNER_EXECUTE
GROUP_READ
)
CMAKE_INSTALL_MESSAGE
New in version 3.1.
Specify verbosity of installation script code generated by the install() command (using the file(INSTALL)
command). For paths that are newly installed or updated, installation may print lines like:
-- Installing: /some/destination/path
For paths that are already up to date, installation may print lines like:
-- Up-to-date: /some/destination/path
The CMAKE_INSTALL_MESSAGE variable may be set to control which messages are printed:
ALWAYS Print both Installing and Up-to-date messages.
LAZY Print Installing but not Up-to-date messages.
NEVER Print neither Installing nor Up-to-date messages.
Other values have undefined behavior and may not be diagnosed.
If this variable is not set, the default behavior is ALWAYS.
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX
Install directory used by install().
If make install is invoked or INSTALL is built, this directory is prepended onto all install directories.
This variable defaults to /usr/local on UNIX and c:/Program Files/${PROJECT_NAME} on Windows. See
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT for how a project might choose its own default.
On UNIX one can use the DESTDIR mechanism in order to relocate the whole installation to a staging area.
See the DESTDIR environment variable for more information.
The installation prefix is also added to CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH so that find_package(), find_program(),
find_library(), find_path(), and find_file() will search the prefix for other software. This behavior can
be disabled by setting the CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX to TRUE before the first project() invocation.
NOTE:
Use the GNUInstallDirs module to provide GNU-style options for the layout of directories within the
installation.
The CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX may be defined when configuring a build tree to set its installation prefix.
Or, when using the cmake(1) command-line tool's --install mode, one may specify a different prefix using
the --prefix option:
cmake --install . --prefix /my/install/prefix
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT
New in version 3.7.1.
CMake sets this variable to a TRUE value when the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX has just been initialized to its
default value, typically on the first run of CMake within a new build tree. This can be used by project
code to change the default without overriding a user-provided value:
if(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT)
set(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX "/my/default" CACHE PATH "..." FORCE)
endif()
CMAKE_KATE_FILES_MODE
New in version 3.27.
This cache variable is used by the Kate project generator and controls to what mode the files entry in
the project file will be set. See cmake-generators(7).
Possible values are AUTO, SVN, GIT, HG, FOSSIL and LIST.
When set to LIST, CMake will put the list of source files known to CMake in the project file. When set
to SVN, GIT, HG or FOSSIL, CMake will set the generated project accordingly to Subversion, git, Mercurial
or Fossil, and Kate will then use the respective command line tool to retrieve the list of files in the
project. When unset or set to AUTO, CMake will try to detect whether the source directory is part of a
git or svn checkout or not, and put the respective entry into the project file.
CMAKE_KATE_MAKE_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.0.
This cache variable is used by the Kate project generator. See cmake-generators(7).
This variable holds arguments which are used when Kate invokes the make tool. By default it is
initialized to hold flags to enable parallel builds (using -j typically).
CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for the find_library() command. By
default it is empty, it is intended to be set by the project.
There is also an environment variable CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH, which is used as an additional list of search
directories.
See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_LIBRARY_PATH and CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH.
CMAKE_LINK_DIRECTORIES_BEFORE
New in version 3.13.
Whether to append or prepend directories by default in link_directories().
This variable affects the default behavior of the link_directories() command. Setting this variable to
ON is equivalent to using the BEFORE option in all uses of that command.
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARIES_ONLY_TARGETS
New in version 3.23.
Set this variable to initialize the LINK_LIBRARIES_ONLY_TARGETS property of non-imported targets when
they are created. Setting it to true enables an additional check that all items named by
target_link_libraries() that can be target names are actually names of existing targets. See the target
property documentation for details.
CMAKE_MAXIMUM_RECURSION_DEPTH
New in version 3.14.
Maximum recursion depth for CMake scripts. It is intended to be set on the command line with
-DCMAKE_MAXIMUM_RECURSION_DEPTH=<x>, or within CMakeLists.txt by projects that require a large recursion
depth. Projects that set this variable should provide the user with a way to override it. For example:
# About to perform deeply recursive actions
if(NOT CMAKE_MAXIMUM_RECURSION_DEPTH)
set(CMAKE_MAXIMUM_RECURSION_DEPTH 2000)
endif()
If it is not set, or is set to a non-integer value, a sensible default limit is used. If the recursion
limit is reached, the script terminates immediately with a fatal error.
Calling any of the following commands increases the recursion depth:
• include()
• find_package()
• add_subdirectory()
• try_compile()
• ctest_read_custom_files()
• ctest_run_script() (unless NEW_PROCESS is specified)
• User-defined function()'s and macro()'s (note that function() and macro() themselves don't increase
recursion depth)
• Reading or writing variables that are being watched by a variable_watch()
See also the CMAKE_MAXIMUM_RECURSION_DEPTH environment variable.
CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT
New in version 3.17.
When enabled by the cmake --log-context command line option or the CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT_SHOW variable,
the message() command converts the CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT list into a dot-separated string surrounded by
square brackets and prepends it to each line for messages of log levels NOTICE and below.
For logging contexts to work effectively, projects should generally APPEND and POP_BACK an item to the
current value of CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT rather than replace it. Projects should not assume the message
context at the top of the source tree is empty, as there are scenarios where the context might have
already been set (e.g. hierarchical projects).
WARNING:
Valid context names are restricted to anything that could be used as a CMake variable name. All names
that begin with an underscore or the string cmake_ are also reserved for use by CMake and should not
be used by projects.
Example:
function(bar)
list(APPEND CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT "bar")
message(VERBOSE "bar VERBOSE message")
endfunction()
function(baz)
list(APPEND CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT "baz")
message(DEBUG "baz DEBUG message")
endfunction()
function(foo)
list(APPEND CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT "foo")
bar()
message(TRACE "foo TRACE message")
baz()
endfunction()
list(APPEND CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT "top")
message(VERBOSE "Before `foo`")
foo()
message(VERBOSE "After `foo`")
list(POP_BACK CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT)
Which results in the following output:
-- [top] Before `foo`
-- [top.foo.bar] bar VERBOSE message
-- [top.foo] foo TRACE message
-- [top.foo.baz] baz DEBUG message
-- [top] After `foo`
CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT_SHOW
New in version 3.17.
Setting this variable to true enables showing a context with each line logged by the message() command
(see CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT for how the context itself is specified).
This variable is an alternative to providing the --log-context option on the cmake command line. Whereas
the command line option will apply only to that one CMake run, setting CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT_SHOW to true
as a cache variable will ensure that subsequent CMake runs will continue to show the message context.
Projects should not set CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT_SHOW. It is intended for users so that they may control
whether or not to include context with messages.
CMAKE_MESSAGE_INDENT
New in version 3.16.
The message() command joins the strings from this list and for log levels of NOTICE and below, it
prepends the resultant string to each line of the message.
Example:
list(APPEND listVar one two three)
message(VERBOSE [[Collected items in the "listVar":]])
list(APPEND CMAKE_MESSAGE_INDENT " ")
foreach(item IN LISTS listVar)
message(VERBOSE ${item})
endforeach()
list(POP_BACK CMAKE_MESSAGE_INDENT)
message(VERBOSE "No more indent")
Which results in the following output:
-- Collected items in the "listVar":
-- one
-- two
-- three
-- No more indent
CMAKE_MESSAGE_LOG_LEVEL
New in version 3.17.
When set, this variable specifies the logging level used by the message() command. Valid values are the
same as those for the --log-level command line option of the cmake(1) program. If this variable is set
and the --log-level command line option is given, the command line option takes precedence.
The main advantage to using this variable is to make a log level persist between CMake runs. Setting it
as a cache variable will ensure that subsequent CMake runs will continue to use the chosen log level.
Projects should not set this variable, it is intended for users so that they may control the log level
according to their own needs.
New in version 3.25: See the cmake_language() cmake_language command for a way to query the current
message logging level.
CMAKE_MFC_FLAG
Use the MFC library for an executable or dll.
Enables the use of the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). It should be set to 1 for the static MFC
library, and 2 for the shared MFC library. This is used in Visual Studio project files.
Usage example:
add_definitions(-D_AFXDLL)
set(CMAKE_MFC_FLAG 2)
add_executable(CMakeSetup WIN32 ${SRCS})
Contents of CMAKE_MFC_FLAG may use generator expressions.
CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories, represented using forward slashes, specifying a search path for
CMake modules to be loaded by the include() or find_package() commands before checking the default
modules that come with CMake. By default it is empty. It is intended to be set by the project.
CMAKE_POLICY_DEFAULT_CMP<NNNN>
Default for CMake Policy CMP<NNNN> when it is otherwise left unset.
Commands cmake_minimum_required(VERSION) and cmake_policy(VERSION) by default leave policies introduced
after the given version unset. Set CMAKE_POLICY_DEFAULT_CMP<NNNN> to OLD or NEW to specify the default
for policy CMP<NNNN>, where <NNNN> is the policy number.
This variable should not be set by a project in CMake code as a way to set its own policies; use
cmake_policy(SET) instead. This variable is meant to externally set policies for which a project has not
itself been updated:
• Users running CMake may set this variable in the cache (e.g.
-DCMAKE_POLICY_DEFAULT_CMP<NNNN>=<OLD|NEW>). Set it to OLD to quiet a policy warning while using old
behavior or to NEW to try building the project with new behavior.
• Projects may set this variable before a call to add_subdirectory() that adds a third-party project in
order to set its policies without modifying third-party code.
CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP<NNNN>
Explicitly enable or disable the warning when CMake Policy CMP<NNNN> has not been set explicitly by
cmake_policy() or implicitly by cmake_minimum_required(). This is meaningful only for the policies that
do not warn by default:
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0025 controls the warning for policy CMP0025.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0047 controls the warning for policy CMP0047.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0056 controls the warning for policy CMP0056.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0060 controls the warning for policy CMP0060.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0065 controls the warning for policy CMP0065.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0066 controls the warning for policy CMP0066.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0067 controls the warning for policy CMP0067.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0082 controls the warning for policy CMP0082.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0089 controls the warning for policy CMP0089.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0102 controls the warning for policy CMP0102.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0112 controls the warning for policy CMP0112.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0116 controls the warning for policy CMP0116.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0126 controls the warning for policy CMP0126.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0128 controls the warning for policy CMP0128.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0129 controls the warning for policy CMP0129.
• CMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP0133 controls the warning for policy CMP0133.
This variable should not be set by a project in CMake code. Project developers running CMake may set
this variable in their cache to enable the warning (e.g. -DCMAKE_POLICY_WARNING_CMP<NNNN>=ON).
Alternatively, running cmake(1) with the --debug-output, --trace, or --trace-expand option will also
enable the warning.
CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying installation prefixes to be searched by the
find_package(), find_program(), find_library(), find_file(), and find_path() commands. Each command will
add appropriate subdirectories (like bin, lib, or include) as specified in its own documentation.
By default this is empty. It is intended to be set by the project.
There is also an environment variable CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH, which is used as an additional list of search
prefixes.
See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH, CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH, CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH, CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH, and
CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH.
CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for the find_program() command. By
default it is empty, it is intended to be set by the project.
There is also an environment variable CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH, which is used as an additional list of search
directories.
See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROGRAM_PATH and CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH.
CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE
New in version 3.15.
A CMake language file or module to be included as the last step of all project() command calls. This is
intended for injecting custom code into project builds without modifying their source. See Code
Injection for a more detailed discussion of files potentially included during a project() call.
See also the CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE, CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE_BEFORE,
CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE_BEFORE, and CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES variables.
CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE_BEFORE
New in version 3.15.
A CMake language file or module to be included as the first step of all project() command calls. This is
intended for injecting custom code into project builds without modifying their source. See Code
Injection for a more detailed discussion of files potentially included during a project() call.
See also the CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE, CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE_BEFORE,
CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE, and CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES variables.
CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE
A CMake language file or module to be included as the last step of any project() command calls that
specify <PROJECT-NAME> as the project name. This is intended for injecting custom code into project
builds without modifying their source. See Code Injection for a more detailed discussion of files
potentially included during a project() call.
See also the CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE_BEFORE, CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE,
CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE_BEFORE, and CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES variables.
CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE_BEFORE
New in version 3.17.
A CMake language file or module to be included as the first step of any project() command calls that
specify <PROJECT-NAME> as the project name. This is intended for injecting custom code into project
builds without modifying their source. See Code Injection for a more detailed discussion of files
potentially included during a project() call.
See also the CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE, CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE, CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE_BEFORE,
and CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES variables.
CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES
New in version 3.24.
Semicolon-separated list of CMake language files to include as part of the very first project() call.
The files will be included immediately after the toolchain file has been read (if one is specified) and
platform variables have been set, but before any languages have been enabled. Therefore,
language-specific variables, including things like CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER, might not be set. See Code
Injection for a more detailed discussion of files potentially included during a project() call.
This variable is intended for specifying files that perform one-time setup for the build. It provides an
injection point for things like configuring package managers, adding logic the user shares between
projects (e.g. defining their own custom build types), and so on. It is primarily for users to add things
specific to their environment, but not for specifying the toolchain details (use CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE for
that).
By default, this variable is empty. It is intended to be set by the user.
See also the CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE, CMAKE_PROJECT_INCLUDE_BEFORE, CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE,
and CMAKE_PROJECT_<PROJECT-NAME>_INCLUDE_BEFORE variables.
CMAKE_REQUIRE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName>
New in version 3.22.
Variable for making find_package() call REQUIRED.
Every non-REQUIRED find_package() call in a project can be turned into REQUIRED by setting the variable
CMAKE_REQUIRE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName> to TRUE. This can be used to assert assumptions about build
environment and to ensure the build will fail early if they do not hold.
See also the CMAKE_DISABLE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName> variable.
CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_ALL_DEPENDENCY
Don't make the install target depend on the all target.
By default, the install target depends on the all target. This has the effect, that when make install is
invoked or INSTALL is built, first the all target is built, then the installation starts. If
CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_ALL_DEPENDENCY is set to TRUE, this dependency is not created, so the installation
process will start immediately, independent from whether the project has been completely built or not.
CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX
This variable may be set to a path to install to when cross-compiling. This can be useful if the path in
CMAKE_SYSROOT is read-only, or otherwise should remain pristine.
The CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX location is also used as a search prefix by the find_* commands. This can be
controlled by setting the CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX variable.
If any RPATH/RUNPATH entries passed to the linker contain the CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX, the matching path
fragments are replaced with the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX.
CMAKE_SUBLIME_TEXT_2_ENV_SETTINGS
New in version 3.8.
This variable contains a list of env vars as a list of tokens with the syntax var=value.
Example:
set(CMAKE_SUBLIME_TEXT_2_ENV_SETTINGS
"FOO=FOO1\;FOO2\;FOON"
"BAR=BAR1\;BAR2\;BARN"
"BAZ=BAZ1\;BAZ2\;BAZN"
"FOOBAR=FOOBAR1\;FOOBAR2\;FOOBARN"
"VALID="
)
In case of malformed variables CMake will fail:
set(CMAKE_SUBLIME_TEXT_2_ENV_SETTINGS
"THIS_IS_NOT_VALID"
)
CMAKE_SUBLIME_TEXT_2_EXCLUDE_BUILD_TREE
New in version 3.8.
If this variable evaluates to ON at the end of the top-level CMakeLists.txt file, the Sublime Text 2
extra generator excludes the build tree from the .sublime-project if it is inside the source tree.
CMAKE_SUPPRESS_REGENERATION
New in version 3.12.
If CMAKE_SUPPRESS_REGENERATION is OFF, which is default, then CMake adds a special target on which all
other targets depend that checks the build system and optionally re-runs CMake to regenerate the build
system when the target specification source changes.
If this variable evaluates to ON at the end of the top-level CMakeLists.txt file, CMake will not add the
regeneration target to the build system or perform any build system checks.
CMAKE_SYSROOT
Path to pass to the compiler in the --sysroot flag.
The CMAKE_SYSROOT content is passed to the compiler in the --sysroot flag, if supported. The path is
also stripped from the RPATH/RUNPATH if necessary on installation. The CMAKE_SYSROOT is also used to
prefix paths searched by the find_* commands.
This variable may only be set in a toolchain file specified by the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable.
See also the CMAKE_SYSROOT_COMPILE and CMAKE_SYSROOT_LINK variables.
CMAKE_SYSROOT_COMPILE
New in version 3.9.
Path to pass to the compiler in the --sysroot flag when compiling source files. This is the same as
CMAKE_SYSROOT but is used only for compiling sources and not linking.
This variable may only be set in a toolchain file specified by the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable.
CMAKE_SYSROOT_LINK
New in version 3.9.
Path to pass to the compiler in the --sysroot flag when linking. This is the same as CMAKE_SYSROOT but
is used only for linking and not compiling sources.
This variable may only be set in a toolchain file specified by the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_APPBUNDLE_PATH
New in version 3.4.
Search path for macOS application bundles used by the find_program(), and find_package() commands. By
default it contains the standard directories for the current system. It is not intended to be modified
by the project, use CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH for this.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_FRAMEWORK_PATH
New in version 3.4.
Search path for macOS frameworks used by the find_library(), find_package(), find_path(), and find_file()
commands. By default it contains the standard directories for the current system. It is not intended to
be modified by the project, use CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH for this.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories to be ignored by the various find...() commands.
For find_program(), find_library(), find_file(), and find_path(), any file found in one of the listed
directories will be ignored. The listed directories do not apply recursively, so any subdirectories to be
ignored must also be explicitly listed. CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH does not affect the search prefixes
used by these four commands. To ignore individual paths under a search prefix (e.g. bin, include, lib,
etc.), each path must be listed in CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH as a full absolute path.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH provides a more appropriate way to ignore a whole search prefix.
find_package() is also affected by CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH, but only for Config mode searches. Any
<Name>Config.cmake or <name>-config.cmake file found in one of the specified directories will be ignored.
In addition, any search prefix found in CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH will be skipped for backward
compatibility reasons, but new code should prefer to use CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH to ignore
prefixes instead.
Ignoring search locations can be useful in cross-compiling environments where some system directories
contain incompatible but possibly linkable libraries. For example, on cross-compiled cluster
environments, this allows a user to ignore directories containing libraries meant for the front-end
machine.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH is populated by CMake as part of its platform and toolchain setup. Its purpose
is to ignore locations containing incompatible binaries meant for the host rather than the target
platform. The project or end user should not modify this variable, they should use CMAKE_IGNORE_PATH
instead.
See also the following variables:
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_LIBRARY_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROGRAM_PATH
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH
New in version 3.23.
Semicolon-separated list of search prefixes to be ignored by the find_program(), find_library(),
find_file(), and find_path() commands. The prefixes are also ignored by the Config mode of the
find_package() command (Module mode is unaffected). To ignore specific directories instead, see
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH.
Ignoring search locations can be useful in cross-compiling environments where some system directories
contain incompatible but possibly linkable libraries. For example, on cross-compiled cluster
environments, this allows a user to ignore directories containing libraries meant for the front-end
machine.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH is populated by CMake as part of its platform and toolchain setup. Its
purpose is to ignore locations containing incompatible binaries meant for the host rather than the target
platform. The project or end user should not modify this variable, they should use
CMAKE_IGNORE_PREFIX_PATH instead.
See also the following variables:
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_LIBRARY_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE_PATH
• CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROGRAM_PATH
CMAKE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for the find_file() and find_path()
commands. By default this contains the standard directories for the current system. It is not intended
to be modified by the project; use CMAKE_INCLUDE_PATH for this. See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_LIBRARY_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for the find_library() command. By
default this contains the standard directories for the current system. It is not intended to be modified
by the project; use CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH for this. See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying installation prefixes to be searched by the
find_package(), find_program(), find_library(), find_file(), and find_path() commands. Each command will
add appropriate subdirectories (like bin, lib, or include) as specified in its own documentation.
By default this contains the system directories for the current system, the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX, and the
CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX. The installation and staging prefixes may be excluded by setting the
CMAKE_FIND_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX variable before the first project() invocation.
The system directories that are contained in CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH are locations that typically
include installed software. An example being /usr/local for UNIX based platforms. In addition to standard
platform locations, CMake will also add values to CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH based on environment
variables. The environment variables and search locations that CMake uses may evolve over time, as
platforms and their conventions also evolve. The following provides an indicative list of environment
variables and locations that CMake searches, but they are subject to change:
CrayLinuxEnvironment:
• ENV{SYSROOT_DIR}/
• ENV{SYSROOT_DIR}/usr
• ENV{SYSROOT_DIR}/usr/local
Darwin:
• ENV{SDKROOT}/usr When CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT is not explicitly specified.
OpenBSD:
• ENV{LOCALBASE}
Unix:
• ENV{CONDA_PREFIX} when using a conda compiler
MSYSTEM environment with MinGW toolchain:
New in version 3.28.
• ENV{MSYSTEM_PREFIX}/local
• ENV{MSYSTEM_PREFIX}
Windows:
• ENV{ProgramW6432}
• ENV{ProgramFiles}
• ENV{ProgramFiles(x86)}
• ENV{SystemDrive}/Program Files
• ENV{SystemDrive}/Program Files (x86)
CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH is not intended to be modified by the project; use CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH for this.
See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE_PATH, CMAKE_SYSTEM_LIBRARY_PATH, CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROGRAM_PATH, and
CMAKE_SYSTEM_IGNORE_PATH.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROGRAM_PATH
Semicolon-separated list of directories specifying a search path for the find_program() command. By
default this contains the standard directories for the current system. It is not intended to be modified
by the project; use CMAKE_PROGRAM_PATH for this. See also CMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH.
CMAKE_TLS_CAINFO
Specify the default value for the file(DOWNLOAD) and file(UPLOAD) commands' TLS_CAINFO options. It is
unset by default.
This variable is also used by the ExternalProject and FetchContent modules for internal calls to
file(DOWNLOAD).
CMAKE_TLS_VERIFY
Specify the default value for the file(DOWNLOAD) and file(UPLOAD) commands' TLS_VERIFY options. If not
set, the default is off.
This variable is also used by the ExternalProject and FetchContent modules for internal calls to
file(DOWNLOAD).
TLS verification can help provide confidence that one is connecting to the desired server. When
downloading known content, one should also use file hashes to verify it.
set(CMAKE_TLS_VERIFY TRUE)
CMAKE_USER_MAKE_RULES_OVERRIDE
Specify a CMake file that overrides platform information.
CMake loads the specified file while enabling support for each language from either the project() or
enable_language() commands. It is loaded after CMake's builtin compiler and platform information modules
have been loaded but before the information is used. The file may set platform information variables to
override CMake's defaults. See CMAKE_USER_MAKE_RULES_OVERRIDE_<LANG> for the language-specific version
of this variable.
This feature is intended for use only in overriding information variables that must be set before CMake
builds its first test project to check that the compiler for a language works. It should not be used to
load a file in cases that a normal include() will work. Use it only as a last resort for behavior that
cannot be achieved any other way. For example, one may set the CMAKE_C_FLAGS_INIT variable to change the
default value used to initialize the CMAKE_C_FLAGS variable before it is cached. The override file
should NOT be used to set anything that could be set after languages are enabled, such as variables like
CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY that affect the placement of binaries. Information set in the file will
be used for try_compile() and try_run() builds too.
CMAKE_WARN_DEPRECATED
Whether to issue warnings for deprecated functionality.
If not FALSE, use of deprecated functionality will issue warnings. If this variable is not set, CMake
behaves as if it were set to TRUE.
When running cmake(1), this option can be enabled with the -Wdeprecated option, or disabled with the
-Wno-deprecated option.
CMAKE_WARN_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION
Ask cmake_install.cmake script to warn each time a file with absolute INSTALL DESTINATION is encountered.
This variable is used by CMake-generated cmake_install.cmake scripts. If one sets this variable to ON
while running the script, it may get warning messages from the script.
CMAKE_XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME
New in version 3.9.
If enabled, the Xcode generator will generate schema files. These are useful to invoke analyze, archive,
build-for-testing and test actions from the command line.
This variable initializes the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property on all targets.
CMAKE_XCODE_GENERATE_TOP_LEVEL_PROJECT_ONLY
New in version 3.11.
If enabled, the Xcode generator will generate only a single Xcode project file for the topmost project()
command instead of generating one for every project() command.
This could be useful to speed up the CMake generation step for large projects and to work-around a bug in
the ZERO_CHECK logic.
CMAKE_XCODE_LINK_BUILD_PHASE_MODE
New in version 3.19.
This variable is used to initialize the XCODE_LINK_BUILD_PHASE_MODE property on targets. It affects the
methods that the Xcode generator uses to link different kinds of libraries. Its default value is NONE.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ADDRESS_SANITIZER
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Address Sanitizer in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ADDRESS_SANITIZER property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ADDRESS_SANITIZER_USE_AFTER_RETURN
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Detect use of stack after return in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode
scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ADDRESS_SANITIZER_USE_AFTER_RETURN property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_DEBUG_DOCUMENT_VERSIONING
New in version 3.16.
Whether to enable Allow debugging when using document Versions Browser in the Options section of the
generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_DEBUG_DOCUMENT_VERSIONING property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_DISABLE_MAIN_THREAD_CHECKER
New in version 3.13.
Whether to disable the Main Thread Checker in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_DISABLE_MAIN_THREAD_CHECKER property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_DYNAMIC_LIBRARY_LOADS
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Dynamic Library Loads in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_DYNAMIC_LIBRARY_LOADS property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_DYNAMIC_LINKER_API_USAGE
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Dynamic Linker API usage in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_DYNAMIC_LINKER_API_USAGE property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_API_VALIDATION
New in version 3.25.
Property value for Metal: API Validation in the Options section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_API_VALIDATION property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_FRAME_CAPTURE_MODE
New in version 3.23.
Property value for GPU Frame Capture in the Options section of the generated Xcode scheme. Example values
are Metal and Disabled.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_FRAME_CAPTURE_MODE property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_SHADER_VALIDATION
New in version 3.25.
Property value for Metal: Shader Validation in the Options section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_SHADER_VALIDATION property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ENVIRONMENT
New in version 3.17.
Specify environment variables that should be added to the Arguments section of the generated Xcode
scheme.
If set to a list of environment variables and values of the form MYVAR=value those environment variables
will be added to the scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ENVIRONMENT property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_GUARD_MALLOC
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Guard Malloc in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_GUARD_MALLOC property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_CONFIGURATION
New in version 3.25.
Set the build configuration to run the target.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_CONFIGURATION property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_MODE
New in version 3.25.
Property value for Launch in the Info section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_MODE property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_MAIN_THREAD_CHECKER_STOP
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable the Main Thread Checker option Pause on issues in the Diagnostics section of the
generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_MAIN_THREAD_CHECKER_STOP property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_MALLOC_GUARD_EDGES
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Malloc Guard Edges in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_MALLOC_GUARD_EDGES property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_MALLOC_SCRIBBLE
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Malloc Scribble in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_MALLOC_SCRIBBLE property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_MALLOC_STACK
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Malloc Stack in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_MALLOC_STACK property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_THREAD_SANITIZER
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Thread Sanitizer in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_THREAD_SANITIZER property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_THREAD_SANITIZER_STOP
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Thread Sanitizer - Pause on issues in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode
scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_THREAD_SANITIZER_STOP property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_UNDEFINED_BEHAVIOUR_SANITIZER
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Undefined Behavior Sanitizer in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_UNDEFINED_BEHAVIOUR_SANITIZER property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_UNDEFINED_BEHAVIOUR_SANITIZER_STOP
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Undefined Behavior Sanitizer option Pause on issues in the Diagnostics section of the
generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_UNDEFINED_BEHAVIOUR_SANITIZER_STOP property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_WORKING_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.17.
Specify the Working Directory of the Run and Profile actions in the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_WORKING_DIRECTORY property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ZOMBIE_OBJECTS
New in version 3.13.
Whether to enable Zombie Objects in the Diagnostics section of the generated Xcode scheme.
This variable initializes the XCODE_SCHEME_ZOMBIE_OBJECTS property on all targets.
Please refer to the XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME target property documentation to see all Xcode schema related
properties.
CMAKE_XCODE_XCCONFIG
New in version 3.24.
If set, the Xcode generator will register the specified file as a global XCConfig file. For target-level
XCConfig files see the XCODE_XCCONFIG target property.
This feature is intended to ease migration from native Xcode projects to CMake projects.
Contents of CMAKE_XCODE_XCCONFIG may use generator expressions.
<PackageName>_ROOT
New in version 3.12.
Calls to find_package(<PackageName>) will search in prefixes specified by the <PackageName>_ROOT CMake
variable, where <PackageName> is the (case-preserved) name given to the find_package() call and _ROOT is
literal. For example, find_package(Foo) will search prefixes specified in the Foo_ROOT CMake variable
(if set). See policy CMP0074.
This variable may hold a single prefix or a semicolon-separated list of multiple prefixes.
See also the <PackageName>_ROOT environment variable.
<PACKAGENAME>_ROOT
New in version 3.27.
Calls to find_package(<PackageName>) will also search in prefixes specified by the upper-case
<PACKAGENAME>_ROOT CMake variable. See policy CMP0144.
VARIABLES THAT DESCRIBE THE SYSTEM
ANDROID
New in version 3.7.
Set to 1 when the target system (CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME) is Android.
APPLE
Set to True when the target system is an Apple platform (macOS, iOS, tvOS, visionOS or watchOS).
BORLAND
True if the Borland compiler is being used.
This is set to true if the Borland compiler is being used.
BSD
New in version 3.25.
Set to a string value when the target system is BSD. This value can be one of the following:
DragonFlyBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, or NetBSD.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NDK_VERSION
New in version 3.20.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK and using an Android NDK version 11 or higher, this
variable is provided by CMake to report the NDK version number.
CMAKE_CL_64
Discouraged. Use CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P instead.
Set to a true value when using a Microsoft Visual Studio cl compiler that targets a 64-bit architecture.
CMAKE_COMPILER_2005
Using the Visual Studio 2005 compiler from Microsoft
Set to true when using the Visual Studio 2005 compiler from Microsoft.
CMAKE_HOST_APPLE
True for Apple macOS operating systems.
Set to true when the host system is Apple macOS.
CMAKE_HOST_BSD
New in version 3.25.
Set to a string value when the host system is BSD. This value can be one of the following: DragonFlyBSD,
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, or NetBSD.
CMAKE_HOST_LINUX
New in version 3.25.
Set to true when the host system is Linux.
CMAKE_HOST_SOLARIS
New in version 3.6.
True for Oracle Solaris operating systems.
Set to true when the host system is Oracle Solaris.
CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM
Composite Name of OS CMake is being run on.
This variable is the composite of CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME and CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_VERSION, e.g.
${CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME}-${CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_VERSION}. If CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_VERSION is not set, then
this variable is the same as CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME.
CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME
Name of the OS CMake is running on.
On systems that have the uname command, this variable is set to the output of uname -s. Linux, Windows,
and Darwin for macOS are the values found on the big three operating systems.
CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR
The name of the CPU CMake is running on.
Windows Platforms
On Windows, this variable is set to the value of the environment variable PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE.
Unix Platforms
On systems that support uname, this variable is set to the output of:
• uname -m on GNU, Linux, Cygwin, Android, or
• arch on OpenBSD, or
• on other systems,
• uname -p if its exit code is nonzero, or
• uname -m otherwise.
macOS Platforms
The value of uname -m is used by default.
On Apple Silicon hosts, the architecture printed by uname -m may vary based on CMake's own architecture
and that of the invoking process tree.
New in version 3.19.2: On Apple Silicon hosts:
• The CMAKE_APPLE_SILICON_PROCESSOR variable or the CMAKE_APPLE_SILICON_PROCESSOR environment variable
may be set to specify the host architecture explicitly.
• If CMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES is not set, CMake adds explicit flags to tell the compiler to build for the
host architecture so the toolchain does not have to guess based on the process tree's architecture.
CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_VERSION
The OS version CMake is running on.
A numeric version string for the system. On systems that support uname, this variable is set to the
output of uname -r. On other systems this is set to major-minor version numbers.
CMAKE_HOST_UNIX
True for UNIX and UNIX like operating systems.
Set to true when the host system is UNIX or UNIX like (i.e. APPLE and CYGWIN).
CMAKE_HOST_WIN32
True if the host system is running Windows, including Windows 64-bit and MSYS.
Set to false on Cygwin.
CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE
Target architecture library directory name, if detected.
This is the value of CMAKE_<LANG>_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE as detected for one of the enabled languages.
CMAKE_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE_REGEX
Regex matching possible target architecture library directory names.
This is used to detect CMAKE_<LANG>_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE from the implicit linker search path by matching
the <arch> name.
CMAKE_OBJECT_PATH_MAX
Maximum object file full-path length allowed by native build tools.
CMake computes for every source file an object file name that is unique to the source file and
deterministic with respect to the full path to the source file. This allows multiple source files in a
target to share the same name if they lie in different directories without rebuilding when one is added
or removed. However, it can produce long full paths in a few cases, so CMake shortens the path using a
hashing scheme when the full path to an object file exceeds a limit. CMake has a built-in limit for each
platform that is sufficient for common tools, but some native tools may have a lower limit. This
variable may be set to specify the limit explicitly. The value must be an integer no less than 128.
CMAKE_SYSTEM
Composite name of operating system CMake is compiling for.
This variable is the composite of CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME and CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION, e.g.
${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME}-${CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION}. If CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION is not set, then this variable is
the same as CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME
The name of the operating system for which CMake is to build. See the CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION variable for
the OS version.
Note that CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME is not set to anything by default when running in script mode, since it's not
building anything.
System Name for Host Builds
CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME is by default set to the same value as the CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME variable so that the
build targets the host system.
System Name for Cross Compiling
CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME may be set explicitly when first configuring a new build tree in order to enable cross
compiling. In this case the CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION variable must also be set explicitly.
CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR
When not cross-compiling, this variable has the same value as the CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR variable.
In many cases, this will correspond to the target architecture for the build, but this is not guaranteed.
(E.g. on Windows, the host may be AMD64 even when using a MSVC cl compiler with a 32-bit target.)
When cross-compiling, a CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE should set the CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR variable to match
target architecture that it specifies (via CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER and perhaps
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_TARGET).
CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION
The version of the operating system for which CMake is to build. See the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable for
the OS name.
System Version for Host Builds
When the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable takes its default value then CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION is by default set
to the same value as the CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_VERSION variable so that the build targets the host system
version.
In the case of a host build then CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION may be set explicitly when first configuring a new
build tree in order to enable targeting the build for a different version of the host operating system
than is actually running on the host. This is allowed and not considered cross compiling so long as the
binaries built for the specified OS version can still run on the host.
System Version for Cross Compiling
When the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable is set explicitly to enable cross compiling then the value of
CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION must also be set explicitly to specify the target system version.
CYGWIN
True for Cygwin.
Set to true when using Cygwin.
GHSMULTI
New in version 3.3.
1 when using Green Hills MULTI generator.
Also, Set to 1 when the target system is a Green Hills platform (i.e. When CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME is
GHS-MULTI).
IOS
New in version 3.14.
Set to 1 when the target system (CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME) is iOS.
LINUX
New in version 3.25.
Set to true when the target system is Linux.
MINGW
New in version 3.2.
Set to a true value when at least one language is enabled with a compiler targeting the GNU ABI on
Windows (MinGW).
Otherwise, this variable is not set by CMake.
MSVC
Set to true when the compiler is some version of Microsoft Visual C++ or another compiler simulating the
Visual C++ cl command-line syntax.
See also the MSVC_VERSION variable.
MSVC10
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using the Microsoft Visual Studio v100 toolset (cl version 16) or another compiler that
simulates it.
MSVC11
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using the Microsoft Visual Studio v110 toolset (cl version 17) or another compiler that
simulates it.
MSVC12
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using the Microsoft Visual Studio v120 toolset (cl version 18) or another compiler that
simulates it.
MSVC14
New in version 3.1.
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using the Microsoft Visual Studio v140 or v141 toolset (cl version 19) or another compiler that
simulates it.
MSVC60
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0.
Set to true when the compiler is version 6.0 of Microsoft Visual C++.
MSVC70
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using Microsoft Visual C++ 7.0.
Set to true when the compiler is version 7.0 of Microsoft Visual C++.
MSVC71
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using Microsoft Visual C++ 7.1.
Set to true when the compiler is version 7.1 of Microsoft Visual C++.
MSVC80
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using the Microsoft Visual Studio v80 toolset (cl version 14) or another compiler that
simulates it.
MSVC90
Discouraged. Use the MSVC_VERSION variable instead.
True when using the Microsoft Visual Studio v90 toolset (cl version 15) or another compiler that
simulates it.
MSVC_IDE
True when using the Microsoft Visual C++ IDE.
Set to true when the target platform is the Microsoft Visual C++ IDE, as opposed to the command line
compiler.
NOTE:
This variable is only available after compiler detection has been performed, so it is not available to
toolchain files or before the first project() or enable_language() call which uses an MSVC-like
compiler.
MSVC_TOOLSET_VERSION
New in version 3.12.
The toolset version of Microsoft Visual C/C++ being used if any. If MSVC-like is being used, this
variable is set based on the version of the compiler as given by the MSVC_VERSION variable.
Known toolset version numbers are:
80 = VS 2005 (8.0)
90 = VS 2008 (9.0)
100 = VS 2010 (10.0)
110 = VS 2012 (11.0)
120 = VS 2013 (12.0)
140 = VS 2015 (14.0)
141 = VS 2017 (15.0)
142 = VS 2019 (16.0)
143 = VS 2022 (17.0)
Compiler versions newer than those known to CMake will be reported as the latest known toolset version.
See also the MSVC_VERSION variable.
MSVC_VERSION
The version of Microsoft Visual C/C++ being used if any. If a compiler simulating Visual C++ is being
used, this variable is set to the toolset version simulated as given by the _MSC_VER preprocessor
definition.
Known version numbers are:
1200 = VS 6.0
1300 = VS 7.0
1310 = VS 7.1
1400 = VS 8.0 (v80 toolset)
1500 = VS 9.0 (v90 toolset)
1600 = VS 10.0 (v100 toolset)
1700 = VS 11.0 (v110 toolset)
1800 = VS 12.0 (v120 toolset)
1900 = VS 14.0 (v140 toolset)
1910-1919 = VS 15.0 (v141 toolset)
1920-1929 = VS 16.0 (v142 toolset)
1930-1939 = VS 17.0 (v143 toolset)
See also the CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_VERSION and MSVC_TOOLSET_VERSION variable.
MSYS
New in version 3.14.
True when using the MSYS Makefiles generator.
UNIX
Set to True when the target system is UNIX or UNIX-like (e.g. APPLE and CYGWIN). The CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME
variable should be queried if a more specific understanding of the target system is required.
WIN32
Set to True when the target system is Windows, including Win64.
WINCE
New in version 3.1.
True when the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable is set to WindowsCE.
WINDOWS_PHONE
New in version 3.1.
True when the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable is set to WindowsPhone.
WINDOWS_STORE
New in version 3.1.
True when the CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME variable is set to WindowsStore.
XCODE
New in version 3.7.
True when using Xcode generator.
XCODE_VERSION
Version of Xcode (Xcode generator only).
Under the Xcode generator, this is the version of Xcode as specified in Xcode.app/Contents/version.plist
(such as 3.1.2).
VARIABLES THAT CONTROL THE BUILD
CMAKE_ADSP_ROOT
New in version 3.24.
When Cross Compiling for ADSP SHARC/Blackfin, this variable holds the absolute path to the latest CCES or
VDSP++ install. The directory is expected to contain the cc21k.exe and ccblkfn.exe compilers. This will
be set automatically if a default install of CCES or VDSP++ can be found.
See also the ADSP_ROOT environment variable.
CMAKE_AIX_EXPORT_ALL_SYMBOLS
New in version 3.17.
Default value for AIX_EXPORT_ALL_SYMBOLS target property. This variable is used to initialize the
property on each target as it is created.
CMAKE_ANDROID_ANT_ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_ANT_ADDITIONAL_OPTIONS target property. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_API
New in version 3.1.
When Cross Compiling for Android with NVIDIA Nsight Tegra Visual Studio Edition, this variable may be set
to specify the default value for the ANDROID_API target property. See that target property for
additional information.
When Cross Compiling for Android, the CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION variable represents the Android API version
number targeted. For historical reasons, if a toolchain file sets CMAKE_ANDROID_API, but not
CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION, the latter will be initialized using the former.
CMAKE_ANDROID_API_MIN
New in version 3.2.
Default value for the ANDROID_API_MIN target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH
New in version 3.4.
When Cross Compiling for Android with NVIDIA Nsight Tegra Visual Studio Edition, this variable may be set
to specify the default value for the ANDROID_ARCH target property. See that target property for
additional information.
Otherwise, when Cross Compiling for Android, this variable provides the name of the Android architecture
corresponding to the value of the CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH_ABI variable. The architecture name may be one of:
• arm
• arm64
• mips
• mips64
• x86
• x86_64
CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH_ABI
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android, this variable specifies the target architecture and ABI to be used.
Valid values are:
• arm64-v8a
• armeabi-v7a
• armeabi-v6
• armeabi
• mips
• mips64
• x86
• x86_64
See also the CMAKE_ANDROID_ARM_MODE and CMAKE_ANDROID_ARM_NEON variables.
CMAKE_ANDROID_ARM_MODE
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android and CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH_ABI is set to one of the armeabi architectures,
set CMAKE_ANDROID_ARM_MODE to ON to target 32-bit ARM processors (-marm). Otherwise, the default is to
target the 16-bit Thumb processors (-mthumb).
CMAKE_ANDROID_ARM_NEON
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android and CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH_ABI is set to armeabi-v7a set
CMAKE_ANDROID_ARM_NEON to ON to target ARM NEON devices.
CMAKE_ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_ASSETS_DIRECTORIES target property. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_EXCEPTIONS
New in version 3.20.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable may be set to specify whether exceptions are
enabled.
CMAKE_ANDROID_GUI
New in version 3.1.
Default value for the ANDROID_GUI target property of executables. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_JAR_DEPENDENCIES
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_JAR_DEPENDENCIES target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_JAR_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_JAR_DIRECTORIES target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_JAVA_SOURCE_DIR
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_JAVA_SOURCE_DIR target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NATIVE_LIB_DEPENDENCIES
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_NATIVE_LIB_DEPENDENCIES target property. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NATIVE_LIB_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_NATIVE_LIB_DIRECTORIES target property. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NDK
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable holds the absolute path to the root
directory of the NDK. The directory must contain a platforms subdirectory holding the android-<api>
directories.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NDK_DEPRECATED_HEADERS
New in version 3.9.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable may be set to specify whether to use the
deprecated per-api-level headers instead of the unified headers.
If not specified, the default will be false if using a NDK version that provides the unified headers and
true otherwise.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NDK_TOOLCHAIN_HOST_TAG
New in version 3.7.1.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable provides the NDK's "host tag" used to
construct the path to prebuilt toolchains that run on the host.
CMAKE_ANDROID_NDK_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable may be set to specify the version of the
toolchain to be used as the compiler.
On NDK r19 or above, this variable must be unset or set to clang.
On NDK r18 or below, this variable must be set to one of these forms:
• <major>.<minor>: GCC of specified version
• clang<major>.<minor>: Clang of specified version
• clang: Clang of most recent available version
A toolchain of the requested version will be selected automatically to match the ABI named in the
CMAKE_ANDROID_ARCH_ABI variable.
If not specified, the default will be a value that selects the latest available GCC toolchain.
CMAKE_ANDROID_PROCESS_MAX
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_PROCESS_MAX target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_PROGUARD
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_PROGUARD target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_PROGUARD_CONFIG_PATH
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_PROGUARD_CONFIG_PATH target property. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_RTTI
New in version 3.20.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable may be set to specify whether RTTI is
enabled.
CMAKE_ANDROID_SECURE_PROPS_PATH
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_SECURE_PROPS_PATH target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_SKIP_ANT_STEP
New in version 3.4.
Default value for the ANDROID_SKIP_ANT_STEP target property. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_ANDROID_STANDALONE_TOOLCHAIN
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android with a Standalone Toolchain, this variable holds the absolute path to
the root directory of the toolchain. The specified directory must contain a sysroot subdirectory.
CMAKE_ANDROID_STL_TYPE
New in version 3.4.
When Cross Compiling for Android with NVIDIA Nsight Tegra Visual Studio Edition, this variable may be set
to specify the default value for the ANDROID_STL_TYPE target property. See that target property for
additional information.
When Cross Compiling for Android with the NDK, this variable may be set to specify the STL variant to be
used. The value may be one of:
none No C++ Support
system Minimal C++ without STL
gabi++_static
GAbi++ Static
gabi++_shared
GAbi++ Shared
gnustl_static
GNU libstdc++ Static
gnustl_shared
GNU libstdc++ Shared
c++_static
LLVM libc++ Static
c++_shared
LLVM libc++ Shared
stlport_static
STLport Static
stlport_shared
STLport Shared
The default value is gnustl_static on NDK versions that provide it and otherwise c++_static. Note that
this default differs from the native NDK build system because CMake may be used to build projects for
Android that are not natively implemented for it and use the C++ standard library.
CMAKE_APPLE_SILICON_PROCESSOR
New in version 3.19.2.
On Apple Silicon hosts running macOS, set this variable to tell CMake what architecture to use for
CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR. The value must be either arm64 or x86_64.
The value of this variable should never be modified by project code. It is meant to be set as a cache
entry provided by the user, e.g. via -DCMAKE_APPLE_SILICON_PROCESSOR=....
See also the CMAKE_APPLE_SILICON_PROCESSOR environment variable.
CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY
Where to put all the ARCHIVE target files when built.
This variable is used to initialize the ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG>
New in version 3.3.
Where to put all the ARCHIVE target files when built for a specific configuration.
This variable is used to initialize the ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG> property on all the targets.
See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_AUTOGEN_ORIGIN_DEPENDS
New in version 3.14.
Switch for forwarding origin target dependencies to the corresponding _autogen targets.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOGEN_ORIGIN_DEPENDS property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
By default CMAKE_AUTOGEN_ORIGIN_DEPENDS is ON.
CMAKE_AUTOGEN_PARALLEL
New in version 3.11.
Number of parallel moc or uic processes to start when using AUTOMOC and AUTOUIC.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOGEN_PARALLEL property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
By default CMAKE_AUTOGEN_PARALLEL is unset.
CMAKE_AUTOGEN_USE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOGEN_USE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE property on all targets as they are
created. See that target property for additional information.
By default CMAKE_AUTOGEN_USE_SYSTEM_INCLUDE is unset.
CMAKE_AUTOGEN_VERBOSE
New in version 3.13.
Sets the verbosity of AUTOMOC, AUTOUIC and AUTORCC. A positive integer value or a true boolean value
lets the AUTO* generators output additional processing information.
Setting CMAKE_AUTOGEN_VERBOSE has the same effect as setting the VERBOSE environment variable during
generation (e.g. by calling make VERBOSE=1). The extra verbosity is limited to the AUTO* generators
though.
By default CMAKE_AUTOGEN_VERBOSE is unset.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC
Whether to handle moc automatically for Qt targets.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC property on all the targets. See that target property
for additional information.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_COMPILER_PREDEFINES
New in version 3.10.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC_COMPILER_PREDEFINES property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
By default it is ON.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
New in version 3.9.
Filter definitions used by CMAKE_AUTOMOC to extract file names from source code as additional
dependencies for the moc file.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
By default it is empty.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES
New in version 3.10.
Semicolon-separated list list of macro names used by CMAKE_AUTOMOC to determine if a C++ file needs to be
processed by moc.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
The default value is Q_OBJECT;Q_GADGET;Q_NAMESPACE;Q_NAMESPACE_EXPORT.
Example
Let CMake know that source files that contain CUSTOM_MACRO must be moc processed as well:
set(CMAKE_AUTOMOC ON)
list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES "CUSTOM_MACRO")
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MOC_OPTIONS
Additional options for moc when using CMAKE_AUTOMOC.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC_MOC_OPTIONS property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_PATH_PREFIX
New in version 3.16.
Whether to generate the -p path prefix option for moc on AUTOMOC enabled Qt targets.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC_PATH_PREFIX property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
The default value is OFF.
CMAKE_AUTOMOC_EXECUTABLE
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOMOC_EXECUTABLE property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
By default it is empty.
CMAKE_AUTORCC
Whether to handle rcc automatically for Qt targets.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTORCC property on all the targets. See that target property
for additional information.
CMAKE_AUTORCC_OPTIONS
Additional options for rcc when using CMAKE_AUTORCC.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTORCC_OPTIONS property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
EXAMPLE
# ...
set(CMAKE_AUTORCC_OPTIONS "--compress;9")
# ...
CMAKE_AUTORCC_EXECUTABLE
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTORCC_EXECUTABLE property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
By default it is empty.
CMAKE_AUTOUIC
Whether to handle uic automatically for Qt targets.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOUIC property on all the targets. See that target property
for additional information.
CMAKE_AUTOUIC_OPTIONS
Additional options for uic when using CMAKE_AUTOUIC.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOUIC_OPTIONS property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
EXAMPLE
# ...
set_property(CMAKE_AUTOUIC_OPTIONS "--no-protection")
# ...
CMAKE_AUTOUIC_SEARCH_PATHS
New in version 3.9.
Search path list used by CMAKE_AUTOUIC to find included .ui files.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOUIC_SEARCH_PATHS property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
By default it is empty.
CMAKE_AUTOUIC_EXECUTABLE
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the AUTOUIC_EXECUTABLE property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
By default it is empty.
CMAKE_BUILD_RPATH
New in version 3.8.
Semicolon-separated list specifying runtime path (RPATH) entries to add to binaries linked in the build
tree (for platforms that support it). The entries will not be used for binaries in the install tree.
See also the CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH variable.
This is used to initialize the BUILD_RPATH target property for all targets.
CMAKE_BUILD_RPATH_USE_ORIGIN
New in version 3.14.
Whether to use relative paths for the build RPATH.
This is used to initialize the BUILD_RPATH_USE_ORIGIN target property for all targets, see that property
for more details.
CMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_NAME_DIR
New in version 3.9.
Whether to use INSTALL_NAME_DIR on targets in the build tree.
This variable is used to initialize the BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_NAME_DIR property on all targets.
CMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH
Use the install path for the RPATH.
Normally CMake uses the build tree for the RPATH when building executables etc on systems that use RPATH.
When the software is installed the executables etc are relinked by CMake to have the install RPATH. If
this variable is set to true then the software is always built with the install path for the RPATH and
does not need to be relinked when installed.
This is used to initialize the BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH target property for all targets.
CMAKE_COMPILE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.1.
Output directory for MS debug symbol .pdb files generated by the compiler while building source files.
This variable is used to initialize the COMPILE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property on all the targets.
CMAKE_COMPILE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG>
New in version 3.1.
Per-configuration output directory for MS debug symbol .pdb files generated by the compiler while
building source files.
This is a per-configuration version of CMAKE_COMPILE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY. This variable is used to
initialize the COMPILE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG> property on all the targets.
CMAKE_COMPILE_WARNING_AS_ERROR
New in version 3.24.
Specify whether to treat warnings on compile as errors.
This variable is used to initialize the COMPILE_WARNING_AS_ERROR property on all the targets.
CMAKE_<CONFIG>_POSTFIX
Default filename postfix for libraries under configuration <CONFIG>.
When a non-executable target is created its <CONFIG>_POSTFIX target property is initialized with the
value of this variable if it is set.
CMAKE_CROSS_CONFIGS
New in version 3.17.
Specifies a semicolon-separated list of configurations available from all build-<Config>.ninja files in
the Ninja Multi-Config generator. This variable activates cross-config mode. Targets from each config
specified in this variable can be built from any build-<Config>.ninja file. Custom commands will use the
configuration native to build-<Config>.ninja. If it is set to all, all configurations from
CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES are cross-configs. If it is not specified, or empty, each build-<Config>.ninja
file will only contain build rules for its own configuration.
The value of this variable must be a subset of CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES.
CMAKE_CTEST_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.17.
Set this to a semicolon-separated list of command-line arguments to pass to ctest(1) when running tests
through the test (or RUN_TESTS) target of the generated build system.
CMAKE_CUDA_RESOLVE_DEVICE_SYMBOLS
New in version 3.16.
Default value for CUDA_RESOLVE_DEVICE_SYMBOLS target property when defined. By default this variable is
not defined.
This variable is used to initialize the property on each target as it is created.
CMAKE_CUDA_RUNTIME_LIBRARY
New in version 3.17.
Select the CUDA runtime library for use when compiling and linking CUDA. This variable is used to
initialize the CUDA_RUNTIME_LIBRARY property on all targets as they are created.
The allowed case insensitive values are:
None Link with -cudart=none or equivalent flag(s) to use no CUDA runtime library.
Shared Link with -cudart=shared or equivalent flag(s) to use a dynamically-linked CUDA runtime library.
Static Link with -cudart=static or equivalent flag(s) to use a statically-linked CUDA runtime library.
Contents of CMAKE_CUDA_RUNTIME_LIBRARY may use generator expressions.
If this variable is not set then the CUDA_RUNTIME_LIBRARY target property will not be set automatically.
If that property is not set then CMake uses an appropriate default value based on the compiler to select
the CUDA runtime library.
NOTE:
This property has effect only when the CUDA language is enabled. To control the CUDA runtime linking
when only using the CUDA SDK with the C or C++ language we recommend using the FindCUDAToolkit module.
CMAKE_CUDA_SEPARABLE_COMPILATION
New in version 3.11.
Default value for CUDA_SEPARABLE_COMPILATION target property. This variable is used to initialize the
property on each target as it is created.
CMAKE_CXX_SCAN_FOR_MODULES
New in version 3.28.
Whether to scan C++ source files for module dependencies.
This variable is used to initialize the CXX_SCAN_FOR_MODULES property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_DEBUG_POSTFIX
See variable CMAKE_<CONFIG>_POSTFIX.
This variable is a special case of the more-general CMAKE_<CONFIG>_POSTFIX variable for the DEBUG
configuration.
CMAKE_DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE
New in version 3.17.
Specifies the configuration to use by default in a build.ninja file in the Ninja Multi-Config generator.
If this variable is specified, build.ninja uses build rules from build-<Config>.ninja by default. All
custom commands are executed with this configuration. If the variable is not specified, the first item
from CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES is used instead.
The value of this variable must be one of the items from CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES.
CMAKE_DEFAULT_CONFIGS
New in version 3.17.
Specifies a semicolon-separated list of configurations to build for a target in build.ninja if no
:<Config> suffix is specified in the Ninja Multi-Config generator. If it is set to all, all
configurations from CMAKE_CROSS_CONFIGS are used. If it is not specified, it defaults to
CMAKE_DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE.
For example, if you set CMAKE_DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE to Release, but set CMAKE_DEFAULT_CONFIGS to Debug or
all, all <target> aliases in build.ninja will resolve to <target>:Debug or <target>:all, but custom
commands will still use the Release configuration.
The value of this variable must be a subset of CMAKE_CROSS_CONFIGS or be the same as
CMAKE_DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE. It must not be specified if CMAKE_DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE or CMAKE_CROSS_CONFIGS is
not used.
CMAKE_DEPENDS_USE_COMPILER
New in version 3.20.
For the Makefile Generators, source dependencies are now, for a selection of compilers, generated by the
compiler itself. By defining this variable with value FALSE, you can restore the legacy behavior (i.e.
using CMake for dependencies discovery).
CMAKE_DISABLE_PRECOMPILE_HEADERS
New in version 3.16.
Default value for DISABLE_PRECOMPILE_HEADERS of targets.
By default CMAKE_DISABLE_PRECOMPILE_HEADERS is OFF.
CMAKE_DLL_NAME_WITH_SOVERSION
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the DLL_NAME_WITH_SOVERSION property on shared library targets for
the Windows platform, which is selected when the WIN32 variable is set.
See this target property for additional information.
Please note that setting this variable has no effect if versioned filenames are globally disabled with
the CMAKE_PLATFORM_NO_VERSIONED_SONAME variable.
CMAKE_ENABLE_EXPORTS
New in version 3.4.
Specify whether executables export symbols for loadable modules.
This variable is used to initialize the ENABLE_EXPORTS target property for executable targets when they
are created by calls to the add_executable() command. See the property documentation for details.
This variable has been superseded by the CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_ENABLE_EXPORTS variable. It is provided for
backward compatibility with older CMake code, but should not be used in new projects.
CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_ENABLE_EXPORTS
New in version 3.27.
Specify whether executables export symbols for loadable modules.
This variable is used to initialize the ENABLE_EXPORTS target property for executable targets when they
are created by calls to the add_executable() command. See the property documentation for details.
This variable supersede the CMAKE_ENABLE_EXPORTS variable.
CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS
Linker flags to be used to create executables.
These flags will be used by the linker when creating an executable.
CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>
Flags to be used when linking an executable.
Same as CMAKE_C_FLAGS_* but used by the linker when creating executables.
CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG> cache entry the first time a build tree is
configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append content
to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT.
CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS cache entry the first time a build tree is
configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append content
to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also the configuration-specific variable CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT.
CMAKE_FOLDER
New in version 3.12.
Set the folder name. Use to organize targets in an IDE.
This variable is used to initialize the FOLDER property on all the targets. See that target property for
additional information.
CMAKE_Fortran_FORMAT
Set to FIXED or FREE to indicate the Fortran source layout.
This variable is used to initialize the Fortran_FORMAT property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_Fortran_MODULE_DIRECTORY
Fortran module output directory.
This variable is used to initialize the Fortran_MODULE_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_Fortran_PREPROCESS
New in version 3.18.
Default value for Fortran_PREPROCESS of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the Fortran_PREPROCESS property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_FRAMEWORK
New in version 3.15.
Default value for FRAMEWORK of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the FRAMEWORK property on all the targets. See that target property
for additional information.
CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_MULTI_CONFIG_POSTFIX_<CONFIG>
New in version 3.18.
Default framework filename postfix under configuration <CONFIG> when using a multi-config generator.
When a framework target is created its FRAMEWORK_MULTI_CONFIG_POSTFIX_<CONFIG> target property is
initialized with the value of this variable if it is set.
CMAKE_GHS_NO_SOURCE_GROUP_FILE
New in version 3.14.
ON / OFF boolean to control if the project file for a target should be one single file or multiple files.
Refer to GHS_NO_SOURCE_GROUP_FILE for further details.
CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET
New in version 3.14.
Switch to enable generation of a global autogen target.
When CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET is enabled, a custom target autogen is generated. This target depends
on all AUTOMOC and AUTOUIC generated <ORIGIN>_autogen targets in the project. By building the global
autogen target, all AUTOMOC and AUTOUIC files in the project will be generated.
The name of the global autogen target can be changed by setting CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET_NAME.
By default CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET is unset.
See the cmake-qt(7) manual for more information on using CMake with Qt.
Note
<ORIGIN>_autogen targets by default inherit their origin target's dependencies. This might result in
unintended dependency target builds when only <ORIGIN>_autogen targets are built. A solution is to
disable AUTOGEN_ORIGIN_DEPENDS on the respective origin targets.
CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET_NAME
New in version 3.14.
Change the name of the global autogen target.
When CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET is enabled, a global custom target named autogen is created.
CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET_NAME allows to set a different name for that target.
By default CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTOGEN_TARGET_NAME is unset.
See the cmake-qt(7) manual for more information on using CMake with Qt.
CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET
New in version 3.14.
Switch to enable generation of a global autorcc target.
When CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET is enabled, a custom target autorcc is generated. This target depends on
all AUTORCC generated <ORIGIN>_arcc_<QRC> targets in the project. By building the global autorcc target,
all AUTORCC files in the project will be generated.
The name of the global autorcc target can be changed by setting CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET_NAME.
By default CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET is unset.
See the cmake-qt(7) manual for more information on using CMake with Qt.
CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET_NAME
New in version 3.14.
Change the name of the global autorcc target.
When CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET is enabled, a global custom target named autorcc is created.
CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET_NAME allows to set a different name for that target.
By default CMAKE_GLOBAL_AUTORCC_TARGET_NAME is unset.
See the cmake-qt(7) manual for more information on using CMake with Qt.
CMAKE_GNUtoMS
Convert GNU import libraries (.dll.a) to MS format (.lib).
This variable is used to initialize the GNUtoMS property on targets when they are created. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_INCLUDE_CURRENT_DIR
Automatically add the current source and build directories to the include path.
If this variable is enabled, CMake automatically adds CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR and
CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR to the include path for each directory. These additional include directories do
not propagate down to subdirectories. This is useful mainly for out-of-source builds, where files
generated into the build tree are included by files located in the source tree.
By default CMAKE_INCLUDE_CURRENT_DIR is OFF.
CMAKE_INCLUDE_CURRENT_DIR_IN_INTERFACE
Automatically add the current source and build directories to the INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES target
property.
If this variable is enabled, CMake automatically adds for each shared library target, static library
target, module target and executable target, CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR and CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR to the
INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES target property. By default CMAKE_INCLUDE_CURRENT_DIR_IN_INTERFACE is OFF.
CMAKE_INSTALL_NAME_DIR
Directory name for installed targets on Apple platforms.
CMAKE_INSTALL_NAME_DIR is used to initialize the INSTALL_NAME_DIR property on all targets. See that
target property for more information.
CMAKE_INSTALL_REMOVE_ENVIRONMENT_RPATH
New in version 3.16.
Sets the default for whether toolchain-defined rpaths should be removed during installation.
CMAKE_INSTALL_REMOVE_ENVIRONMENT_RPATH is a boolean that provides the default value for the
INSTALL_REMOVE_ENVIRONMENT_RPATH property of all subsequently created targets.
CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH
The rpath to use for installed targets.
A semicolon-separated list specifying the rpath to use in installed targets (for platforms that support
it). This is used to initialize the target property INSTALL_RPATH for all targets.
CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH_USE_LINK_PATH
Add paths to linker search and installed rpath.
CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH_USE_LINK_PATH is a boolean that if set to True will append to the runtime search path
(rpath) of installed binaries any directories outside the project that are in the linker search path or
contain linked library files. The directories are appended after the value of the INSTALL_RPATH target
property.
This variable is used to initialize the target property INSTALL_RPATH_USE_LINK_PATH for all targets.
CMAKE_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION
New in version 3.9.
Default value for INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION property on all the targets. See
that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION_<CONFIG>
New in version 3.9.
Default value for INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION_<CONFIG> of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION_<CONFIG> property on all the
targets. See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_IOS_INSTALL_COMBINED
New in version 3.5.
Deprecated since version 3.28: This is deprecated because IOS_INSTALL_COMBINED is deprecated.
Default value for IOS_INSTALL_COMBINED of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the IOS_INSTALL_COMBINED property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_<LANG>_CLANG_TIDY
New in version 3.6.
Default value for <LANG>_CLANG_TIDY target property when <LANG> is C, CXX, OBJC or OBJCXX.
This variable is used to initialize the property on each target as it is created. For example:
set(CMAKE_CXX_CLANG_TIDY clang-tidy -checks=-*,readability-*)
add_executable(foo foo.cxx)
CMAKE_<LANG>_CLANG_TIDY_EXPORT_FIXES_DIR
New in version 3.26.
Default value for <LANG>_CLANG_TIDY_EXPORT_FIXES_DIR target property when <LANG> is C, CXX, OBJC or
OBJCXX.
This variable is used to initialize the property on each target as it is created. For example:
set(CMAKE_CXX_CLANG_TIDY_EXPORT_FIXES_DIR clang-tidy-fixes)
add_executable(foo foo.cxx)
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_LAUNCHER
New in version 3.4.
Default value for <LANG>_COMPILER_LAUNCHER target property. This variable is used to initialize the
property on each target as it is created. This is done only when <LANG> is C, CXX, Fortran, HIP, ISPC,
OBJC, OBJCXX, or CUDA.
This variable is initialized to the CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_LAUNCHER environment variable if it is set.
CMAKE_<LANG>_CPPCHECK
New in version 3.10.
Default value for <LANG>_CPPCHECK target property. This variable is used to initialize the property on
each target as it is created. This is done only when <LANG> is C or CXX.
CMAKE_<LANG>_CPPLINT
New in version 3.8.
Default value for <LANG>_CPPLINT target property. This variable is used to initialize the property on
each target as it is created. This is done only when <LANG> is C or CXX.
CMAKE_<LANG>_INCLUDE_WHAT_YOU_USE
New in version 3.3.
Default value for <LANG>_INCLUDE_WHAT_YOU_USE target property. This variable is used to initialize the
property on each target as it is created. This is done only when <LANG> is C or CXX.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>
New in version 3.24.
This variable defines how to link a group of libraries for the specified <FEATURE> when a LINK_GROUP
generator expression is used and the link language for the target is <LANG>. For this variable to have
any effect, the associated CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED variable must be set to
true.
The CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE> variable should be defined instead for features that are independent
of the link language.
Feature names are case-sensitive and may only contain letters, numbers and underscores. Feature names
defined in all uppercase are reserved for CMake's own built-in features (see Predefined Features further
below).
Feature Definitions
A group feature definition is a list that contains exactly two elements:
<PREFIX> <SUFFIX>
On the linker command line, <PREFIX> will precede the list of libraries in the group and <SUFFIX> will
follow after.
For the elements of this variable, the LINKER: prefix can be used.
To pass options to the linker tool, each compiler driver has its own syntax. The LINKER: prefix and ,
separator can be used to specify, in a portable way, options to pass to the linker tool. LINKER: is
replaced by the appropriate driver option and , by the appropriate driver separator. The driver prefix
and driver separator are given by the values of the CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG and
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP variables.
For example, "LINKER:-z,defs" becomes -Xlinker -z -Xlinker defs for Clang and -Wl,-z,defs for GNU GCC.
The LINKER: prefix can be specified as part of a SHELL: prefix expression.
The LINKER: prefix supports, as an alternative syntax, specification of arguments using the SHELL: prefix
and space as separator. The previous example then becomes "LINKER:SHELL:-z defs".
NOTE:
Specifying the SHELL: prefix anywhere other than at the beginning of the LINKER: prefix is not
supported.
Examples
Solving cross-references between two static libraries
A project may define two or more static libraries which have circular dependencies between them. In
order for the linker to resolve all symbols at link time, it may need to search repeatedly among the
libraries until no new undefined references are created. Different linkers use different syntax for
achieving this. The following example shows how this may be implemented for some linkers. Note that
this is for illustration purposes only. Projects should use the built-in RESCAN group feature instead
(see Predefined Features), which provides a more complete and more robust implementation of this
functionality.
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs_SUPPORTED TRUE)
if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU" AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Linux")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs
"LINKER:--start-group"
"LINKER:--end-group"
)
elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "SunPro" AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "SunOS")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs
"LINKER:-z,rescan-start"
"LINKER:-z,rescan-end"
)
else()
# feature not yet supported for the other environments
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs_SUPPORTED FALSE)
endif()
add_library(lib1 STATIC ...)
add_library(lib2 SHARED ...)
if(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs_SUPPORTED)
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE "$<LINK_GROUP:cross_refs,lib1,external>")
else()
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE lib1 external)
endif()
CMake will generate the following linker command line fragments when linking lib2:
• GNU: -Wl,--start-group /path/to/lib1.a -lexternal -Wl,--end-group
• SunPro: -Wl,-z,rescan-start /path/to/lib1.a -lexternal -Wl,-z,rescan-end
Predefined Features
The following built-in group features are pre-defined by CMake:
RESCAN Some linkers are single-pass only. For such linkers, circular references between libraries
typically result in unresolved symbols. This feature instructs the linker to search the specified
static libraries repeatedly until no new undefined references are created.
Normally, a static library is searched only once in the order that it is specified on the command
line. If a symbol in that library is needed to resolve an undefined symbol referred to by an
object in a library that appears later on the command line, the linker would not be able to
resolve that reference. By grouping the static libraries with the RESCAN feature, they will all
be searched repeatedly until all possible references are resolved. This will use linker options
like --start-group and --end-group, or on SunOS, -z rescan-start and -z rescan-end.
Using this feature has a significant performance cost. It is best to use it only when there are
unavoidable circular references between two or more static libraries.
This feature is available when using toolchains that target Linux, BSD, and SunOS. It can also be
used when targeting Windows platforms if the GNU toolchain is used.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED
New in version 3.24.
This variable specifies whether the <FEATURE> is supported for the link language <LANG>. If this
variable is true, then the <FEATURE> must be defined by CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>, and the
more generic CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED and CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE> variables
are not used.
If CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED is false or is not set, then the
CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED variable will determine whether <FEATURE> is deemed to be
supported.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_FILE_FLAG
New in version 3.16.
Language-specific flag to be used to link a library specified by a path to its file.
The flag will be used before a library file path is given to the linker. This is needed only on very few
platforms.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_FLAG
New in version 3.16.
Flag to be used to link a library into a shared library or executable.
This flag will be used to specify a library to link to a shared library or an executable for the specific
language. On most compilers this is -l.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>
New in version 3.24.
This variable defines how to link a library or framework for the specified <FEATURE> when a LINK_LIBRARY
generator expression is used and the link language for the target is <LANG>. For this variable to have
any effect, the associated CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED variable must be set to
true.
The CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE> variable should be defined instead for features that are
independent of the link language.
Feature names are case-sensitive and may only contain letters, numbers and underscores. Feature names
defined in all uppercase are reserved for CMake's own built-in features (see Predefined Features further
below).
Feature Definitions
A library feature definition is a list that contains one or three elements:
[<PREFIX>] <LIBRARY_EXPRESSION> [<SUFFIX>]
When <PREFIX> and <SUFFIX> are specified, they precede and follow respectively the whole list of
libraries specified in the LINK_LIBRARY expression, not each library item individually. There is no
guarantee that the list of specified libraries will be kept grouped together though, so the <PREFIX> and
<SUFFIX> may appear more than once if the library list is reorganized by CMake to satisfy other
constraints. This means constructs like --start-group and --end-group, as supported by the GNU ld
linker, cannot be used in this way. The LINK_GROUP generator expression should be used instead for such
constructs.
<LIBRARY_EXPRESSION> is used to specify the pattern for constructing the corresponding fragment on the
linker command line for each library. The following placeholders can be used in the expression:
• <LIBRARY> is expanded to the full path to the library for CMake targets, or to a platform-specific
value based on the item otherwise (the same as <LINK_ITEM> on Windows, or the library base name for
other platforms).
• <LINK_ITEM> is expanded to how the library would normally be linked on the linker command line.
• <LIB_ITEM> is expanded to the full path to the library for CMake targets, or the item itself exactly as
specified in the <LIBRARY_EXPRESSION> otherwise.
In addition to the above, it is possible to have one pattern for paths (CMake targets and external
libraries specified with file paths) and another for other items specified by name only. The PATH{} and
NAME{} wrappers can be used to provide the expansion for those two cases, respectively. When wrappers
are used, both must be present. For example:
set(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library
"PATH{-weak_library <LIBRARY>}NAME{LINKER:-weak-l<LIB_ITEM>}"
)
For all three elements of this variable (<PREFIX>, <LIBRARY_EXPRESSION>, and <SUFFIX>), the LINKER:
prefix can be used.
To pass options to the linker tool, each compiler driver has its own syntax. The LINKER: prefix and ,
separator can be used to specify, in a portable way, options to pass to the linker tool. LINKER: is
replaced by the appropriate driver option and , by the appropriate driver separator. The driver prefix
and driver separator are given by the values of the CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG and
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP variables.
For example, "LINKER:-z,defs" becomes -Xlinker -z -Xlinker defs for Clang and -Wl,-z,defs for GNU GCC.
The LINKER: prefix can be specified as part of a SHELL: prefix expression.
The LINKER: prefix supports, as an alternative syntax, specification of arguments using the SHELL: prefix
and space as separator. The previous example then becomes "LINKER:SHELL:-z defs".
NOTE:
Specifying the SHELL: prefix anywhere other than at the beginning of the LINKER: prefix is not
supported.
Examples
Loading a whole static library
A common need is to prevent the linker from discarding any symbols from a static library. Different
linkers use different syntax for achieving this. The following example shows how this may be implemented
for some linkers. Note that this is for illustration purposes only. Projects should use the built-in
WHOLE_ARCHIVE feature instead (see Predefined Features), which provides a more complete and more robust
implementation of this functionality.
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive_SUPPORTED TRUE)
if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "AppleClang")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive "-force_load <LIB_ITEM>")
elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU" AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Linux")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive
"LINKER:--push-state,--whole-archive"
"<LINK_ITEM>"
"LINKER:--pop-state"
)
elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive "/WHOLEARCHIVE:<LIBRARY>")
else()
# feature not yet supported for the other environments
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive_SUPPORTED FALSE)
endif()
add_library(lib1 STATIC ...)
add_library(lib2 SHARED ...)
if(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive_SUPPORTED)
# The -force_load Apple linker option requires a file name
set(external_lib
"$<IF:$<LINK_LANG_AND_ID:C,AppleClang>,libexternal.a,external>"
)
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE
"$<LINK_LIBRARY:load_archive,lib1,${external_lib}>"
)
else()
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE lib1 external)
endif()
CMake will generate the following link expressions:
• AppleClang: -force_load /path/to/lib1.a -force_load libexternal.a
• GNU: -Wl,--push-state,--whole-archive /path/to/lib1.a -lexternal -Wl,--pop-state
• MSVC: /WHOLEARCHIVE:/path/to/lib1.lib /WHOLEARCHIVE:external.lib
Linking a library as weak
On macOS, it is possible to link a library in weak mode (the library and all references are marked as
weak imports). Different flags must be used for a library specified by file path compared to one
specified by name. This constraint can be solved using PATH{} and NAME{} wrappers. Again, the following
example shows how this may be implemented for some linkers, but it is for illustration purposes only.
Projects should use the built-in WEAK_FRAMEWORK or WEAK_LIBRARY features instead (see Predefined
Features), which provide more complete and more robust implementations of this functionality.
if (CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "AppleClang")
set(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library
"PATH{-weak_library <LIBRARY>}NAME{LINKER:-weak-l<LIB_ITEM>}"
)
set(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library_SUPPORTED TRUE)
endif()
add_library(lib SHARED ...)
add_executable(main ...)
if(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library_SUPPORTED)
target_link_libraries(main PRIVATE "$<LINK_LIBRARY:weak_library,lib,external>")
else()
target_link_libraries(main PRIVATE lib external)
endif()
CMake will generate the following linker command line fragment when linking main using the AppleClang
toolchain:
-weak_library /path/to/lib -Xlinker -weak-lexternal.
Predefined Features
The following built-in library features are pre-defined by CMake:
DEFAULT
This feature corresponds to standard linking, essentially equivalent to using no feature at all.
It is typically only used with the LINK_LIBRARY_OVERRIDE and LINK_LIBRARY_OVERRIDE_<LIBRARY>
target properties.
WHOLE_ARCHIVE
Force inclusion of all members of a static library. This feature is only supported for the
following platforms, with limitations as noted:
• Linux.
• All BSD variants.
• SunOS.
• All Apple variants. The library must be specified as a CMake target name, a library file name
(such as libfoo.a), or a library file path (such as /path/to/libfoo.a). Due to a limitation of
the Apple linker, it cannot be specified as a plain library name like foo, where foo is not a
CMake target.
• Windows. When using a MSVC or MSVC-like toolchain, the MSVC version must be greater than 1900.
• Cygwin.
• MSYS.
FRAMEWORK
This option tells the linker to search for the specified framework using the -framework linker
option. It can only be used on Apple platforms, and only with a linker that understands the
option used (i.e. the linker provided with Xcode, or one compatible with it).
The framework can be specified as a CMake framework target, a bare framework name, or a file path.
If a target is given, that target must have the FRAMEWORK target property set to true. For a file
path, if it contains a directory part, that directory will be added as a framework search path.
add_library(lib SHARED ...)
target_link_libraries(lib PRIVATE "$<LINK_LIBRARY:FRAMEWORK,/path/to/my_framework>")
# The constructed linker command line will contain:
# -F/path/to -framework my_framework
File paths must conform to one of the following patterns (* is a wildcard, and optional parts are
shown as [...]):
• [/path/to/]FwName[.framework]
• [/path/to/]FwName.framework/FwName[suffix]
• [/path/to/]FwName.framework/Versions/*/FwName[suffix]
Note that CMake recognizes and automatically handles framework targets, even without using the
$<LINK_LIBRARY:FRAMEWORK,...> expression. The generator expression can still be used with a CMake
target if the project wants to be explicit about it, but it is not required to do so. The linker
command line may have some differences between using the generator expression or not, but the
final result should be the same. On the other hand, if a file path is given, CMake will recognize
some paths automatically, but not all cases. The project may want to use
$<LINK_LIBRARY:FRAMEWORK,...> for file paths so that the expected behavior is clear.
New in version 3.25: The FRAMEWORK_MULTI_CONFIG_POSTFIX_<CONFIG> target property as well as the
suffix of the framework library name are now supported by the FRAMEWORK features.
NEEDED_FRAMEWORK
This is similar to the FRAMEWORK feature, except it forces the linker to link with the framework
even if no symbols are used from it. It uses the -needed_framework option and has the same linker
constraints as FRAMEWORK.
REEXPORT_FRAMEWORK
This is similar to the FRAMEWORK feature, except it tells the linker that the framework should be
available to clients linking to the library being created. It uses the -reexport_framework option
and has the same linker constraints as FRAMEWORK.
WEAK_FRAMEWORK
This is similar to the FRAMEWORK feature, except it forces the linker to mark the framework and
all references to it as weak imports. It uses the -weak_framework option and has the same linker
constraints as FRAMEWORK.
NEEDED_LIBRARY
This is similar to the NEEDED_FRAMEWORK feature, except it is for use with non-framework targets
or libraries (Apple platforms only). It uses the -needed_library or -needed-l option as
appropriate, and has the same linker constraints as NEEDED_FRAMEWORK.
REEXPORT_LIBRARY
This is similar to the REEXPORT_FRAMEWORK feature, except it is for use with non-framework
targets or libraries (Apple platforms only). It uses the -reexport_library or -reexport-l option
as appropriate, and has the same linker constraints as REEXPORT_FRAMEWORK.
WEAK_LIBRARY
This is similar to the WEAK_FRAMEWORK feature, except it is for use with non-framework targets or
libraries (Apple platforms only). It uses the -weak_library or -weak-l option as appropriate, and
has the same linker constraints as WEAK_FRAMEWORK.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED
New in version 3.24.
Set to TRUE if the <FEATURE>, as defined by variable CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>, is
supported for the linker language <LANG>.
NOTE:
This variable is evaluated before the more generic variable
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_WHAT_YOU_USE_FLAG
New in version 3.22.
Linker flag to be used to configure linker so that all specified libraries on the command line will be
linked into the target.
See also variable CMAKE_LINK_WHAT_YOU_USE_CHECK.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_LAUNCHER
New in version 3.21.
Default value for <LANG>_LINKER_LAUNCHER target property. This variable is used to initialize the
property on each target as it is created. This is done only when <LANG> is C, CXX, OBJC, or OBJCXX.
This variable is initialized to the CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_LAUNCHER environment variable if it is set.
CMAKE_<LANG>_VISIBILITY_PRESET
Default value for the <LANG>_VISIBILITY_PRESET target property when a target is created.
CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY
Where to put all the LIBRARY target files when built.
This variable is used to initialize the LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG>
New in version 3.3.
Where to put all the LIBRARY target files when built for a specific configuration.
This variable is used to initialize the LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG> property on all the targets.
See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_LIBRARY_PATH_FLAG
The flag to be used to add a library search path to a compiler.
The flag will be used to specify a library directory to the compiler. On most compilers this is -L.
CMAKE_LINK_DEF_FILE_FLAG
Linker flag to be used to specify a .def file for dll creation.
The flag will be used to add a .def file when creating a dll on Windows; this is only defined on Windows.
CMAKE_LINK_DEPENDS_NO_SHARED
Whether to skip link dependencies on shared library files.
This variable initializes the LINK_DEPENDS_NO_SHARED property on targets when they are created. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_LINK_DEPENDS_USE_LINKER
New in version 3.27.
For the Makefile and Ninja generators, link dependencies are now, for a selection of linkers, generated
by the linker itself. By defining this variable with value FALSE, you can deactivate this feature.
This feature is also deactivated if the LINK_DEPENDS_NO_SHARED target property is true.
NOTE:
CMake version 3.28.3 defaults this variable to FALSE because GNU binutils linkers (ld, ld.bfd,
ld.gold) generate spurious dependencies on temporary files when LTO is enabled. See GNU bug 30568.
CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>
New in version 3.24.
This variable defines how to link a group of libraries for the specified <FEATURE> when a LINK_GROUP
generator expression is used. Both of the following conditions must be met for this variable to have any
effect:
• The associated CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED variable must be set to true.
• There is no language-specific definition for the same <FEATURE>. This means
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED cannot be true for the link language used by the
target for which the LINK_GROUP generator expression is evaluated.
The CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE> variable should be defined instead for features that are
dependent on the link language.
Feature names are case-sensitive and may only contain letters, numbers and underscores. Feature names
defined in all uppercase are reserved for CMake's own built-in features (see Predefined Features further
below).
Feature Definitions
A group feature definition is a list that contains exactly two elements:
<PREFIX> <SUFFIX>
On the linker command line, <PREFIX> will precede the list of libraries in the group and <SUFFIX> will
follow after.
For the elements of this variable, the LINKER: prefix can be used.
To pass options to the linker tool, each compiler driver has its own syntax. The LINKER: prefix and ,
separator can be used to specify, in a portable way, options to pass to the linker tool. LINKER: is
replaced by the appropriate driver option and , by the appropriate driver separator. The driver prefix
and driver separator are given by the values of the CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG and
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP variables.
For example, "LINKER:-z,defs" becomes -Xlinker -z -Xlinker defs for Clang and -Wl,-z,defs for GNU GCC.
The LINKER: prefix can be specified as part of a SHELL: prefix expression.
The LINKER: prefix supports, as an alternative syntax, specification of arguments using the SHELL: prefix
and space as separator. The previous example then becomes "LINKER:SHELL:-z defs".
NOTE:
Specifying the SHELL: prefix anywhere other than at the beginning of the LINKER: prefix is not
supported.
Examples
Solving cross-references between two static libraries
A project may define two or more static libraries which have circular dependencies between them. In
order for the linker to resolve all symbols at link time, it may need to search repeatedly among the
libraries until no new undefined references are created. Different linkers use different syntax for
achieving this. The following example shows how this may be implemented for some linkers. Note that
this is for illustration purposes only. Projects should use the built-in RESCAN group feature instead
(see Predefined Features), which provides a more complete and more robust implementation of this
functionality.
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs_SUPPORTED TRUE)
if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU" AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Linux")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs
"LINKER:--start-group"
"LINKER:--end-group"
)
elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "SunPro" AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "SunOS")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs
"LINKER:-z,rescan-start"
"LINKER:-z,rescan-end"
)
else()
# feature not yet supported for the other environments
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs_SUPPORTED FALSE)
endif()
add_library(lib1 STATIC ...)
add_library(lib2 SHARED ...)
if(CMAKE_C_LINK_GROUP_USING_cross_refs_SUPPORTED)
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE "$<LINK_GROUP:cross_refs,lib1,external>")
else()
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE lib1 external)
endif()
CMake will generate the following linker command line fragments when linking lib2:
• GNU: -Wl,--start-group /path/to/lib1.a -lexternal -Wl,--end-group
• SunPro: -Wl,-z,rescan-start /path/to/lib1.a -lexternal -Wl,-z,rescan-end
Predefined Features
The following built-in group features are pre-defined by CMake:
RESCAN Some linkers are single-pass only. For such linkers, circular references between libraries
typically result in unresolved symbols. This feature instructs the linker to search the specified
static libraries repeatedly until no new undefined references are created.
Normally, a static library is searched only once in the order that it is specified on the command
line. If a symbol in that library is needed to resolve an undefined symbol referred to by an
object in a library that appears later on the command line, the linker would not be able to
resolve that reference. By grouping the static libraries with the RESCAN feature, they will all
be searched repeatedly until all possible references are resolved. This will use linker options
like --start-group and --end-group, or on SunOS, -z rescan-start and -z rescan-end.
Using this feature has a significant performance cost. It is best to use it only when there are
unavoidable circular references between two or more static libraries.
This feature is available when using toolchains that target Linux, BSD, and SunOS. It can also be
used when targeting Windows platforms if the GNU toolchain is used.
CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED
New in version 3.24.
This variable specifies whether the <FEATURE> is supported regardless of the link language. If this
variable is true, then the <FEATURE> must be defined by CMAKE_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>.
Note that this variable has no effect if CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_GROUP_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED is true for
the link language of the target.
CMAKE_LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES
Default value for LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_FILE_FLAG
Flag to be used to link a library specified by a path to its file.
The flag will be used before a library file path is given to the linker. This is needed only on very few
platforms.
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_FLAG
Flag to be used to link a library into an executable.
The flag will be used to specify a library to link to an executable. On most compilers this is -l.
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>
New in version 3.24.
This variable defines how to link a library or framework for the specified <FEATURE> when a LINK_LIBRARY
generator expression is used. Both of the following conditions must be met for this variable to have any
effect:
• The associated CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED variable must be set to true.
• There is no language-specific definition for the same <FEATURE>. This means
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED cannot be true for the link language used by the
target for which the LINK_LIBRARY generator expression is evaluated.
Feature names are case-sensitive and may only contain letters, numbers and underscores. Feature names
defined in all uppercase are reserved for CMake's own built-in features (see Predefined Features further
below).
Feature Definitions
A library feature definition is a list that contains one or three elements:
[<PREFIX>] <LIBRARY_EXPRESSION> [<SUFFIX>]
When <PREFIX> and <SUFFIX> are specified, they precede and follow respectively the whole list of
libraries specified in the LINK_LIBRARY expression, not each library item individually. There is no
guarantee that the list of specified libraries will be kept grouped together though, so the <PREFIX> and
<SUFFIX> may appear more than once if the library list is reorganized by CMake to satisfy other
constraints. This means constructs like --start-group and --end-group, as supported by the GNU ld
linker, cannot be used in this way. The LINK_GROUP generator expression should be used instead for such
constructs.
<LIBRARY_EXPRESSION> is used to specify the pattern for constructing the corresponding fragment on the
linker command line for each library. The following placeholders can be used in the expression:
• <LIBRARY> is expanded to the full path to the library for CMake targets, or to a platform-specific
value based on the item otherwise (the same as <LINK_ITEM> on Windows, or the library base name for
other platforms).
• <LINK_ITEM> is expanded to how the library would normally be linked on the linker command line.
• <LIB_ITEM> is expanded to the full path to the library for CMake targets, or the item itself exactly as
specified in the <LIBRARY_EXPRESSION> otherwise.
In addition to the above, it is possible to have one pattern for paths (CMake targets and external
libraries specified with file paths) and another for other items specified by name only. The PATH{} and
NAME{} wrappers can be used to provide the expansion for those two cases, respectively. When wrappers
are used, both must be present. For example:
set(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library
"PATH{-weak_library <LIBRARY>}NAME{LINKER:-weak-l<LIB_ITEM>}"
)
For all three elements of this variable (<PREFIX>, <LIBRARY_EXPRESSION>, and <SUFFIX>), the LINKER:
prefix can be used.
To pass options to the linker tool, each compiler driver has its own syntax. The LINKER: prefix and ,
separator can be used to specify, in a portable way, options to pass to the linker tool. LINKER: is
replaced by the appropriate driver option and , by the appropriate driver separator. The driver prefix
and driver separator are given by the values of the CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG and
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP variables.
For example, "LINKER:-z,defs" becomes -Xlinker -z -Xlinker defs for Clang and -Wl,-z,defs for GNU GCC.
The LINKER: prefix can be specified as part of a SHELL: prefix expression.
The LINKER: prefix supports, as an alternative syntax, specification of arguments using the SHELL: prefix
and space as separator. The previous example then becomes "LINKER:SHELL:-z defs".
NOTE:
Specifying the SHELL: prefix anywhere other than at the beginning of the LINKER: prefix is not
supported.
Examples
Loading a whole static library
A common need is to prevent the linker from discarding any symbols from a static library. Different
linkers use different syntax for achieving this. The following example shows how this may be implemented
for some linkers. Note that this is for illustration purposes only. Projects should use the built-in
WHOLE_ARCHIVE feature instead (see Predefined Features), which provides a more complete and more robust
implementation of this functionality.
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive_SUPPORTED TRUE)
if(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "AppleClang")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive "-force_load <LIB_ITEM>")
elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU" AND CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "Linux")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive
"LINKER:--push-state,--whole-archive"
"<LINK_ITEM>"
"LINKER:--pop-state"
)
elseif(CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "MSVC")
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive "/WHOLEARCHIVE:<LIBRARY>")
else()
# feature not yet supported for the other environments
set(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive_SUPPORTED FALSE)
endif()
add_library(lib1 STATIC ...)
add_library(lib2 SHARED ...)
if(CMAKE_C_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_load_archive_SUPPORTED)
# The -force_load Apple linker option requires a file name
set(external_lib
"$<IF:$<LINK_LANG_AND_ID:C,AppleClang>,libexternal.a,external>"
)
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE
"$<LINK_LIBRARY:load_archive,lib1,${external_lib}>"
)
else()
target_link_libraries(lib2 PRIVATE lib1 external)
endif()
CMake will generate the following link expressions:
• AppleClang: -force_load /path/to/lib1.a -force_load libexternal.a
• GNU: -Wl,--push-state,--whole-archive /path/to/lib1.a -lexternal -Wl,--pop-state
• MSVC: /WHOLEARCHIVE:/path/to/lib1.lib /WHOLEARCHIVE:external.lib
Linking a library as weak
On macOS, it is possible to link a library in weak mode (the library and all references are marked as
weak imports). Different flags must be used for a library specified by file path compared to one
specified by name. This constraint can be solved using PATH{} and NAME{} wrappers. Again, the following
example shows how this may be implemented for some linkers, but it is for illustration purposes only.
Projects should use the built-in WEAK_FRAMEWORK or WEAK_LIBRARY features instead (see Predefined
Features), which provide more complete and more robust implementations of this functionality.
if (CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "AppleClang")
set(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library
"PATH{-weak_library <LIBRARY>}NAME{LINKER:-weak-l<LIB_ITEM>}"
)
set(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library_SUPPORTED TRUE)
endif()
add_library(lib SHARED ...)
add_executable(main ...)
if(CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_weak_library_SUPPORTED)
target_link_libraries(main PRIVATE "$<LINK_LIBRARY:weak_library,lib,external>")
else()
target_link_libraries(main PRIVATE lib external)
endif()
CMake will generate the following linker command line fragment when linking main using the AppleClang
toolchain:
-weak_library /path/to/lib -Xlinker -weak-lexternal.
Predefined Features
The following built-in library features are pre-defined by CMake:
DEFAULT
This feature corresponds to standard linking, essentially equivalent to using no feature at all.
It is typically only used with the LINK_LIBRARY_OVERRIDE and LINK_LIBRARY_OVERRIDE_<LIBRARY>
target properties.
WHOLE_ARCHIVE
Force inclusion of all members of a static library. This feature is only supported for the
following platforms, with limitations as noted:
• Linux.
• All BSD variants.
• SunOS.
• All Apple variants. The library must be specified as a CMake target name, a library file name
(such as libfoo.a), or a library file path (such as /path/to/libfoo.a). Due to a limitation of
the Apple linker, it cannot be specified as a plain library name like foo, where foo is not a
CMake target.
• Windows. When using a MSVC or MSVC-like toolchain, the MSVC version must be greater than 1900.
• Cygwin.
• MSYS.
FRAMEWORK
This option tells the linker to search for the specified framework using the -framework linker
option. It can only be used on Apple platforms, and only with a linker that understands the
option used (i.e. the linker provided with Xcode, or one compatible with it).
The framework can be specified as a CMake framework target, a bare framework name, or a file path.
If a target is given, that target must have the FRAMEWORK target property set to true. For a file
path, if it contains a directory part, that directory will be added as a framework search path.
add_library(lib SHARED ...)
target_link_libraries(lib PRIVATE "$<LINK_LIBRARY:FRAMEWORK,/path/to/my_framework>")
# The constructed linker command line will contain:
# -F/path/to -framework my_framework
File paths must conform to one of the following patterns (* is a wildcard, and optional parts are
shown as [...]):
• [/path/to/]FwName[.framework]
• [/path/to/]FwName.framework/FwName[suffix]
• [/path/to/]FwName.framework/Versions/*/FwName[suffix]
Note that CMake recognizes and automatically handles framework targets, even without using the
$<LINK_LIBRARY:FRAMEWORK,...> expression. The generator expression can still be used with a CMake
target if the project wants to be explicit about it, but it is not required to do so. The linker
command line may have some differences between using the generator expression or not, but the
final result should be the same. On the other hand, if a file path is given, CMake will recognize
some paths automatically, but not all cases. The project may want to use
$<LINK_LIBRARY:FRAMEWORK,...> for file paths so that the expected behavior is clear.
New in version 3.25: The FRAMEWORK_MULTI_CONFIG_POSTFIX_<CONFIG> target property as well as the
suffix of the framework library name are now supported by the FRAMEWORK features.
NEEDED_FRAMEWORK
This is similar to the FRAMEWORK feature, except it forces the linker to link with the framework
even if no symbols are used from it. It uses the -needed_framework option and has the same linker
constraints as FRAMEWORK.
REEXPORT_FRAMEWORK
This is similar to the FRAMEWORK feature, except it tells the linker that the framework should be
available to clients linking to the library being created. It uses the -reexport_framework option
and has the same linker constraints as FRAMEWORK.
WEAK_FRAMEWORK
This is similar to the FRAMEWORK feature, except it forces the linker to mark the framework and
all references to it as weak imports. It uses the -weak_framework option and has the same linker
constraints as FRAMEWORK.
NEEDED_LIBRARY
This is similar to the NEEDED_FRAMEWORK feature, except it is for use with non-framework targets
or libraries (Apple platforms only). It uses the -needed_library or -needed-l option as
appropriate, and has the same linker constraints as NEEDED_FRAMEWORK.
REEXPORT_LIBRARY
This is similar to the REEXPORT_FRAMEWORK feature, except it is for use with non-framework
targets or libraries (Apple platforms only). It uses the -reexport_library or -reexport-l option
as appropriate, and has the same linker constraints as REEXPORT_FRAMEWORK.
WEAK_LIBRARY
This is similar to the WEAK_FRAMEWORK feature, except it is for use with non-framework targets or
libraries (Apple platforms only). It uses the -weak_library or -weak-l option as appropriate, and
has the same linker constraints as WEAK_FRAMEWORK.
CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED
New in version 3.24.
Set to TRUE if the <FEATURE>, as defined by variable CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>, is supported
regardless the linker language.
NOTE:
This variable is evaluated if, and only if, the variable
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_LIBRARY_USING_<FEATURE>_SUPPORTED is not defined.
CMAKE_LINK_WHAT_YOU_USE
New in version 3.7.
Default value for LINK_WHAT_YOU_USE target property. This variable is used to initialize the property on
each target as it is created.
CMAKE_LINK_WHAT_YOU_USE_CHECK
New in version 3.22.
Defines the command executed after the link step to check libraries usage. This check is currently only
defined on ELF platforms with value ldd -u -r.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_WHAT_YOU_USE_FLAG variables.
CMAKE_MACOSX_BUNDLE
Default value for MACOSX_BUNDLE of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the MACOSX_BUNDLE property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
This variable is set to ON by default if CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME equals to iOS, tvOS, visionOS or watchOS.
CMAKE_MACOSX_RPATH
Whether to use rpaths on macOS and iOS.
This variable is used to initialize the MACOSX_RPATH property on all targets.
CMAKE_MAP_IMPORTED_CONFIG_<CONFIG>
Default value for MAP_IMPORTED_CONFIG_<CONFIG> of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the MAP_IMPORTED_CONFIG_<CONFIG> property on all the targets. See
that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS
Linker flags to be used to create modules.
These flags will be used by the linker when creating a module.
CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>
Flags to be used when linking a module.
Same as CMAKE_C_FLAGS_* but used by the linker when creating modules.
CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG> cache entry the first time a build tree
is configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append
content to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT.
CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS cache entry the first time a build tree is
configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append content
to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also the configuration-specific variable CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT.
CMAKE_MSVC_DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT
New in version 3.25.
Select the MSVC debug information format targeting the MSVC ABI. This variable is used to initialize the
MSVC_DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT property on all targets as they are created. It is also propagated by
calls to the try_compile() command into the test project.
The allowed values are:
Embedded
Compile with -Z7 or equivalent flag(s) to produce object files with full symbolic debugging
information.
ProgramDatabase
Compile with -Zi or equivalent flag(s) to produce a program database that contains all the
symbolic debugging information.
EditAndContinue
Compile with -ZI or equivalent flag(s) to produce a program database that supports the Edit and
Continue feature.
The value is ignored on compilers not targeting the MSVC ABI, but an unsupported value will be rejected
as an error when using a compiler targeting the MSVC ABI.
The value may also be the empty string (""), in which case no debug information format flag will be added
explicitly by CMake.
Use generator expressions to support per-configuration specification. For example, the code:
set(CMAKE_MSVC_DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT "$<$<CONFIG:Debug,RelWithDebInfo>:ProgramDatabase>")
selects for all following targets the program database debug information format for the Debug
configuration.
If this variable is not set, the MSVC_DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT target property will not be set
automatically. If that property is not set, CMake selects a debug information format using the default
value $<$<CONFIG:Debug,RelWithDebInfo>:ProgramDatabase>, if supported by the compiler, and otherwise
$<$<CONFIG:Debug,RelWithDebInfo>:Embedded>.
NOTE:
This variable has effect only when policy CMP0141 is set to NEW prior to the first project() or
enable_language() command that enables a language using a compiler targeting the MSVC ABI.
CMAKE_MSVC_RUNTIME_LIBRARY
New in version 3.15.
Select the MSVC runtime library for use by compilers targeting the MSVC ABI. This variable is used to
initialize the MSVC_RUNTIME_LIBRARY property on all targets as they are created. It is also propagated
by calls to the try_compile() command into the test project.
The allowed values are:
MultiThreaded
Compile with -MT or equivalent flag(s) to use a multi-threaded statically-linked runtime library.
MultiThreadedDLL
Compile with -MD or equivalent flag(s) to use a multi-threaded dynamically-linked runtime library.
MultiThreadedDebug
Compile with -MTd or equivalent flag(s) to use a multi-threaded statically-linked runtime library.
MultiThreadedDebugDLL
Compile with -MDd or equivalent flag(s) to use a multi-threaded dynamically-linked runtime
library.
The value is ignored on compilers not targeting the MSVC ABI, but an unsupported value will be rejected
as an error when using a compiler targeting the MSVC ABI.
The value may also be the empty string ("") in which case no runtime library selection flag will be added
explicitly by CMake. Note that with Visual Studio Generators the native build system may choose to add
its own default runtime library selection flag.
Use generator expressions to support per-configuration specification. For example, the code:
set(CMAKE_MSVC_RUNTIME_LIBRARY "MultiThreaded$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:Debug>")
selects for all following targets a multi-threaded statically-linked runtime library with or without
debug information depending on the configuration.
If this variable is not set then the MSVC_RUNTIME_LIBRARY target property will not be set automatically.
If that property is not set then CMake uses the default value MultiThreaded$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:Debug>DLL to
select a MSVC runtime library.
NOTE:
This variable has effect only when policy CMP0091 is set to NEW prior to the first project() or
enable_language() command that enables a language using a compiler targeting the MSVC ABI.
CMAKE_MSVCIDE_RUN_PATH
New in version 3.10.
Extra PATH locations that should be used when executing add_custom_command() or add_custom_target() when
using the Visual Studio 9 2008 (or above) generator. This allows for running commands and using dll's
that the IDE environment is not aware of.
If not set explicitly the value is initialized by the CMAKE_MSVCIDE_RUN_PATH environment variable, if
set, and otherwise left empty.
CMAKE_NINJA_OUTPUT_PATH_PREFIX
New in version 3.6.
Tell the Ninja Generators to add a prefix to every output path in build.ninja. A trailing slash is
appended to the prefix, if missing.
This is useful when the generated ninja file is meant to be embedded as a subninja file into a super
ninja project. For example, the command:
cd super-build-dir &&
cmake -G Ninja -S /path/to/src -B sub -DCMAKE_NINJA_OUTPUT_PATH_PREFIX=sub/
# ^^^---------- these match -----------^^^
generates a build directory with its top-level (CMAKE_BINARY_DIR) in super-build-dir/sub. The path to
the build directory ends in the output path prefix. This makes it suitable for use in a
separately-written super-build-dir/build.ninja file with a directive like this:
subninja sub/build.ninja
The auto-regeneration rule in super-build-dir/build.ninja must have an order-only dependency on
sub/build.ninja.
New in version 3.27: The Ninja Multi-Config generator supports this variable.
NOTE:
When CMAKE_NINJA_OUTPUT_PATH_PREFIX is set, the project generated by CMake cannot be used as a
standalone project. No default targets are specified.
The value of CMAKE_NINJA_OUTPUT_PATH_PREFIX must match one or more path components at the end of
CMAKE_BINARY_DIR, or the behavior is undefined. However, this requirement is not checked
automatically.
CMAKE_NO_BUILTIN_CHRPATH
Do not use the builtin binary editor to fix runtime library search paths on installation.
When an ELF or XCOFF binary needs to have a different runtime library search path after installation than
it does in the build tree, CMake uses a builtin editor to change the runtime search path in the installed
copy. If this variable is set to true then CMake will relink the binary before installation instead of
using its builtin editor.
For more information on RPATH handling see the INSTALL_RPATH and BUILD_RPATH target properties.
New in version 3.20: This variable also applies to XCOFF binaries' LIBPATH. Prior to the addition of the
XCOFF editor in CMake 3.20, this variable applied only to ELF binaries' RPATH/RUNPATH.
CMAKE_NO_SYSTEM_FROM_IMPORTED
Default value for NO_SYSTEM_FROM_IMPORTED of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the NO_SYSTEM_FROM_IMPORTED property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES
New in version 3.19.
Initializes the OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES target property.
CMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES
Target specific architectures for macOS and iOS.
This variable is used to initialize the OSX_ARCHITECTURES property on each target as it is created. See
that target property for additional information.
The value of this variable should be set prior to the first project() or enable_language() command
invocation because it may influence configuration of the toolchain and flags. It is intended to be set
locally by the user creating a build tree. This variable should be set as a CACHE entry (or else CMake
may remove it while initializing a cache entry of the same name) unless policy CMP0126 is set to NEW.
Despite the OSX part in the variable name(s) they apply also to other SDKs than macOS like iOS, tvOS,
visionOS, or watchOS.
This variable is ignored on platforms other than Apple.
CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET
Specify the minimum version of the target platform (e.g. macOS or iOS) on which the target binaries are
to be deployed. CMake uses this variable value for the -mmacosx-version-min flag or their respective
target platform equivalents. For older Xcode versions that shipped multiple macOS SDKs this variable
also helps to choose the SDK in case CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT is unset.
If not set explicitly the value is initialized by the MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET environment variable, if
set, and otherwise computed based on the host platform.
The value of this variable should be set prior to the first project() or enable_language() command
invocation because it may influence configuration of the toolchain and flags. It is intended to be set
locally by the user creating a build tree. This variable should be set as a CACHE entry (or else CMake
may remove it while initializing a cache entry of the same name) unless policy CMP0126 is set to NEW.
Despite the OSX part in the variable name(s) they apply also to other SDKs than macOS like iOS, tvOS,
visionOS, or watchOS.
This variable is ignored on platforms other than Apple.
CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT
Specify the location or name of the macOS platform SDK to be used. CMake uses this value to compute the
value of the -isysroot flag or equivalent and to help the find_* commands locate files in the SDK.
If not set explicitly the value is initialized by the SDKROOT environment variable, if set, and otherwise
computed based on the CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET or the host platform.
The value of this variable should be set prior to the first project() or enable_language() command
invocation because it may influence configuration of the toolchain and flags. It is intended to be set
locally by the user creating a build tree. This variable should be set as a CACHE entry (or else CMake
may remove it while initializing a cache entry of the same name) unless policy CMP0126 is set to NEW.
Despite the OSX part in the variable name(s) they apply also to other SDKs than macOS like iOS, tvOS,
visionOS, or watchOS.
This variable is ignored on platforms other than Apple.
CMAKE_PCH_INSTANTIATE_TEMPLATES
New in version 3.19.
This variable is used to initialize the PCH_INSTANTIATE_TEMPLATES property of targets when they are
created.
CMAKE_PCH_WARN_INVALID
New in version 3.18.
This variable is used to initialize the PCH_WARN_INVALID property of targets when they are created.
CMAKE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY
Output directory for MS debug symbol .pdb files generated by the linker for executable and shared library
targets.
This variable is used to initialize the PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG>
Per-configuration output directory for MS debug symbol .pdb files generated by the linker for executable
and shared library targets.
This is a per-configuration version of CMAKE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY. This variable is used to initialize
the PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG> property on all the targets. See that target property for additional
information.
CMAKE_PLATFORM_NO_VERSIONED_SONAME
New in version 3.1.
This variable is used to globally control whether the VERSION and SOVERSION target properties should be
used for shared libraries. When set to true, adding version information to each shared library target is
disabled.
By default this variable is set only on platforms where CMake knows it is needed. On other platforms,
the specified properties will be used for shared libraries.
CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE
Default value for POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information. If set, its value is also used by the try_compile() command.
CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY
Where to put all the RUNTIME target files when built.
This variable is used to initialize the RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See that
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG>
New in version 3.3.
Where to put all the RUNTIME target files when built for a specific configuration.
This variable is used to initialize the RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY_<CONFIG> property on all the targets.
See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_ENABLE_EXPORTS
New in version 3.27.
Specify whether shared library generates an import file.
This variable is used to initialize the ENABLE_EXPORTS target property for shared library targets when
they are created by calls to the add_library() command. See the property documentation for details.
CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS
Linker flags to be used to create shared libraries.
These flags will be used by the linker when creating a shared library.
CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>
Flags to be used when linking a shared library.
Same as CMAKE_C_FLAGS_* but used by the linker when creating shared libraries.
CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG> cache entry the first time a build tree
is configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append
content to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT.
CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS cache entry the first time a build tree is
configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append content
to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also the configuration-specific variable CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT.
CMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH
Do not include RPATHs in the build tree.
Normally CMake uses the build tree for the RPATH when building executables etc on systems that use RPATH.
When the software is installed the executables etc are relinked by CMake to have the install RPATH. If
this variable is set to TRUE then the software is always built with no RPATH.
This is used to initialize the SKIP_BUILD_RPATH target property for all targets. For more information on
RPATH handling see the INSTALL_RPATH and BUILD_RPATH target properties.
See also the CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH variable. To omit RPATH in both the build and install steps, use
CMAKE_SKIP_RPATH instead.
CMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH
Do not include RPATHs in the install tree.
Normally CMake uses the build tree for the RPATH when building executables etc on systems that use RPATH.
When the software is installed the executables etc are relinked by CMake to have the install RPATH. If
this variable is set to true then the software is always installed without RPATH, even if RPATH is
enabled when building. This can be useful for example to allow running tests from the build directory
with RPATH enabled before the installation step.
See also the CMAKE_SKIP_BUILD_RPATH variable. To omit RPATH in both the build and install steps, use
CMAKE_SKIP_RPATH instead.
For more information on RPATH handling see the INSTALL_RPATH and BUILD_RPATH target properties.
CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS
Flags to be used to create static libraries. These flags will be passed to the archiver when creating a
static library.
See also CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>.
NOTE:
Static libraries do not actually link. They are essentially archives of object files. The use of the
name "linker" in the name of this variable is kept for compatibility.
CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>
Flags to be used to create static libraries. These flags will be passed to the archiver when creating a
static library in the <CONFIG> configuration.
See also CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS.
NOTE:
Static libraries do not actually link. They are essentially archives of object files. The use of the
name "linker" in the name of this variable is kept for compatibility.
CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG> cache entry the first time a build tree
is configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append
content to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT.
CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS cache entry the first time a build tree is
configured. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append content
to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also the configuration-specific variable CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT.
CMAKE_TASKING_TOOLSET
New in version 3.25.
Select the Tasking toolset which provides the compiler
Architecture compilers are provided by different toolchains with incompatible versioning schemes. Set
this variable in a toolchain file so CMake can detect the compiler features correctly. If no toolset is
specified, Standalone is assumed.
Due to the different versioning schemes, the compiler version (CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_VERSION) depends on
the toolset and architecture in use. If projects can be built with multiple toolsets or architectures,
the specified CMAKE_TASKING_TOOLSET and the automatically determined
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ARCHITECTURE_ID must be taken into account when comparing against the
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_VERSION.
TriCore
Compilers are provided by the TriCore toolset.
SmartCode
Compilers are provided by the SmartCode toolset.
Standalone
Compilers are provided by the standalone toolsets.
NOTE:
For the TriCore architecture, the compiler from the TriCore toolset is selected as standalone
compiler.
CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_CONFIGURATION
Build configuration used for try_compile() and try_run() projects.
Projects built by try_compile() and try_run() are built synchronously during the CMake configuration
step. Therefore a specific build configuration must be chosen even if the generated build system
supports multiple configurations.
CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_NO_PLATFORM_VARIABLES
New in version 3.24.
Set to a true value to tell the try_compile() command not to propagate any platform variables into the
test project.
The try_compile() command normally passes some CMake variables that configure the platform and toolchain
behavior into test projects. See policy CMP0137. This variable may be set to disable that behavior.
CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_PLATFORM_VARIABLES
New in version 3.6.
List of variables that the try_compile() command source file signature must propagate into the test
project in order to target the same platform as the host project.
This variable should not be set by project code. It is meant to be set by CMake's platform information
modules for the current toolchain, or by a toolchain file when used with CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE.
Variables meaningful to CMake, such as CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS, are propagated automatically. The
CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_PLATFORM_VARIABLES variable may be set to pass custom variables meaningful to a
toolchain file. For example, a toolchain file may contain:
set(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME ...)
set(CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_PLATFORM_VARIABLES MY_CUSTOM_VARIABLE)
# ... use MY_CUSTOM_VARIABLE ...
If a user passes -DMY_CUSTOM_VARIABLE=SomeValue to CMake then this setting will be made visible to the
toolchain file both for the main project and for test projects generated by the try_compile() command
source file signature.
Changed in version 3.24: Listed variables are propagated to the try_compile() whole-project signature
too. See CMP0137.
New in version 3.24: The CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_NO_PLATFORM_VARIABLES variable may be set to disable passing
platform variables into the test project.
CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_TARGET_TYPE
New in version 3.6.
Type of target generated for try_compile() calls using the source file signature. Valid values are:
EXECUTABLE
Use add_executable() to name the source file in the generated project. This is the default if no
value is given.
STATIC_LIBRARY
Use add_library() with the STATIC option to name the source file in the generated project. This
avoids running the linker and is intended for use with cross-compiling toolchains that cannot link
without custom flags or linker scripts.
CMAKE_UNITY_BUILD
New in version 3.16.
This variable is used to initialize the UNITY_BUILD property of targets when they are created. Setting
it to true enables batch compilation of multiple sources within each target. This feature is known as a
Unity or Jumbo build.
Projects should not set this variable, it is intended as a developer control to be set on the cmake(1)
command line or other equivalent methods. The developer must have the ability to enable or disable unity
builds according to the capabilities of their own machine and compiler.
By default, this variable is not set, which will result in unity builds being disabled.
NOTE:
This option currently does not work well in combination with the CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS
variable.
CMAKE_UNITY_BUILD_BATCH_SIZE
New in version 3.16.
This variable is used to initialize the UNITY_BUILD_BATCH_SIZE property of targets when they are created.
It specifies the default upper limit on the number of source files that may be combined in any one unity
source file when unity builds are enabled for a target.
CMAKE_UNITY_BUILD_UNIQUE_ID
New in version 3.20.
This variable is used to initialize the UNITY_BUILD_UNIQUE_ID property of targets when they are created.
It specifies the name of the unique identifier generated per file in a unity build.
CMAKE_USE_RELATIVE_PATHS
This variable has no effect. The partially implemented effect it had in previous releases was removed in
CMake 3.4.
CMAKE_VERIFY_INTERFACE_HEADER_SETS
New in version 3.24.
This variable is used to initialize the VERIFY_INTERFACE_HEADER_SETS property of targets when they are
created. Setting it to true enables header set verification.
Projects should not normally set this variable, it is intended as a developer control to be set on the
cmake(1) command line or other equivalent methods. The developer must have the ability to enable or
disable header set verification according to the capabilities of their own machine and compiler.
Verification of a dependency's header sets is not typically of interest to developers. Therefore,
FetchContent_MakeAvailable() explicitly sets CMAKE_VERIFY_INTERFACE_HEADER_SETS to false for the duration
of its call, but restores its original value before returning. If a project brings a dependency directly
into the main build (e.g. calling add_subdirectory() on a vendored project from a git submodule), it
should also do likewise. For example:
# Save original setting so we can restore it later
set(want_header_set_verification ${CMAKE_VERIFY_INTERFACE_HEADER_SETS})
# Include the vendored dependency with header set verification disabled
set(CMAKE_VERIFY_INTERFACE_HEADER_SETS OFF)
add_subdirectory(...) # Vendored sources, e.g. from git submodules
# Add the project's own sources. Restore the developer's original choice
# for whether to enable header set verification.
set(CMAKE_VERIFY_INTERFACE_HEADER_SETS ${want_header_set_verification})
add_subdirectory(src)
By default, this variable is not set, which will result in header set verification being disabled.
CMAKE_VISIBILITY_INLINES_HIDDEN
Default value for the VISIBILITY_INLINES_HIDDEN target property when a target is created.
CMAKE_VS_DEBUGGER_COMMAND
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_DEBUGGER_COMMAND property on each target as it is created.
See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_VS_DEBUGGER_COMMAND_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_DEBUGGER_COMMAND_ARGUMENTS property on each target as it is
created. See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_VS_DEBUGGER_ENVIRONMENT
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_DEBUGGER_ENVIRONMENT property on each target as it is created.
See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_VS_DEBUGGER_WORKING_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.27.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_DEBUGGER_WORKING_DIRECTORY property on each target as it is
created. See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_VS_GLOBALS
New in version 3.13.
List of Key=Value records to be set per target as target properties VS_GLOBAL_<variable> with
variable=Key and value Value.
For example:
set(CMAKE_VS_GLOBALS
"DefaultLanguage=en-US"
"MinimumVisualStudioVersion=14.0"
)
will set properties VS_GLOBAL_DefaultLanguage to en-US and VS_GLOBAL_MinimumVisualStudioVersion to 14.0
for all targets (except for INTERFACE libraries).
This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file.
CMAKE_VS_INCLUDE_INSTALL_TO_DEFAULT_BUILD
New in version 3.3.
Include INSTALL target to default build.
In Visual Studio solution, by default the INSTALL target will not be part of the default build. Setting
this variable will enable the INSTALL target to be part of the default build.
CMAKE_VS_INCLUDE_PACKAGE_TO_DEFAULT_BUILD
New in version 3.8.
Include PACKAGE target to default build.
In Visual Studio solution, by default the PACKAGE target will not be part of the default build. Setting
this variable will enable the PACKAGE target to be part of the default build.
CMAKE_VS_JUST_MY_CODE_DEBUGGING
New in version 3.15.
Enable Just My Code with Visual Studio debugger.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_JUST_MY_CODE_DEBUGGING property on all targets when they are
created. See that target property for additional information.
CMAKE_VS_NO_COMPILE_BATCHING
New in version 3.24.
Turn off compile batching when using Visual Studio Generators.
This variable is used to initialize the VS_NO_COMPILE_BATCHING property on all targets when they are
created. See that target property for additional information.
Example
This shows setting the property for the target foo using the variable.
set(CMAKE_VS_NO_COMPILE_BATCHING ON)
add_library(foo SHARED foo.cpp)
CMAKE_VS_SDK_EXCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Exclude Directories.
CMAKE_VS_SDK_EXECUTABLE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Executable Directories.
CMAKE_VS_SDK_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Include Directories.
CMAKE_VS_SDK_LIBRARY_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Library Directories.
CMAKE_VS_SDK_LIBRARY_WINRT_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Library WinRT Directories.
CMAKE_VS_SDK_REFERENCE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Reference Directories.
CMAKE_VS_SDK_SOURCE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.12.
This variable allows to override Visual Studio default Source Directories.
CMAKE_VS_WINRT_BY_DEFAULT
New in version 3.13.
Inform Visual Studio Generators for VS 2010 and above that the target platform enables WinRT compilation
by default and it needs to be explicitly disabled if /ZW or VS_WINRT_COMPONENT is omitted (as opposed to
enabling it when either of those options is present)
This makes cmake configuration consistent in terms of WinRT among platforms - if you did not enable the
WinRT compilation explicitly, it will be disabled (by either not enabling it or explicitly disabling it)
Note: WinRT compilation is always explicitly disabled for C language source files, even if it is
expliclty enabled for a project
This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file for such platforms.
CMAKE_WATCOM_RUNTIME_LIBRARY
New in version 3.24.
Select the Watcom runtime library for use by compilers targeting the Watcom ABI. This variable is used
to initialize the WATCOM_RUNTIME_LIBRARY property on all targets as they are created. It is also
propagated by calls to the try_compile() command into the test project.
The allowed values are:
SingleThreaded
Compile without additional flags to use a single-threaded statically-linked runtime library.
SingleThreadedDLL
Compile with -br or equivalent flag(s) to use a single-threaded dynamically-linked runtime
library. This is not available for Linux targets.
MultiThreaded
Compile with -bm or equivalent flag(s) to use a multi-threaded statically-linked runtime library.
MultiThreadedDLL
Compile with -bm -br or equivalent flag(s) to use a multi-threaded dynamically-linked runtime
library. This is not available for Linux targets.
The value is ignored on non-Watcom compilers but an unsupported value will be rejected as an error when
using a compiler targeting the Watcom ABI.
The value may also be the empty string ("") in which case no runtime library selection flag will be added
explicitly by CMake.
Use generator expressions to support per-configuration specification.
For example, the code:
set(CMAKE_WATCOM_RUNTIME_LIBRARY "MultiThreaded")
selects for all following targets a multi-threaded statically-linked runtime library.
If this variable is not set then the WATCOM_RUNTIME_LIBRARY target property will not be set
automatically. If that property is not set then CMake uses the default value MultiThreadedDLL on Windows
and SingleThreaded on other platforms to select a Watcom runtime library.
NOTE:
This variable has effect only when policy CMP0136 is set to NEW prior to the first project() or
enable_language() command that enables a language using a compiler targeting the Watcom ABI.
CMAKE_WIN32_EXECUTABLE
Default value for WIN32_EXECUTABLE of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the WIN32_EXECUTABLE property on all the targets. See that target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_WINDOWS_EXPORT_ALL_SYMBOLS
New in version 3.4.
Default value for WINDOWS_EXPORT_ALL_SYMBOLS target property. This variable is used to initialize the
property on each target as it is created.
CMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_<an-attribute>
New in version 3.1.
Set Xcode target attributes directly.
Tell the Xcode generator to set <an-attribute> to a given value in the generated Xcode project. Ignored
on other generators.
This offers low-level control over the generated Xcode project file. It is meant as a last resort for
specifying settings that CMake does not otherwise have a way to control. Although this can override a
setting CMake normally produces on its own, doing so bypasses CMake's model of the project and can break
things.
See the XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_<an-attribute> target property to set attributes on a specific target.
Contents of CMAKE_XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_<an-attribute> may use "generator expressions" with the syntax $<...>.
See the cmake-generator-expressions(7) manual for available expressions. See the cmake-buildsystem(7)
manual for more on defining buildsystem properties.
EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH
Old executable location variable.
The target property RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY supersedes this variable for a target if it is set.
Executable targets are otherwise placed in this directory.
LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH
Old library location variable.
The target properties ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY, LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY, and RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY
supersede this variable for a target if they are set. Library targets are otherwise placed in this
directory.
VARIABLES FOR LANGUAGES
CMAKE_C_COMPILE_FEATURES
New in version 3.1.
List of features known to the C compiler
These features are known to be available for use with the C compiler. This list is a subset of the
features listed in the CMAKE_C_KNOWN_FEATURES global property.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_C_EXTENSIONS
New in version 3.1.
Default value for C_EXTENSIONS target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_C_STANDARD
New in version 3.1.
Default value for C_STANDARD target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_C_STANDARD_REQUIRED
New in version 3.1.
Default value for C_STANDARD_REQUIRED target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC
True if the C compiler is GNU.
This variable is deprecated. Use CMAKE_C_COMPILER_ID instead.
CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCXX
True if the C++ (CXX) compiler is GNU.
This variable is deprecated. Use CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID instead.
CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUG77
True if the Fortran compiler is GNU.
This variable is deprecated. Use CMAKE_Fortran_COMPILER_ID instead.
CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES
New in version 3.18.
Default value for CUDA_ARCHITECTURES property of targets.
Initialized by the CUDAARCHS environment variable if set. Otherwise as follows depending on
CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER_ID:
• For Clang: the oldest architecture that works.
• For NVIDIA: the default architecture chosen by the compiler. See policy CMP0104.
Users are encouraged to override this, as the default varies across compilers and compiler versions.
This variable is used to initialize the CUDA_ARCHITECTURES property on all targets. See the target
property for additional information.
Examples
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION)
if(NOT DEFINED CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES)
set(CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES 75)
endif()
project(example LANGUAGES CUDA)
CMAKE_CUDA_ARCHITECTURES will default to 75 unless overridden by the user.
CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILE_FEATURES
New in version 3.17.
List of features known to the CUDA compiler
These features are known to be available for use with the CUDA compiler. This list is a subset of the
features listed in the CMAKE_CUDA_KNOWN_FEATURES global property.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CUDA_EXTENSIONS
New in version 3.8.
Default value for CUDA_EXTENSIONS target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CUDA_HOST_COMPILER
New in version 3.10.
This is the original CUDA-specific name for the more general CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER variable. See
the latter for details.
CMAKE_CUDA_STANDARD
New in version 3.8.
Default value for CUDA_STANDARD target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CUDA_STANDARD_REQUIRED
New in version 3.8.
Default value for CUDA_STANDARD_REQUIRED target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CUDA_TOOLKIT_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.8.
When the CUDA language has been enabled, this provides a semicolon-separated list of include directories
provided by the CUDA Toolkit. The value may be useful for C++ source files to include CUDA headers.
CMAKE_CXX_COMPILE_FEATURES
New in version 3.1.
List of features known to the C++ compiler
These features are known to be available for use with the C++ compiler. This list is a subset of the
features listed in the CMAKE_CXX_KNOWN_FEATURES global property.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS
New in version 3.1.
Default value for CXX_EXTENSIONS target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD
New in version 3.1.
Default value for CXX_STANDARD target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED
New in version 3.1.
Default value for CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_Fortran_MODDIR_DEFAULT
Fortran default module output directory.
Most Fortran compilers write .mod files to the current working directory. For those that do not, this is
set to . and used when the Fortran_MODULE_DIRECTORY target property is not set.
CMAKE_Fortran_MODDIR_FLAG
Fortran flag for module output directory.
This stores the flag needed to pass the value of the Fortran_MODULE_DIRECTORY target property to the
compiler.
CMAKE_Fortran_MODOUT_FLAG
Fortran flag to enable module output.
Most Fortran compilers write .mod files out by default. For others, this stores the flag needed to
enable module output.
CMAKE_HIP_ARCHITECTURES
New in version 3.21.
List of GPU architectures to for which to generate device code. Architecture names are interpreted based
on CMAKE_HIP_PLATFORM.
This is initialized based on the value of CMAKE_HIP_PLATFORM:
amd Uses architectures reported by rocm_agent_enumerator, if available, and otherwise to a default
chosen by the compiler.
This variable is used to initialize the HIP_ARCHITECTURES property on all targets. See the target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_HIP_EXTENSIONS
New in version 3.21.
Default value for HIP_EXTENSIONS target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_HIP_PLATFORM
New in version 3.28.
GPU platform for which HIP language sources are to be compiled.
The value must be one of:
amd AMD GPUs
nvidia NVIDIA GPUs
If not specified, a default is computed via hipconfig --platform.
CMAKE_HIP_ARCHITECTURES entries are interpreted with as architectures of the GPU platform.
CMAKE_HIP_COMPILER must target the same GPU platform.
CMAKE_HIP_STANDARD
New in version 3.21.
Default value for HIP_STANDARD target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_HIP_STANDARD_REQUIRED
New in version 3.21.
Default value for HIP_STANDARD_REQUIRED target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_ISPC_HEADER_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.19.
ISPC generated header output directory.
This variable is used to initialize the ISPC_HEADER_DIRECTORY property on all the targets. See the
target property for additional information.
CMAKE_ISPC_HEADER_SUFFIX
New in version 3.19.2.
Output suffix to be used for ISPC generated headers.
This variable is used to initialize the ISPC_HEADER_SUFFIX property on all the targets. See the target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_ISPC_INSTRUCTION_SETS
New in version 3.19.
Default value for ISPC_INSTRUCTION_SETS property of targets.
This variable is used to initialize the ISPC_INSTRUCTION_SETS property on all targets. See the target
property for additional information.
CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_MACHINE
New in version 3.7.1.
When Cross Compiling for Android this variable contains the toolchain binutils machine name (e.g. gcc
-dumpmachine). The binutils typically have a <machine>- prefix on their name.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_PREFIX and CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_SUFFIX.
CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_PREFIX
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android this variable contains the absolute path prefixing the toolchain GNU
compiler and its binutils.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_SUFFIX and CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_MACHINE.
For example, the path to the linker is:
${CMAKE_CXX_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_PREFIX}ld${CMAKE_CXX_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_SUFFIX}
CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_SUFFIX
New in version 3.7.
When Cross Compiling for Android this variable contains the host platform suffix of the toolchain GNU
compiler and its binutils.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_PREFIX and CMAKE_<LANG>_ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_MACHINE.
CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_APPEND
Rule variable to append to a static archive.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to append to a static archive. It is used in place of
CMAKE_<LANG>_CREATE_STATIC_LIBRARY on some platforms in order to support large object counts. See also
CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_CREATE and CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_FINISH.
CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_CREATE
Rule variable to create a new static archive.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to create a static archive. It is used in place of
CMAKE_<LANG>_CREATE_STATIC_LIBRARY on some platforms in order to support large object counts. See also
CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_APPEND and CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_FINISH.
CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_FINISH
Rule variable to finish an existing static archive.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to finish a static archive. It is used in place of
CMAKE_<LANG>_CREATE_STATIC_LIBRARY on some platforms in order to support large object counts. See also
CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_CREATE and CMAKE_<LANG>_ARCHIVE_APPEND.
CMAKE_<LANG>_BYTE_ORDER
New in version 3.20.
Byte order of <LANG> compiler target architecture, if known. If defined and not empty, the value is one
of:
BIG_ENDIAN
The target architecture is Big Endian.
LITTLE_ENDIAN
The target architecture is Little Endian.
This is defined for languages C, CXX, OBJC, OBJCXX, and CUDA.
If CMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES specifies multiple architectures, the value of CMAKE_<LANG>_BYTE_ORDER is
non-empty only if all architectures share the same byte order.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILE_OBJECT
Rule variable to compile a single object file.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to compile a single object file for the language <LANG>.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER
The full path to the compiler for LANG.
This is the command that will be used as the <LANG> compiler. Once set, you can not change this
variable.
Usage
This variable can be set by the user during the first time a build tree is configured.
If a non-full path value is supplied then CMake will resolve the full path of the compiler.
The variable could be set in a user supplied toolchain file or via -D on the command line.
NOTE:
Options that are required to make the compiler work correctly can be included as items in a list; they
can not be changed.
#set within user supplied toolchain file
set(CMAKE_C_COMPILER /full/path/to/qcc --arg1 --arg2)
or
$ cmake ... -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER='qcc;--arg1;--arg2'
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN
The external toolchain for cross-compiling, if supported.
Some compiler toolchains do not ship their own auxiliary utilities such as archivers and linkers. The
compiler driver may support a command-line argument to specify the location of such tools.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN may be set to a path to the external toolchain and will be
passed to the compiler driver if supported.
This variable may only be set in a toolchain file specified by the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ID
Compiler identification string.
A short string unique to the compiler vendor. Possible values include:
┌─────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┐
│Value │ Name │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Absoft │ Absoft Fortran │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ADSP │ Analog VisualDSP++ │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│AppleClang │ Apple Clang │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ARMCC │ ARM Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ARMClang │ ARM Compiler based on Clang │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Bruce │ Bruce C Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│CCur │ Concurrent Fortran │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Clang │ LLVM Clang │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Cray │ Cray Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│CrayClang │ Cray Clang-based Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Embarcadero, Borland │ Embarcadero │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Flang │ Classic Flang Fortran Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│LLVMFlang │ LLVM Flang Fortran Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Fujitsu │ Fujitsu HPC compiler (Trad mode) │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│FujitsuClang │ Fujitsu HPC compiler (Clang mode) │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│G95 │ G95 Fortran │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│GNU │ GNU Compiler Collection │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│GHS │ Green Hills Software │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│HP │ Hewlett-Packard Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│IAR │ IAR Systems │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Intel │ Intel Classic Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│IntelLLVM │ Intel LLVM-Based Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│LCC │ MCST Elbrus C/C++/Fortran Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│MSVC │ Microsoft Visual Studio │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│NVHPC │ NVIDIA HPC Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│NVIDIA │ NVIDIA CUDA Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│OrangeC │ OrangeC Compiler │
└─────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
│OpenWatcom │ Open Watcom │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│PGI │ The Portland Group │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│PathScale │ PathScale │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│SDCC │ Small Device C Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│SunPro │ Oracle Solaris Studio │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│Tasking │ Tasking Compiler Toolsets │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│TI │ Texas Instruments │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│TinyCC │ Tiny C Compiler │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│XL, VisualAge, zOS │ IBM XL │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│XLClang │ IBM Clang-based XL │
├─────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│IBMClang │ IBM LLVM-based Compiler │
└─────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
This variable is not guaranteed to be defined for all compilers or languages.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_LOADED
Defined to true if the language is enabled.
When language <LANG> is enabled by project() or enable_language() this variable is defined to 1.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_PREDEFINES_COMMAND
New in version 3.10.
Command that outputs the compiler pre definitions.
See AUTOMOC which uses CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_PREDEFINES_COMMAND to generate the AUTOMOC_COMPILER_PREDEFINES.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_TARGET
The target for cross-compiling, if supported.
Some compiler drivers are inherently cross-compilers, such as clang and QNX qcc. These compiler drivers
support a command-line argument to specify the target to cross-compile for.
This variable may only be set in a toolchain file specified by the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_VERSION
Compiler version string.
Compiler version in major[.minor[.patch[.tweak]]] format. This variable is not guaranteed to be defined
for all compilers or languages.
For example CMAKE_C_COMPILER_VERSION and CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_VERSION might indicate the respective C and
C++ compiler version.
CMAKE_<LANG>_CREATE_SHARED_LIBRARY
Rule variable to create a shared library.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to create a shared library for the language <LANG>. This
rule variable is a ; delimited list of commands to run to perform the linking step.
CMAKE_<LANG>_CREATE_SHARED_MODULE
Rule variable to create a shared module.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to create a shared library for the language <LANG>. This
rule variable is a ; delimited list of commands to run.
CMAKE_<LANG>_CREATE_STATIC_LIBRARY
Rule variable to create a static library.
This is a rule variable that tells CMake how to create a static library for the language <LANG>.
CMAKE_<LANG>_EXTENSIONS
The variations are:
• CMAKE_C_EXTENSIONS
• CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS
• CMAKE_CUDA_EXTENSIONS
• CMAKE_HIP_EXTENSIONS
• CMAKE_OBJC_EXTENSIONS
• CMAKE_OBJCXX_EXTENSIONS
Default values for <LANG>_EXTENSIONS target properties if set when a target is created. For the
compiler's default setting see CMAKE_<LANG>_EXTENSIONS_DEFAULT.
For supported CMake versions see the respective pages.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_<LANG>_EXTENSIONS_DEFAULT
New in version 3.22.
Compiler's default extensions mode. Used as the default for the <LANG>_EXTENSIONS target property when
CMAKE_<LANG>_EXTENSIONS is not set (see CMP0128).
This variable is read-only. Modifying it is undefined behavior.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS
Language-wide flags for language <LANG> used when building for all configurations. These flags will be
passed to all invocations of the compiler. This includes invocations that drive compiling and those that
drive linking.
For each language, if this variable is not defined, it is initialized and stored in the cache using
values from environment variables in combination with CMake's builtin defaults for the toolchain:
• CMAKE_C_FLAGS: Initialized by the CFLAGS environment variable.
• CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS: Initialized by the CXXFLAGS environment variable.
• CMAKE_CUDA_FLAGS: Initialized by the CUDAFLAGS environment variable.
• CMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS: Initialized by the FFLAGS environment variable.
• CMAKE_CSharp_FLAGS: Initialized by the CSFLAGS environment variable.
• CMAKE_HIP_FLAGS: Initialized by the HIPFLAGS environment variable.
• CMAKE_ISPC_FLAGS: Initialized by the ISPCFLAGS environment variable.
This value is a command-line string fragment. Therefore, multiple options should be separated by spaces,
and options with spaces should be quoted.
The flags in this variable will be passed before those in the per-configuration
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG> variable. On invocations driving compiling, flags from both variables will
be passed before flags added by commands such as add_compile_options() and target_compile_options(). On
invocations driving linking, they will be passed before flags added by commands such as
add_link_options() and target_link_options().
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>
Language-wide flags for language <LANG> used when building for the <CONFIG> configuration. These flags
will be passed to all invocations of the compiler in the corresponding configuration. This includes
invocations that drive compiling and those that drive linking.
The flags in this variable will be passed after those in the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS variable. On invocations
driving compiling, flags from both variables will be passed before flags added by commands such as
add_compile_options() and target_compile_options(). On invocations driving linking, they will be passed
before flags added by commands such as add_link_options() and target_link_options().
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT
New in version 3.11.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG> cache entry the first time a build tree is
configured for language <LANG>. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend
or append content to the value based on the environment and target platform.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_INIT.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_DEBUG
This variable is the Debug variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG> variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_DEBUG_INIT
New in version 3.7.
This variable is the Debug variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_INIT
New in version 3.7.
Value used to initialize the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS cache entry the first time a build tree is configured for
language <LANG>. This variable is meant to be set by a toolchain file. CMake may prepend or append
content to the value based on the environment and target platform. For example, the contents of a
xxxFLAGS environment variable will be prepended, where xxx will be language-specific but not necessarily
the same as <LANG> (e.g. CXXFLAGS for CXX, FFLAGS for Fortran, and so on). This value is a command-line
string fragment. Therefore, multiple options should be separated by spaces, and options with spaces
should be quoted.
See also the configuration-specific CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL
This variable is the MinSizeRel variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG> variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_MINSIZEREL_INIT
New in version 3.7.
This variable is the MinSizeRel variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_RELEASE
This variable is the Release variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG> variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_RELEASE_INIT
New in version 3.7.
This variable is the Release variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO
This variable is the RelWithDebInfo variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG> variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_RELWITHDEBINFO_INIT
New in version 3.7.
This variable is the RelWithDebInfo variant of the CMAKE_<LANG>_FLAGS_<CONFIG>_INIT variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER
New in version 3.10: CMAKE_CUDA_HOST_COMPILER
New in version 3.28: CMAKE_HIP_HOST_COMPILER
This variable is available when <LANG> is CUDA or HIP.
When CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ID is NVIDIA, CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER selects the compiler executable to
use when compiling host code for CUDA or HIP language files. This maps to the nvcc -ccbin option.
The CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER variable may be set explicitly before CUDA or HIP is first enabled by a
project() or enable_language() command. This can be done via -DCMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER=... on the
command line or in a toolchain file. Or, one may set the CUDAHOSTCXX or HIPHOSTCXX environment variable
to provide a default value.
Once the CUDA or HIP language is enabled, the CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER variable is read-only and
changes to it are undefined behavior.
NOTE:
Since CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER is meaningful only when the CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ID is NVIDIA, it
does not make sense to set CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER without also setting CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER to
NVCC.
NOTE:
Projects should not try to set CMAKE_<LANG>_HOST_COMPILER to match CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER themselves. It
is the end-user's responsibility, not the project's, to ensure that NVCC targets the same ABI as the
C++ compiler.
NOTE:
Ignored when using Visual Studio Generators.
CMAKE_<LANG>_IGNORE_EXTENSIONS
File extensions that should be ignored by the build.
This is a list of file extensions that may be part of a project for a given language but are not
compiled.
CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
Directories implicitly searched by the compiler for header files.
CMake does not explicitly specify these directories on compiler command lines for language <LANG>. This
prevents system include directories from being treated as user include directories on some compilers,
which is important for C, CXX, and CUDA to avoid overriding standard library headers.
This value is not used for Fortran because it has no standard library headers and some compilers do not
search their implicit include directories for module .mod files.
CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_DIRECTORIES
Implicit linker search path detected for language <LANG>.
Compilers typically pass directories containing language runtime libraries and default library search
paths when they invoke a linker. These paths are implicit linker search directories for the compiler's
language.
For each language enabled by the project() or enable_language() command, CMake automatically detects
these directories and reports the results in this variable. The
CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_DIRECTORIES_EXCLUDE environment variable may be set to exclude specific
directories from the automatically detected results.
When linking to a static library, CMake adds the implicit link directories from this variable for each
language used in the static library (except the language whose compiler is used to drive linking). In
the case of an imported static library, the IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES target property lists the
languages whose implicit link information is needed. If any of the languages is not enabled, its value
for the CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_DIRECTORIES variable may instead be provided by the project. Or, a
toolchain file may set the variable to a value known for the specified toolchain. It will either be
overridden when the language is enabled, or used as a fallback.
Some toolchains read implicit directories from an environment variable such as LIBRARY_PATH. If using
such an environment variable, keep its value consistent when operating in a given build tree because
CMake saves the value detected when first creating a build tree.
If policy CMP0060 is not set to NEW, then when a library in one of these directories is given by full
path to target_link_libraries() CMake will generate the -l<name> form on link lines for historical
purposes.
See also the CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_LIBRARIES variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_FRAMEWORK_DIRECTORIES
Implicit linker framework search path detected for language <LANG>.
These paths are implicit linker framework search directories for the compiler's language. CMake
automatically detects these directories for each language and reports the results in this variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_LIBRARIES
Implicit link libraries and flags detected for language <LANG>.
Compilers typically pass language runtime library names and other flags when they invoke a linker. These
flags are implicit link options for the compiler's language. For each language enabled by the project()
or enable_language() command, CMake automatically detects these libraries and flags and reports the
results in this variable.
When linking to a static library, CMake adds the implicit link libraries and flags from this variable for
each language used in the static library (except the language whose compiler is used to drive linking).
In the case of an imported static library, the IMPORTED_LINK_INTERFACE_LANGUAGES target property lists
the languages whose implicit link information is needed. If any of the languages is not enabled, its
value for the CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_LIBRARIES variable may instead be provided by the project. Or,
a toolchain file may set the variable to a value known for the specified toolchain. It will either be
overridden when the language is enabled, or used as a fallback.
See also the CMAKE_<LANG>_IMPLICIT_LINK_DIRECTORIES variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE
Target architecture library directory name detected for <LANG>.
If the <LANG> compiler passes to the linker an architecture-specific system library search directory such
as <prefix>/lib/<arch> this variable contains the <arch> name if/as detected by CMake.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINK_EXECUTABLE
Rule variable to link an executable.
Rule variable to link an executable for the given language.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG
New in version 3.13.
Defines the syntax of compiler driver option to pass options to the linker tool. It will be used to
translate the LINKER: prefix in the link options (see add_link_options() and target_link_options()).
This variable holds a semicolon-separated list of tokens. If a space (i.e. " ") is specified as last
token, flag and LINKER: arguments will be specified as separate arguments to the compiler driver. The
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP variable can be specified to manage concatenation of arguments.
For example, for Clang we have:
set (CMAKE_C_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG "-Xlinker" " ")
Specifying "LINKER:-z,defs" will be transformed in -Xlinker -z -Xlinker defs.
For GNU GCC:
set (CMAKE_C_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG "-Wl,")
set (CMAKE_C_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP ",")
Specifying "LINKER:-z,defs" will be transformed in -Wl,-z,defs.
And for SunPro:
set (CMAKE_C_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG "-Qoption" "ld" " ")
set (CMAKE_C_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP ",")
Specifying "LINKER:-z,defs" will be transformed in -Qoption ld -z,defs.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG_SEP
New in version 3.13.
This variable is used with CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_WRAPPER_FLAG variable to format LINKER: prefix in the link
options (see add_link_options() and target_link_options()).
When specified, arguments of the LINKER: prefix will be concatenated using this value as separator.
CMAKE_<LANG>_OUTPUT_EXTENSION
Extension for the output of a compile for a single file.
This is the extension for an object file for the given <LANG>. For example .obj for C on Windows.
CMAKE_<LANG>_SIMULATE_ID
Identification string of the "simulated" compiler.
Some compilers simulate other compilers to serve as drop-in replacements. When CMake detects such a
compiler it sets this variable to what would have been the CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ID for the simulated
compiler.
NOTE:
In other words, this variable describes the ABI compatibility of the generated code.
CMAKE_<LANG>_SIMULATE_VERSION
Version string of "simulated" compiler.
Some compilers simulate other compilers to serve as drop-in replacements. When CMake detects such a
compiler it sets this variable to what would have been the CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_VERSION for the
simulated compiler.
CMAKE_<LANG>_SIZEOF_DATA_PTR
Size of pointer-to-data types for language <LANG>.
This holds the size (in bytes) of pointer-to-data types in the target platform ABI. It is defined for
languages C and CXX (C++).
CMAKE_<LANG>_SOURCE_FILE_EXTENSIONS
Extensions of source files for the given language.
This is the list of extensions for a given language's source files.
CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD
The variations are:
• CMAKE_C_STANDARD
• CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD
• CMAKE_CUDA_STANDARD
• CMAKE_HIP_STANDARD
• CMAKE_OBJC_STANDARD
• CMAKE_OBJCXX_STANDARD
Default values for <LANG>_STANDARD target properties if set when a target is created.
For supported CMake versions see the respective pages.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_DEFAULT
New in version 3.9.
The compiler's default standard for the language <LANG>. Empty if the compiler has no conception of
standard levels.
CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.6.
Include directories to be used for every source file compiled with the <LANG> compiler. This is meant
for specification of system include directories needed by the language for the current platform. The
directories always appear at the end of the include path passed to the compiler.
This variable should not be set by project code. It is meant to be set by CMake's platform information
modules for the current toolchain, or by a toolchain file when used with CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_LIBRARIES.
CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_LIBRARIES
New in version 3.6.
Libraries linked into every executable and shared library linked for language <LANG>. This is meant for
specification of system libraries needed by the language for the current platform.
This variable should not be set by project code. It is meant to be set by CMake's platform information
modules for the current toolchain, or by a toolchain file when used with CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE.
See also CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES.
CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_REQUIRED
The variations are:
• CMAKE_C_STANDARD_REQUIRED
• CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED
• CMAKE_CUDA_STANDARD_REQUIRED
• CMAKE_HIP_STANDARD_REQUIRED
• CMAKE_OBJC_STANDARD_REQUIRED
• CMAKE_OBJCXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED
Default values for <LANG>_STANDARD_REQUIRED target properties if set when a target is created.
For supported CMake versions see the respective pages.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_OBJC_EXTENSIONS
New in version 3.16.
Default value for OBJC_EXTENSIONS target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_OBJC_STANDARD
New in version 3.16.
Default value for OBJC_STANDARD target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_OBJC_STANDARD_REQUIRED
New in version 3.16.
Default value for OBJC_STANDARD_REQUIRED target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_OBJCXX_EXTENSIONS
New in version 3.16.
Default value for OBJCXX_EXTENSIONS target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_OBJCXX_STANDARD
New in version 3.16.
Default value for OBJCXX_STANDARD target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_OBJCXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED
New in version 3.16.
Default value for OBJCXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED target property if set when a target is created.
See the cmake-compile-features(7) manual for information on compile features and a list of supported
compilers.
CMAKE_Swift_LANGUAGE_VERSION
New in version 3.7.
Set to the Swift language version number. If not set, the oldest legacy version known to be available in
the host Xcode version is assumed:
• Swift 4.0 for Xcode 10.2 and above.
• Swift 3.0 for Xcode 8.3 and above.
• Swift 2.3 for Xcode 8.2 and below.
CMAKE_USER_MAKE_RULES_OVERRIDE_<LANG>
Specify a CMake file that overrides platform information for <LANG>.
This is a language-specific version of CMAKE_USER_MAKE_RULES_OVERRIDE loaded only when enabling language
<LANG>.
VARIABLES FOR CTEST
CTEST_BINARY_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest BuildDirectory setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_BUILD_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest MakeCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_BUILD_NAME
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest BuildName setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_BZR_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest BZRCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_BZR_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest BZRUpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_CHANGE_ID
New in version 3.4.
Specify the CTest ChangeId setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
This setting allows CTest to pass arbitrary information about this build up to CDash. One use of this
feature is to allow CDash to post comments on your pull request if anything goes wrong with your build.
CTEST_CHECKOUT_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Tell the ctest_start() command how to checkout or initialize the source directory in a ctest(1) dashboard
client script.
CTEST_CONFIGURATION_TYPE
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest DefaultCTestConfigurationType setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
If the configuration type is set via -C <cfg> from the command line then this variable is populated
accordingly.
CTEST_CONFIGURE_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest ConfigureCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_COVERAGE_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest CoverageCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
Cobertura
Using Cobertura as the coverage generation within your multi-module Java project can generate a series of
XML files.
The Cobertura Coverage parser expects to read the coverage data from a single XML file which contains the
coverage data for all modules. Cobertura has a program with the ability to merge given cobertura.ser
files and then another program to generate a combined XML file from the previous merged file. For
command line testing, this can be done by hand prior to CTest looking for the coverage files. For script
builds, set the CTEST_COVERAGE_COMMAND variable to point to a file which will perform these same steps,
such as a .sh or .bat file.
set(CTEST_COVERAGE_COMMAND .../run-coverage-and-consolidate.sh)
where the run-coverage-and-consolidate.sh script is perhaps created by the configure_file() command and
might contain the following code:
#!/usr/bin/env bash
CoberturaFiles="$(find "/path/to/source" -name "cobertura.ser")"
SourceDirs="$(find "/path/to/source" -name "java" -type d)"
cobertura-merge --datafile coberturamerge.ser $CoberturaFiles
cobertura-report --datafile coberturamerge.ser --destination . \
--format xml $SourceDirs
The script uses find to capture the paths to all of the cobertura.ser files found below the project's
source directory. It keeps the list of files and supplies it as an argument to the cobertura-merge
program. The --datafile argument signifies where the result of the merge will be kept.
The combined coberturamerge.ser file is then used to generate the XML report using the cobertura-report
program. The call to the cobertura-report program requires some named arguments.
--datafila
path to the merged .ser file
--destination
path to put the output files(s)
--format
file format to write output in: xml or html
The rest of the supplied arguments consist of the full paths to the /src/main/java directories of each
module within the source tree. These directories are needed and should not be forgotten.
CTEST_COVERAGE_EXTRA_FLAGS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest CoverageExtraFlags setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_CURL_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest CurlOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_CUSTOM_COVERAGE_EXCLUDE
A list of regular expressions which will be used to exclude files by their path from coverage output by
the ctest_coverage() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_ERROR_EXCEPTION
A list of regular expressions which will be used to exclude when detecting error messages in build
outputs by the ctest_build() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_ERROR_MATCH
A list of regular expressions which will be used to detect error messages in build outputs by the
ctest_build() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_ERROR_POST_CONTEXT
The number of lines to include as context which follow an error message by the ctest_build() command. The
default is 10.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_ERROR_PRE_CONTEXT
The number of lines to include as context which precede an error message by the ctest_build() command.
The default is 10.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_FAILED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE
When saving a failing test's output, this is the maximum size, in bytes, that will be collected by the
ctest_test() command. Defaults to 307200 (300 KiB). See CTEST_CUSTOM_TEST_OUTPUT_TRUNCATION for possible
truncation modes.
If a test's output contains the literal string "CTEST_FULL_OUTPUT", the output will not be truncated and
may exceed the maximum size.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
For controlling the output collection of passing tests, see CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_PASSED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE.
CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_NUMBER_OF_ERRORS
The maximum number of errors in a single build step which will be detected. After this, the ctest_test()
command will truncate the output. Defaults to 50.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_NUMBER_OF_WARNINGS
The maximum number of warnings in a single build step which will be detected. After this, the
ctest_test() command will truncate the output. Defaults to 50.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_PASSED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE
When saving a passing test's output, this is the maximum size, in bytes, that will be collected by the
ctest_test() command. Defaults to 1024 (1 KiB). See CTEST_CUSTOM_TEST_OUTPUT_TRUNCATION for possible
truncation modes.
If a test's output contains the literal string "CTEST_FULL_OUTPUT", the output will not be truncated and
may exceed the maximum size.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
For controlling the output collection of failing tests, see CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_FAILED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE.
CTEST_CUSTOM_MEMCHECK_IGNORE
A list of regular expressions to use to exclude tests during the ctest_memcheck() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_POST_MEMCHECK
A list of commands to run at the end of the ctest_memcheck() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_POST_TEST
A list of commands to run at the end of the ctest_test() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_PRE_MEMCHECK
A list of commands to run at the start of the ctest_memcheck() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_PRE_TEST
A list of commands to run at the start of the ctest_test() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_TEST_OUTPUT_TRUNCATION
New in version 3.24.
Set the test output truncation mode in case a maximum size is configured via the
CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_PASSED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE or CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_FAILED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE variables.
By default the tail of the output will be truncated. Other possible values are middle and head.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_TESTS_IGNORE
A list of test names to be excluded from the set of tests run by the ctest_test() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_WARNING_EXCEPTION
A list of regular expressions which will be used to exclude when detecting warning messages in build
outputs by the ctest_build() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CUSTOM_WARNING_MATCH
A list of regular expressions which will be used to detect warning messages in build outputs by the
ctest_build() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_CVS_CHECKOUT
New in version 3.1.
Deprecated. Use CTEST_CHECKOUT_COMMAND instead.
CTEST_CVS_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest CVSCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_CVS_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest CVSUpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_DROP_LOCATION
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest DropLocation setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_DROP_METHOD
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest DropMethod setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_DROP_SITE
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest DropSite setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_DROP_SITE_CDASH
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest IsCDash setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_DROP_SITE_PASSWORD
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest DropSitePassword setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_DROP_SITE_USER
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest DropSiteUser setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_EXTRA_COVERAGE_GLOB
New in version 3.4.
A list of regular expressions which will be used to find files which should be covered by the
ctest_coverage() command.
It is initialized by ctest(1), but may be edited in a CTestCustom file. See ctest_read_custom_files()
documentation.
CTEST_GIT_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest GITCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_GIT_INIT_SUBMODULES
New in version 3.6.
Specify the CTest GITInitSubmodules setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_GIT_UPDATE_CUSTOM
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest GITUpdateCustom setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_GIT_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest GITUpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_HG_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest HGCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_HG_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest HGUpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_LABELS_FOR_SUBPROJECTS
New in version 3.10.
Specify the CTest LabelsForSubprojects setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_MEMORYCHECK_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest MemoryCheckCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_MEMORYCHECK_COMMAND_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest MemoryCheckCommandOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_MEMORYCHECK_SANITIZER_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest MemoryCheckSanitizerOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTest prepends correct sanitizer options *_OPTIONS environment variable to executed command. CTests adds
its own log_path to sanitizer options, don't provide your own log_path.
CTEST_MEMORYCHECK_SUPPRESSIONS_FILE
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest MemoryCheckSuppressionFile setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_MEMORYCHECK_TYPE
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest MemoryCheckType setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script. Valid values are
Valgrind, Purify, BoundsChecker, DrMemory, CudaSanitizer, ThreadSanitizer, AddressSanitizer,
LeakSanitizer, MemorySanitizer and UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer.
CTEST_NIGHTLY_START_TIME
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest NightlyStartTime setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
Note that this variable must always be set for a nightly build in a dashboard script. It is needed so
that nightly builds can be properly grouped together in CDash.
CTEST_P4_CLIENT
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest P4Client setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_P4_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest P4Command setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_P4_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest P4Options setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_P4_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest P4UpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE
New in version 3.18.
Specify the CTest ResourceSpecFile setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
This can also be used to specify the resource spec file from a CMake build. If no RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE is
passed to ctest_test(), and CTEST_RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE is not specified in the dashboard script, the value
of this variable from the build is used.
CTEST_RUN_CURRENT_SCRIPT
New in version 3.11.
Setting this to 0 prevents ctest(1) from being run again when it reaches the end of a script run by
calling ctest -S.
CTEST_SCP_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Legacy option. Not used.
CTEST_SCRIPT_DIRECTORY
The directory containing the top-level CTest script. The concept is similar to CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR.
CTEST_SITE
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest Site setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_SOURCE_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest SourceDirectory setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_SUBMIT_INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT
New in version 3.23.
Specify the CTest SubmitInactivityTimeout setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_SUBMIT_URL
New in version 3.14.
Specify the CTest SubmitURL setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_SVN_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest SVNCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_SVN_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest SVNOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_SVN_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest SVNUpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_TEST_LOAD
New in version 3.4.
Specify the TestLoad setting in the CTest Test Step of a ctest(1) dashboard client script. This sets the
default value for the TEST_LOAD option of the ctest_test() command.
CTEST_TEST_TIMEOUT
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest TimeOut setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_TRIGGER_SITE
New in version 3.1.
Legacy option. Not used.
CTEST_UPDATE_COMMAND
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest UpdateCommand setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_UPDATE_OPTIONS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest UpdateOptions setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_UPDATE_VERSION_ONLY
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest UpdateVersionOnly setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_UPDATE_VERSION_OVERRIDE
New in version 3.15.
Specify the CTest UpdateVersionOverride setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
CTEST_USE_LAUNCHERS
New in version 3.1.
Specify the CTest UseLaunchers setting in a ctest(1) dashboard client script.
VARIABLES FOR CPACK
CPACK_ABSOLUTE_DESTINATION_FILES
List of files which have been installed using an ABSOLUTE DESTINATION path.
This variable is a Read-Only variable which is set internally by CPack during installation and before
packaging using CMAKE_ABSOLUTE_DESTINATION_FILES defined in cmake_install.cmake scripts. The value can
be used within CPack project configuration file and/or CPack<GEN>.cmake file of <GEN> generator.
CPACK_COMPONENT_INCLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY
Boolean toggle to include/exclude top level directory (component case).
Similar usage as CPACK_INCLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY but for the component case. See
CPACK_INCLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY documentation for the detail.
CPACK_CUSTOM_INSTALL_VARIABLES
New in version 3.21.
CPack variables (set via e.g. cpack -D, CPackConfig.cmake or CPACK_PROJECT_CONFIG_FILE scripts) are not
directly visible in installation scripts. Instead, one can pass a list of varName=value pairs in the
CPACK_CUSTOM_INSTALL_VARIABLES variable. At install time, each list item will result in a variable of
the specified name (varName) being set to the given value. The = can be omitted for an empty value.
CPACK_CUSTOM_INSTALL_VARIABLES allows the packaging installation to be influenced by the user or driving
script at CPack runtime without having to regenerate the install scripts.
Example
install(FILES large.txt DESTINATION data)
install(CODE [[
if(ENABLE_COMPRESSION)
# "run-compressor" is a fictional tool that produces
# large.txt.xz from large.txt and then removes the input file
execute_process(COMMAND run-compressor $ENV{DESTDIR}${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/large.txt)
endif()
]])
With the above example snippet, cpack will by default run the installation script with ENABLE_COMPRESSION
unset, resulting in a package containing the uncompressed large.txt. This can be overridden when
invoking cpack like so:
cpack -D "CPACK_CUSTOM_INSTALL_VARIABLES=ENABLE_COMPRESSION=TRUE"
The installation script will then run with ENABLE_COMPRESSION set to TRUE, resulting in a package
containing the compressed large.txt.xz instead.
CPACK_ERROR_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION
Ask CPack to error out as soon as a file with absolute INSTALL DESTINATION is encountered.
The fatal error is emitted before the installation of the offending file takes place. Some CPack
generators, like NSIS, enforce this internally. This variable triggers the definition of
CMAKE_ERROR_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION when CPack runs.
CPACK_INCLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY
Boolean toggle to include/exclude top level directory.
When preparing a package CPack installs the item under the so-called top level directory. The purpose of
is to include (set to 1 or ON or TRUE) the top level directory in the package or not (set to 0 or OFF or
FALSE).
Each CPack generator has a built-in default value for this variable. E.g. Archive generators (ZIP, TGZ,
...) includes the top level whereas RPM or DEB don't. The user may override the default value by setting
this variable.
There is a similar variable CPACK_COMPONENT_INCLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY which may be used to override the
behavior for the component packaging case which may have different default value for historical (now
backward compatibility) reason.
CPACK_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS
New in version 3.11.
Default permissions for implicitly created directories during packaging.
This variable serves the same purpose during packaging as the CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS
variable serves during installation (e.g. make install).
If include(CPack) is used then by default this variable is set to the content of
CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS.
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX
The prefix used in the built package.
Each CPack generator has a default value (like /usr). This default value may be overwritten from the
CMakeLists.txt or the cpack(1) command line by setting an alternative value. Example:
set(CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX "/opt")
This is not the same purpose as CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX which is used when installing from the build tree
without building a package.
CPACK_SET_DESTDIR
Boolean toggle to make CPack use DESTDIR mechanism when packaging.
DESTDIR means DESTination DIRectory. It is commonly used by makefile users in order to install software
at non-default location. It is a basic relocation mechanism that should not be used on Windows (see
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX documentation). It is usually invoked like this:
make DESTDIR=/home/john install
which will install the concerned software using the installation prefix, e.g. /usr/local prepended with
the DESTDIR value which finally gives /home/john/usr/local. When preparing a package, CPack first
installs the items to be packaged in a local (to the build tree) directory by using the same DESTDIR
mechanism. Nevertheless, if CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is set then CPack will set DESTDIR before doing the local
install. The most noticeable difference is that without CPACK_SET_DESTDIR, CPack uses
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX as a prefix whereas with CPACK_SET_DESTDIR set, CPack will use
CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX as a prefix.
Manually setting CPACK_SET_DESTDIR may help (or simply be necessary) if some install rules uses absolute
DESTINATION (see CMake install() command). However, starting with CPack/CMake 2.8.3 RPM and DEB
installers tries to handle DESTDIR automatically so that it is seldom necessary for the user to set it.
CPACK_WARN_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION
Ask CPack to warn each time a file with absolute INSTALL DESTINATION is encountered.
This variable triggers the definition of CMAKE_WARN_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION when CPack runs
cmake_install.cmake scripts.
VARIABLE EXPANSION OPERATORS
CACHE
New in version 3.13.
Operator to read cache variables.
Use the syntax $CACHE{VAR} to read cache entry VAR. See the cmake-language(7) variables documentation
for more complete documentation of the interaction of normal variables and cache entries.
When evaluating Variable References of the form ${VAR}, CMake first searches for a normal variable with
that name, and if not found CMake will search for a cache entry with that name. The $CACHE{VAR} syntax
can be used to do direct cache lookup and ignore any existing normal variable.
See the set() and unset() commands to see how to write or remove cache variables.
ENV
Operator to read environment variables.
Use the syntax $ENV{VAR} to read environment variable VAR.
To test whether an environment variable is defined, use the signature if(DEFINED ENV{<name>}) of the if()
command.
NOTE:
Environment variable names containing special characters like parentheses may need to be escaped.
(Policy CMP0053 must also be enabled.) For example, to get the value of the Windows environment
variable ProgramFiles(x86), use:
set(ProgramFiles_x86 "$ENV{ProgramFiles\(x86\)}")
For general information on environment variables, see the Environment Variables section in the
cmake-language(7) manual.
INTERNAL VARIABLES
CMake has many internal variables. Most of them are undocumented. Some of them, however, were at some
point described as normal variables, and therefore may be encountered in legacy code. They are subject to
change, and not recommended for use in project code.
CMAKE_HOME_DIRECTORY
Path to top of source tree. Same as CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR.
This is an internal cache entry used to locate the source directory when loading a CMakeCache.txt from a
build tree. It should not be used in project code. The variable CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR has the same value and
should be preferred.
CMAKE_INTERNAL_PLATFORM_ABI
An internal variable subject to change.
This is used in determining the compiler ABI and is subject to change.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ABI
An internal variable subject to change.
This is used in determining the compiler ABI and is subject to change.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_ARCHITECTURE_ID
New in version 3.10.
An internal variable subject to change.
This is used to identify the variant of a compiler based on its target architecture. For some compilers
this is needed to determine the correct usage.
CMAKE_<LANG>_COMPILER_VERSION_INTERNAL
New in version 3.10.
An internal variable subject to change.
This is used to identify the variant of a compiler based on an internal version number. For some
compilers this is needed to determine the correct usage.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_PREFERENCE
An internal variable subject to change.
Preference value for linker language selection.
The "linker language" for executable, shared library, and module targets is the language whose compiler
will invoke the linker. The LINKER_LANGUAGE target property sets the language explicitly. Otherwise,
the linker language is that whose linker preference value is highest among languages compiled and linked
into the target. See also the CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_PREFERENCE_PROPAGATES variable.
CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_PREFERENCE_PROPAGATES
An internal variable subject to change.
True if CMAKE_<LANG>_LINKER_PREFERENCE propagates across targets.
This is used when CMake selects a linker language for a target. Languages compiled directly into the
target are always considered. A language compiled into static libraries linked by the target is
considered if this variable is true.
CMAKE_<LANG>_PLATFORM_ID
An internal variable subject to change.
This is used in determining the platform and is subject to change.
CMAKE_NOT_USING_CONFIG_FLAGS
Skip _BUILD_TYPE flags if true.
This is an internal flag used by the generators in CMake to tell CMake to skip the _BUILD_TYPE flags.
CMAKE_VS_INTEL_Fortran_PROJECT_VERSION
When generating for Visual Studio 9 2008 or greater with the Intel Fortran plugin installed, this
specifies the .vfproj project file format version. This is intended for internal use by CMake and should
not be used by project code.
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