Provided by: cmake-data_3.30.3-1_all 
NAME
cpack-generators - CPack Generator Reference
GENERATORS
CPack Archive Generator
CPack generator for packaging files into an archive, which can have any of the following formats:
• 7Z - 7zip - (.7z)
• TBZ2 (.tar.bz2)
• TGZ (.tar.gz)
• TXZ (.tar.xz)
• TZ (.tar.Z)
• TZST (.tar.zst)
• ZIP (.zip)
Added in version 3.1: 7Z and TXZ formats support.
Added in version 3.16: TZST format support.
When this generator is called from CPackSourceConfig.cmake (or through the package_source target), then
the generated archive will contain all files in the project directory, except those specified in
CPACK_SOURCE_IGNORE_FILES. The following is one example of packaging all source files of a project:
set(CPACK_SOURCE_GENERATOR "TGZ")
set(CPACK_SOURCE_IGNORE_FILES
\\.git/
build/
".*~$"
)
set(CPACK_VERBATIM_VARIABLES YES)
include(CPack)
When this generator is called from CPackConfig.cmake (or through the package target), then the generated
archive will contain all files that have been installed via CMake's install() command (and the deprecated
commands install_files(), install_programs(), and install_targets()).
Variables specific to CPack Archive generator
CPACK_ARCHIVE_FILE_NAME
CPACK_ARCHIVE_<component>_FILE_NAME
Package file name without extension.
Default
The default is <CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>[-<component>], with spaces replaced by '-'.
The extension is determined from the archive format (see list above) and automatically appended to
the file name. Note that <component> is all uppercase in the variable name.
Added in version 3.9: Per-component CPACK_ARCHIVE_<component>_FILE_NAME variables.
CPACK_ARCHIVE_FILE_EXTENSION
Added in version 3.25.
Package file extension.
Default
Default values are given in the list above.
CPACK_ARCHIVE_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging.
Default
OFF
If enabled (ON) multiple packages are generated. By default a single package containing files of
all components is generated.
Variables used by CPack Archive generator
These variables are used by the Archive generator, but are also available to CPack generators which are
essentially archives at their core. These include:
• CPack Cygwin Generator
• CPack FreeBSD Generator
CPACK_ARCHIVE_THREADS
The number of threads to use when performing the compression.
Added in version 3.18.
Default
1
If set to 0, the number of available cores on the machine will be used instead. The default is 1
which limits compression to a single thread. Note that not all compression modes support threading
in all environments. Currently, only the XZ compression may support it.
See also the CPACK_THREADS variable.
Added in version 3.21: Official CMake binaries available on cmake.org now ship with a liblzma that
supports parallel compression. Older versions did not.
CPack Bundle Generator
CPack Bundle generator (macOS) specific options
Variables specific to CPack Bundle generator
Installers built on macOS using the Bundle generator use the aforementioned DragNDrop (CPACK_DMG_xxx)
variables, plus the following Bundle-specific parameters (CPACK_BUNDLE_xxx).
CPACK_BUNDLE_NAME
The name of the generated bundle. This appears in the macOS Finder as the bundle name. Required.
CPACK_BUNDLE_PLIST
Path to an macOS Property List (.plist) file that will be used for the generated bundle. This
assumes that the caller has generated or specified their own Info.plist file. Required.
CPACK_BUNDLE_ICON
Path to an macOS icon file that will be used as the icon for the generated bundle. This is the
icon that appears in the macOS Finder for the bundle, and in the macOS dock when the bundle is
opened. Required.
CPACK_BUNDLE_STARTUP_COMMAND
Path to a startup script. This is a path to an executable or script that will be run whenever an
end-user double-clicks the generated bundle in the macOS Finder. Optional.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_CERT_APP
Added in version 3.2.
The name of your Apple supplied code signing certificate for the application. The name usually
takes the form Developer ID Application: [Name] or 3rd Party Mac Developer Application: [Name]. If
this variable is not set the application will not be signed.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_ENTITLEMENTS
Added in version 3.2.
The name of the Property List (.plist) file that contains your Apple entitlements for sandboxing
your application. This file is required for submission to the macOS App Store.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_CODESIGN_FILES
Added in version 3.2.
A list of additional files that you wish to be signed. You do not need to list the main
application folder, or the main executable. You should list any frameworks and plugins that are
included in your app bundle.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_CODESIGN_PARAMETER
Added in version 3.3.
Additional parameter that will passed to codesign. Default value: --deep -f
CPACK_COMMAND_CODESIGN
Added in version 3.2.
Path to the codesign(1) command used to sign applications with an Apple cert. This variable can be
used to override the automatically detected command (or specify its location if the auto-detection
fails to find it).
CPack Cygwin Generator
Cygwin CPack generator (Cygwin).
Variables affecting the CPack Cygwin generator
• Added in version 3.18: CPACK_ARCHIVE_THREADS
Variables specific to CPack Cygwin generator
The following variable is specific to installers build on and/or for Cygwin:
CPACK_CYGWIN_PATCH_NUMBER
The Cygwin patch number. FIXME: This documentation is incomplete.
CPACK_CYGWIN_PATCH_FILE
The Cygwin patch file. FIXME: This documentation is incomplete.
CPACK_CYGWIN_BUILD_SCRIPT
The Cygwin build script. FIXME: This documentation is incomplete.
CPack DEB Generator
The built in (binary) CPack DEB generator (Unix only)
Variables specific to CPack Debian (DEB) generator
The CPack DEB generator may be used to create DEB package using CPack. The CPack DEB generator is a
CPack generator thus it uses the CPACK_XXX variables used by CPack.
The CPack DEB generator should work on any Linux host but it will produce better deb package when Debian
specific tools dpkg-xxx are usable on the build system.
The CPack DEB generator has specific features which are controlled by the specifics CPACK_DEBIAN_XXX
variables.
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_XXXX variables may be used in order to have component specific values. Note
however that <COMPONENT> refers to the grouping name written in upper case. It may be either a component
name or a component GROUP name.
Here are some CPack DEB generator wiki resources that are here for historic reasons and are no longer
maintained but may still prove useful:
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/Configuration
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/PackageGenerators#deb-unix-only
List of CPack DEB generator specific variables:
CPACK_DEB_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging for CPackDEB
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
If enabled (ON) multiple packages are generated. By default a single package containing files of
all components is generated.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_NAME
Set Package control field (variable is automatically transformed to lower case).
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_NAME suffixed with -<COMPONENT> for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_NAME variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-source
CPACK_DEBIAN_FILE_NAME
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_FILE_NAME
Added in version 3.6.
Package file name.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
<CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>[-<component>].deb
This may be set to:
DEB-DEFAULT
Tell CPack to automatically generate the package file name in deb format:
<PackageName>_<VersionNumber>-<DebianRevisionNumber>_<DebianArchitecture>.deb
This setting recommended as the preferred behavior, but for backward compatibility with the
CPack DEB generator in CMake prior to version 3.6, this is not the default. Without this,
duplicate names may occur. Duplicate files get overwritten and it is up to the packager to
set the variables in a manner that will prevent such errors.
<file-name>[.deb]
Use the given file name.
Changed in version 3.29: The .deb suffix will be automatically added if the file name does
not end in .deb or .ipk. Previously the suffix was required.
<file-name>.ipk
Added in version 3.10.
Use the given file name. The .ipk suffix is used by the OPKG packaging system.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_EPOCH
Added in version 3.10.
The Debian package epoch
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Optional number that should be incremented when changing versioning schemas or fixing mistakes in
the version numbers of older packages.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_VERSION
The Debian package version
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION
This variable may contain only alphanumerics (A-Za-z0-9) and the characters . + - ~ (full stop,
plus, hyphen, tilde) and should start with a digit. If CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RELEASE is not set
then hyphens are not allowed.
NOTE:
For backward compatibility with CMake 3.9 and lower a failed test of this variable's content is
not a hard error when both CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RELEASE and CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_EPOCH
variables are not set. An author warning is reported instead.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RELEASE
Added in version 3.6.
The Debian package release - Debian revision number.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
This is the numbering of the DEB package itself, i.e. the version of the packaging and not the
version of the content (see CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_VERSION). One may change the default value if the
previous packaging was buggy and/or you want to put here a fancy Linux distro specific numbering.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
The Debian package architecture
Mandatory
Yes
Default
Output of dpkg --print-architecture (or i386 if dpkg is not found)
Added in version 3.6: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE variables.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS
Sets the Debian dependencies of this package.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS variables.
NOTE:
If CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS or more specifically
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS is set for this component, the discovered
dependencies will be appended to CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS instead of
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS. If CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS is an empty string,
only the automatically discovered dependencies will be set for this component.
Example:
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS "libc6 (>= 2.3.1-6), libc6 (< 2.4)")
CPACK_DEBIAN_ENABLE_COMPONENT_DEPENDS
Added in version 3.6.
Sets inter-component dependencies if listed with CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DEPENDS variables.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_MAINTAINER
The Debian package maintainer
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_CONTACT
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_DESCRIPTION
The Debian package description
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_DESCRIPTION (component based installers only) if set, or
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION if set, or
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION (component based installers only) if set, or
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION if set, or
• content of the file specified in CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE if set
If after that description is not set, CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY going to be used if set.
Otherwise, CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY will be added as the first line of description as
defined in Debian Policy Manual.
Added in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION variables.
Added in version 3.16: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_DESCRIPTION variables.
Added in version 3.16: The CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE variable.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SECTION
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SECTION
Set Section control field e.g. admin, devel, doc, ...
Mandatory
Yes
Default
devel
Added in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SECTION variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections
CPACK_DEBIAN_ARCHIVE_TYPE
Added in version 3.7.
Deprecated since version 3.14.
The archive format used for creating the Debian package.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
gnutar
Possible value is: gnutar
NOTE:
This variable previously defaulted to the paxr value, but dpkg has never supported that tar
format. For backwards compatibility the paxr value will be mapped to gnutar and a deprecation
message will be emitted.
CPACK_DEBIAN_COMPRESSION_TYPE
Added in version 3.1.
The compression used for creating the Debian package.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
gzip
Possible values are:
lzma Lempel–Ziv–Markov chain algorithm
xz XZ Utils compression
bzip2 bzip2 Burrows–Wheeler algorithm
gzip GNU Gzip compression
zstd Added in version 3.22.
Zstandard compression
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PRIORITY
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PRIORITY
Set Priority control field e.g. required, important, standard, optional, extra
Mandatory
Yes
Default
optional
Added in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PRIORITY variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-priorities
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE
The URL of the web site for this package, preferably (when applicable) the site from which the
original source can be obtained and any additional upstream documentation or information may be
found.
Mandatory
No
Default
CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
Added in version 3.12: The CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
NOTE:
The content of this field is a simple URL without any surrounding characters such as <>.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS
May be set to ON in order to use dpkg-shlibdeps to generate better package dependency list.
Mandatory
No
Default
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS if set or
• OFF
NOTE:
You may need set CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH to an appropriate value if you use this feature, because
if you don't dpkg-shlibdeps may fail to find your own shared libs. See ‐
https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cmake/RPATH-handling
NOTE:
You can also set CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS_PRIVATE_DIRS to an appropriate value if you use
this feature, in order to please dpkg-shlibdeps. However, you should only do this for private
shared libraries that could not get resolved otherwise.
Added in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS variables.
Added in version 3.6: Correct handling of $ORIGIN in CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS_PRIVATE_DIRS
Added in version 3.20.
May be set to a list of directories that will be given to dpkg-shlibdeps via its -l option. These
will be searched by dpkg-shlibdeps in order to find private shared library dependencies.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
NOTE:
You should prefer to set CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH to an appropriate value if you use dpkg-shlibdeps.
The current option is really only needed for private shared library dependencies.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEBUG
May be set when invoking cpack in order to trace debug information during the CPack DEB generator
run.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS
Sets the Pre-Depends field of the Debian package. Like Depends, except that it also forces dpkg
to complete installation of the packages named before even starting the installation of the
package which declares the pre-dependency.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ENHANCES
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_ENHANCES
Sets the Enhances field of the Debian package. Similar to Suggests but works in the opposite
direction: declares that a package can enhance the functionality of another package.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ENHANCES for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_ENHANCES variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_BREAKS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_BREAKS
Sets the Breaks field of the Debian package. When a binary package (P) declares that it breaks
other packages (B), dpkg will not allow the package (P) which declares Breaks be unpacked unless
the packages that will be broken (B) are deconfigured first. As long as the package (P) is
configured, the previously deconfigured packages (B) cannot be reconfigured again.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_BREAKS for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_BREAKS variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-breaks
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
Sets the Conflicts field of the Debian package. When one binary package declares a conflict with
another using a Conflicts field, dpkg will not allow them to be unpacked on the system at the same
time.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-conflicts
NOTE:
This is a stronger restriction than Breaks, which prevents the broken package from being
configured while the breaking package is in the "Unpacked" state but allows both packages to be
unpacked at the same time.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
Sets the Provides field of the Debian package. A virtual package is one which appears in the
Provides control field of another package.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PROVIDES for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PROVIDES variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-virtual
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_REPLACES
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_REPLACES
Sets the Replaces field of the Debian package. Packages can declare in their control file that
they should overwrite files in certain other packages, or completely replace other packages.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_REPLACES for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_REPLACES variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS
Sets the Recommends field of the Debian package. Allows packages to declare a strong, but not
absolute, dependency on other packages.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
Sets the Suggests field of the Debian package. Allows packages to declare a suggested package
install grouping.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS for component-based installations.
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS variables.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_GENERATE_SHLIBS
Added in version 3.6.
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
Allows to generate shlibs control file automatically. Compatibility is defined by
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_GENERATE_SHLIBS_POLICY variable value.
NOTE:
Libraries are only considered if they have both library name and version set. This can be done
by setting SOVERSION property with set_target_properties() command.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_GENERATE_SHLIBS_POLICY
Added in version 3.6.
Compatibility policy for auto-generated shlibs control file.
Mandatory
No
Default
=
Defines compatibility policy for auto-generated shlibs control file. Possible values: =, >=
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#s-sharedlibs-shlibdeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA
This variable allow advanced user to add custom script to the control.tar.gz. Typical usage is
for conffiles, postinst, postrm, prerm.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Usage:
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA
"${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/prerm;${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/postrm")
Added in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA variables.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_STRICT_PERMISSION
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONTROL_STRICT_PERMISSION
Added in version 3.4.
This variable indicates if the Debian policy on control files should be strictly followed.
Mandatory
No
Default
FALSE
Usage:
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_STRICT_PERMISSION TRUE)
This overrides the permissions on the original files, following the rules set by Debian policy ‐
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-files.html#s-permissions-owners
NOTE:
The original permissions of the files will be used in the final package unless this variable is
set to TRUE. In particular, the scripts should have the proper executable flag prior to the
generation of the package.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SOURCE
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SOURCE
Added in version 3.5.
Sets the Source field of the binary Debian package. When the binary package name is not the same
as the source package name (in particular when several components/binaries are generated from one
source) the source from which the binary has been generated should be indicated with the field
Source.
Mandatory
No
Default
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SOURCE for component-based installations.
See https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-source
NOTE:
This value is not interpreted. It is possible to pass an optional revision number of the
referenced source package as well.
Packaging of debug information
Added in version 3.13.
Dbgsym packages contain debug symbols for debugging packaged binaries.
Dbgsym packaging has its own set of variables:
CPACK_DEBIAN_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
CPACK_DEBIAN_<component>_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
Enable generation of dbgsym .ddeb package(s).
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
NOTE:
Setting this also strips the ELF files in the generated non-dbgsym package, which results in debuginfo
only being available in the dbgsym package.
NOTE:
Binaries must contain debug symbols before packaging so use either Debug or RelWithDebInfo for
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE variable value.
Additionally, if CPACK_STRIP_FILES is set, the files will be stripped before they get to the DEB
generator, so will not contain debug symbols and a dbgsym package will not get built. Do not use with
CPACK_STRIP_FILES.
Building Debian packages on Windows
Added in version 3.10.
To communicate UNIX file permissions from the install stage to the CPack DEB generator the cmake_mode_t
NTFS alternate data stream (ADT) is used.
When a filesystem without ADT support is used only owner read/write permissions can be preserved.
Reproducible packages
Added in version 3.13.
The environment variable SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH may be set to a UNIX timestamp, defined as the number of
seconds, excluding leap seconds, since 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC. If set, the CPack DEB generator will
use its value for timestamps in the package.
CPack DragNDrop Generator
The DragNDrop CPack generator (macOS) creates a DMG image.
Variables specific to CPack DragNDrop generator
The following variables are specific to the DragNDrop installers built on macOS:
CPACK_DMG_VOLUME_NAME
The volume name of the generated disk image.
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME
CPACK_DMG_FORMAT
The disk image format.
Default
UDZO
Common values are UDRO (UDIF read-only), UDZO (UDIF zlib-compressed) or UDBZ (UDIF
bzip2-compressed). Refer to hdiutil(1) for more information on other available formats.
CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE
Path to a custom .DS_Store file. This .DS_Store file can be used to specify the Finder window
position/geometry and layout (such as hidden toolbars, placement of the icons etc.). This file has
to be generated by the Finder (either manually or through AppleScript) using a normal folder from
which the .DS_Store file can then be extracted.
CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE_SETUP_SCRIPT
Added in version 3.5.
Path to a custom AppleScript file. This AppleScript is used to generate a .DS_Store file which
specifies the Finder window position/geometry and layout (such as hidden toolbars, placement of
the icons etc.). By specifying a custom AppleScript there is no need to use CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE,
as the .DS_Store that is generated by the AppleScript will be packaged.
CPACK_DMG_BACKGROUND_IMAGE
Default
Path to an image file to be used as the background. This file will be copied to
.background/background.<ext>, where <ext> is the original image file extension. The background
image is installed into the image before CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE_SETUP_SCRIPT is executed or
CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE is installed. By default no background image is set.
CPACK_DMG_DISABLE_APPLICATIONS_SYMLINK
Added in version 3.6.
Default behavior is to include a symlink to /Applications in the DMG. Set this option to ON to
avoid adding the symlink.
CPACK_DMG_SLA_USE_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE
Added in version 3.23.
Default
OFF
Control whether CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE, if set to a non-default value, is used as the license
agreement provided when mounting the DMG. If CPACK_DMG_SLA_USE_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE is not set,
cpack(1) defaults to off.
In a CMake project that uses the CPack module to generate CPackConfig.cmake,
CPACK_DMG_SLA_USE_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE must be explicitly enabled by the project to activate the
SLA. See policy CMP0133.
NOTE:
This option was added in response to macOS 12.0's deprecation of the hdiutil udifrez command to
make its use optional. CPack 3.22 and below always use CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE, if set to
a non-default value, as the DMG license.
CPACK_DMG_SLA_DIR
Added in version 3.5.
Directory where license and menu files for different languages are stored. Setting this causes
CPack to look for a <language>.menu.txt and <language>.license.txt or <language>.license.rtf file
for every language defined in CPACK_DMG_SLA_LANGUAGES. If both this variable and
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE are set, CPack will only look for the menu files and use the same
license file for all languages. If both <language>.license.txt and <language>.license.rtf exist,
the .txt file will be used.
Added in version 3.17: RTF support.
CPACK_DMG_SLA_LANGUAGES
Added in version 3.5.
Languages for which a license agreement is provided when mounting the generated DMG. A menu file
consists of 9 lines of text. The first line is is the name of the language itself, uppercase, in
English (e.g. German). The other lines are translations of the following strings:
• Agree
• Disagree
• Print
• Save...
• You agree to the terms of the License Agreement when you click the "Agree" button.
• Software License Agreement
• This text cannot be saved. The disk may be full or locked, or the file may be locked.
• Unable to print. Make sure you have selected a printer.
For every language in this list, CPack will try to find files <language>.menu.txt and
<language>.license.txt in the directory specified by the CPACK_DMG_SLA_DIR variable.
CPACK_DMG_<component>_FILE_NAME
Added in version 3.17.
File name when packaging <component> as its own DMG (CPACK_COMPONENTS_GROUPING set to IGNORE).
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME-<component>
CPACK_DMG_FILESYSTEM
Added in version 3.21.
Default
HFS+
The filesystem format. Common values are APFS and HFS+. See man hdiutil for a full list of
supported formats.
CPACK_COMMAND_HDIUTIL
Path to the hdiutil(1) command used to operate on disk image files on macOS. This variable can be
used to override the automatically detected command (or specify its location if the auto-detection
fails to find it).
CPACK_COMMAND_SETFILE
Path to the SetFile(1) command used to set extended attributes on files and directories on macOS.
This variable can be used to override the automatically detected command (or specify its location
if the auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_COMMAND_REZ
Path to the Rez(1) command used to compile resources on macOS. This variable can be used to
override the automatically detected command (or specify its location if the auto-detection fails
to find it).
CPack External Generator
Added in version 3.13.
CPack provides many generators to create packages for a variety of platforms and packaging systems. The
intention is for CMake/CPack to be a complete end-to-end solution for building and packaging a software
project. However, it may not always be possible to use CPack for the entire packaging process, due to
either technical limitations or policies that require the use of certain tools. For this reason, CPack
provides the "External" generator, which allows external packaging software to take advantage of some of
the functionality provided by CPack, such as component installation and the dependency graph.
Integration with External Packaging Tools
The CPack External generator generates a .json file containing the CPack internal metadata, which gives
external software information on how to package the software. External packaging software may itself
invoke CPack, consume the generated metadata, install and package files as required.
Alternatively CPack can invoke an external packaging software through an optional custom CMake script in
CPACK_EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_SCRIPT instead.
Staging of installation files may also optionally be taken care of by the generator when enabled through
the CPACK_EXTERNAL_ENABLE_STAGING variable.
JSON Format
The JSON metadata file contains a list of CPack components and component groups, the various options
passed to cpack_add_component() and cpack_add_component_group(), the dependencies between the components
and component groups, and various other options passed to CPack.
The JSON's root object will always provide two fields: formatVersionMajor and formatVersionMinor, which
are always integers that describe the output format of the generator. Backwards-compatible changes to the
output format (for example, adding a new field that didn't exist before) cause the minor version to be
incremented, and backwards-incompatible changes (for example, deleting a field or changing its meaning)
cause the major version to be incremented and the minor version reset to 0. The format version is always
of the format major.minor. In other words, it always has exactly two parts, separated by a period.
You can request one or more specific versions of the output format as described below with
CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS. The output format will have a major version that exactly matches the
requested major version, and a minor version that is greater than or equal to the requested minor
version. If no version is requested with CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS, the latest known major
version is used by default. Currently, the only supported format is 1.0, which is described below.
Version 1.0
In addition to the standard format fields, format version 1.0 provides the following fields in the root:
components
The components field is an object with component names as the keys and objects describing the
components as the values. The component objects have the following fields:
name The name of the component. This is always the same as the key in the components object.
displayName
The value of the DISPLAY_NAME field passed to cpack_add_component().
description
The value of the DESCRIPTION field passed to cpack_add_component().
isHidden
True if HIDDEN was passed to cpack_add_component(), false if it was not.
isRequired
True if REQUIRED was passed to cpack_add_component(), false if it was not.
isDisabledByDefault
True if DISABLED was passed to cpack_add_component(), false if it was not.
group Only present if GROUP was passed to cpack_add_component(). If so, this field is a string
value containing the component's group.
dependencies
An array of components the component depends on. This contains the values in the DEPENDS
argument passed to cpack_add_component(). If no DEPENDS argument was passed, this is an
empty list.
installationTypes
An array of installation types the component is part of. This contains the values in the
INSTALL_TYPES argument passed to cpack_add_component(). If no INSTALL_TYPES argument was
passed, this is an empty list.
isDownloaded
True if DOWNLOADED was passed to cpack_add_component(), false if it was not.
archiveFile
The name of the archive file passed with the ARCHIVE_FILE argument to
cpack_add_component(). If no ARCHIVE_FILE argument was passed, this is an empty string.
componentGroups
The componentGroups field is an object with component group names as the keys and objects
describing the component groups as the values. The component group objects have the following
fields:
name The name of the component group. This is always the same as the key in the componentGroups
object.
displayName
The value of the DISPLAY_NAME field passed to cpack_add_component_group().
description
The value of the DESCRIPTION field passed to cpack_add_component_group().
parentGroup
Only present if PARENT_GROUP was passed to cpack_add_component_group(). If so, this field
is a string value containing the component group's parent group.
isExpandedByDefault
True if EXPANDED was passed to cpack_add_component_group(), false if it was not.
isBold True if BOLD_TITLE was passed to cpack_add_component_group(), false if it was not.
components
An array of names of components that are direct members of the group (components that have
this group as their GROUP). Components of subgroups are not included.
subgroups
An array of names of component groups that are subgroups of the group (groups that have
this group as their PARENT_GROUP).
installationTypes
The installationTypes field is an object with installation type names as the keys and objects
describing the installation types as the values. The installation type objects have the following
fields:
name The name of the installation type. This is always the same as the key in the
installationTypes object.
displayName
The value of the DISPLAY_NAME field passed to cpack_add_install_type().
index The integer index of the installation type in the list.
projects
The projects field is an array of objects describing CMake projects which comprise the CPack
project. The values in this field are derived from CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS. In most cases,
this will be only a single project. The project objects have the following fields:
projectName
The project name passed to CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS.
component
The name of the component or component set which comprises the project.
directory
The build directory of the CMake project. This is the directory which contains the
cmake_install.cmake script.
subDirectory
The subdirectory to install the project into inside the CPack package.
packageName
The package name given in CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME. Only present if this option is set.
packageVersion
The package version given in CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION. Only present if this option is set.
packageDescriptionFile
The package description file given in CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE. Only present if this option
is set.
packageDescriptionSummary
The package description summary given in CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY. Only present if this
option is set.
buildConfig
The build configuration given to CPack with the cpack -C option. Only present if this option is
set.
defaultDirectoryPermissions
The default directory permissions given in CPACK_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS. Only
present if this option is set.
setDestdir
True if CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is true, false if it is not.
packagingInstallPrefix
The install prefix given in CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX. Only present if CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is
true.
stripFiles
True if CPACK_STRIP_FILES is true, false if it is not.
warnOnAbsoluteInstallDestination
True if CPACK_WARN_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION is true, false if it is not.
errorOnAbsoluteInstallDestination
True if CPACK_ERROR_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION is true, false if it is not.
Variables specific to CPack External generator
CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS
This variable is used to request a specific version of the CPack External generator. It is a list
of major.minor values, separated by semicolons.
If this variable is set to a non-empty value, the CPack External generator will iterate through
each item in the list to search for a version that it knows how to generate. Requested versions
should be listed in order of descending preference by the client software, as the first matching
version in the list will be generated.
The generator knows how to generate the version if it has a versioned generator whose major
version exactly matches the requested major version, and whose minor version is greater than or
equal to the requested minor version. For example, if CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS contains
1.0, and the CPack External generator knows how to generate 1.1, it will generate 1.1. If the
generator doesn't know how to generate a version in the list, it skips the version and looks at
the next one. If it doesn't know how to generate any of the requested versions, an error is
thrown.
If this variable is not set, or is empty, the CPack External generator will generate the highest
major and minor version that it knows how to generate.
If an invalid version is encountered in CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS (one that doesn't match
major.minor, where major and minor are integers), it is ignored.
CPACK_EXTERNAL_ENABLE_STAGING
This variable can be set to true to enable optional installation into a temporary staging area
which can then be picked up and packaged by an external packaging tool. The top level directory
used by CPack for the current packaging task is contained in CPACK_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY. It is
automatically cleaned up on each run before packaging is initiated and can be used for custom
temporary files required by the external packaging tool. It also contains the staging area
CPACK_TEMPORARY_DIRECTORY into which CPack performs the installation when staging is enabled.
CPACK_EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_SCRIPT
This variable can optionally specify the full path to a CMake script file to be run as part of the
CPack invocation. It is invoked after (optional) staging took place and may run an external
packaging tool. The script has access to the variables defined by the CPack config file.
CPACK_EXTERNAL_BUILT_PACKAGES
Added in version 3.19.
The CPACK_EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_SCRIPT script may set this list variable to the full paths of generated
package files. CPack will copy these files from the staging directory back to the top build
directory and possibly produce checksum files if the CPACK_PACKAGE_CHECKSUM is set.
CPack FreeBSD Generator
Added in version 3.10.
The built in (binary) CPack FreeBSD (pkg) generator (Unix only)
Variables affecting the CPack FreeBSD (pkg) generator
• Added in version 3.18: CPACK_ARCHIVE_THREADS
Variables specific to CPack FreeBSD (pkg) generator
The CPack FreeBSD generator may be used to create pkg(8) packages -- these may be used on FreeBSD,
DragonflyBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, but also on Linux or OSX, depending on the installed package-management
tools -- using CPack.
The CPack FreeBSD generator is a CPack generator and uses the CPACK_XXX variables used by CPack. It tries
to reuse packaging information that may already be specified for Debian packages for the CPack DEB
Generator. It also tries to reuse RPM packaging information when Debian does not specify.
The CPack FreeBSD generator should work on any host with libpkg installed. The packages it produces are
specific to the host architecture and ABI.
The CPack FreeBSD generator sets package-metadata through CPACK_FREEBSD_XXX variables. The CPack FreeBSD
generator, unlike the CPack Deb generator, does not specially support componentized packages; a single
package is created from all the software artifacts created through CMake.
All of the variables can be set specifically for FreeBSD packaging in the CPackConfig file or in
CMakeLists.txt, but most of them have defaults that use general settings (e.g. CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME) or
Debian-specific variables when those make sense (e.g. the homepage of an upstream project is usually
unchanged by the flavor of packaging). When there is no Debian information to fall back on, but the RPM
packaging has it, fall back to the RPM information (e.g. package license).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_NAME
Sets the package name (in the package manifest, but also affects the output filename).
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME (this is always set by CPack itself, based on CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_COMMENT
Sets the package comment. This is the short description displayed by pkg(8) in standard "pkg info"
output.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY (this is always set by CPack itself, if nothing else
sets it explicitly).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
Sets the package description. This is the long description of the package, given by "pkg info"
with a specific package as argument.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION (this may be set already for Debian packaging, so it is
used as a fallback).
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY (this is always set by CPack itself, if nothing else
sets it explicitly).
• PROJECT_DESCRIPTION (this can be set with the DESCRIPTION parameter for project()).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_WWW
The URL of the web site for this package, preferably (when applicable) the site from which the
original source can be obtained and any additional upstream documentation or information may be
found.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL, or if that is not set,
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE (this may be set already for Debian packaging, so it is
used as a fallback).
Added in version 3.12: The CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_LICENSE
The license, or licenses, which apply to this software package. This must be one or more
license-identifiers that pkg recognizes as acceptable license identifiers (e.g. "GPLv2").
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_LICENSE
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_LICENSE_LOGIC
This variable is only of importance if there is more than one license. The default is "single",
which is only applicable to a single license. Other acceptable values are determined by pkg --
those are "dual" or "multi" -- meaning choice (OR) or simultaneous (AND) application of the
licenses.
Mandatory
No
Default
single
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_MAINTAINER
The FreeBSD maintainer (e.g. kde@freebsd.org) of this package.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
none
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_ORIGIN
The origin (ports label) of this package; for packages built by CPack outside of the ports system
this is of less importance. The default puts the package somewhere under misc/, as a stopgap.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
misc/<package name>
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_CATEGORIES
The ports categories where this package lives (if it were to be built from ports). If none is set
a single category is determined based on the package origin.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
derived from ORIGIN
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_DEPS
A list of package origins that should be added as package dependencies. These are in the form
<category>/<packagename>, e.g. x11/libkonq. No version information needs to be provided (this is
not included in the manifest).
Mandatory
No
Default
empty
CPack Inno Setup Generator
Added in version 3.27.
Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows programs by Jordan Russell and Martijn Laan (‐
https://jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php).
This documentation explains Inno Setup generator specific options.
The generator provides a lot of options like components. Unfortunately, not all features (e.g. component
dependencies) are currently supported by Inno Setup and they're ignored by the generator for now.
CPack requires Inno Setup 6 or greater.
Added in version 3.30: The generator is now available on non-Windows hosts, but requires Wine to run the
Inno Setup tools.
Variables specific to CPack Inno Setup generator
You can use the following variables to change the behavior of the CPack INNOSETUP generator:
General
None of the following variables is required to be set for the Inno Setup generator to work. If a variable
is marked as mandatory below but not set, its default value is taken.
The variables can also contain Inno Setup constants like {app}. Please refer to the documentation of Inno
Setup for more information.
If you're asked to provide the path to any file, you can always give an absolute path or in most cases
the relative path from the top-level directory where all files being installed by an install()
instruction reside.
CPack tries to escape quotes and other special characters for you. However, using special characters
could cause problems.
The following variable simplifies the usage of Inno Setup in CMake:
CPACK_INNOSETUP_USE_CMAKE_BOOL_FORMAT
Inno Setup only uses yes or no as boolean formats meanwhile CMake uses a lot of alternative
formats like ON or OFF. Having this option turned on enables an automatic conversion.
Consider the following example:
set(CMAKE_INNOSETUP_SETUP_AllowNoIcons OFF)
If this option is turned on, the following line will be created in the output script:
AllowNoIcons=no. Else, the following erroneous line will be created: AllowNoIcons=OFF
The conversion is enabled in every Inno Setup specific variable.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
ON
Setup Specific Variables
CPACK_INNOSETUP_ARCHITECTURE
One of x86, x64, arm64 or ia64. This variable specifies the target architecture of the installer.
This also affects the Program Files folder or registry keys being used.
CPack tries to determine the correct value with a try compile (see CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P), but this
option can be manually specified too (especially when using ia64 or cross-platform compilation).
Mandatory
Yes
Default
Either x86 or x64 depending on the results of the try-compile
CPACK_INNOSETUP_INSTALL_ROOT
If you don't want the installer to create the installation directory under Program Files, you've
to specify the installation root here.
The full directory of the installation will be:
${CPACK_INNOSETUP_INSTALL_ROOT}/${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
{autopf}
CPACK_INNOSETUP_ALLOW_CUSTOM_DIRECTORY
If turned on, the installer allows the user to change the installation directory providing an
extra wizard page.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
ON
CPACK_INNOSETUP_PROGRAM_MENU_FOLDER
The initial name of the start menu folder being created.
If this variable is set to ., then no separate folder is created, application shortcuts will
appear in the top-level start menu folder.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
The value of CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_INNOSETUP_LANGUAGES
A semicolon-separated list of languages you want Inno Setup to include.
Currently available: armenian, brazilianPortuguese, bulgarian, catalan, corsican, czech, danish,
dutch, english, finnish, french, german, hebrew, icelandic, italian, japanese, norwegian, polish,
portuguese, russian, slovak, slovenian, spanish, turkish and ukrainian. This list might differ
depending on the version of Inno Setup.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
english
CPACK_INNOSETUP_IGNORE_LICENSE_PAGE
If you don't specify a license file using CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE, CPack uses a file for
demonstration purposes. If you want the installer to ignore license files at all, you can enable
this option.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
OFF
CPACK_INNOSETUP_IGNORE_README_PAGE
If you don't specify a readme file using CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README, CPack uses a file for
demonstration purposes. If you want the installer to ignore readme files at all, you can enable
this option. Make sure the option is disabled when using a custom readme file.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
ON
CPACK_INNOSETUP_PASSWORD
Enables password protection and file encryption with the given password.
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_USE_MODERN_WIZARD
Enables the modern look and feel provided by Inno Setup. If this option is turned off, the classic
style is used instead. Images and icon files are also affected.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
OFF because of compatibility reasons
CPACK_INNOSETUP_ICON_FILE
The path to a custom installer .ico file.
Use CPACK_PACKAGE_ICON to customize the bitmap file being shown in the wizard.
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_SETUP_<directive>
This group allows adapting any of the [Setup] section directives provided by Inno Setup where
directive is its name.
Here are some examples:
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_SETUP_WizardSmallImageFile "my_bitmap.bmp")
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_SETUP_AllowNoIcons OFF) # This requires CPACK_INNOSETUP_USE_CMAKE_BOOL_FORMAT to be on
All of these variables have higher priority than the others. Consider the following example:
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_SETUP_Password "admin")
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_PASSWORD "secret")
The password will be admin at the end because CPACK_INNOSETUP_PASSWORD has less priority than
CPACK_INNOSETUP_SETUP_Password.
Mandatory
No
File Specific Variables
Although all files being installed by an install() instruction are automatically processed and added to
the installer, there are some variables to customize the installation process.
Before using executables (only .exe or .com) in shortcuts (e.g. CPACK_CREATE_DESKTOP_LINKS) or [Run]
entries, you've to add the raw file name (without path and extension) to CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES and
create a start menu shortcut for them.
If you have two files with the same raw name (e.g. a/executable.exe and b/executable.com), an entry in
the section is created twice. This will result in undefined behavior and is not recommended.
CPACK_INNOSETUP_CUSTOM_INSTALL_INSTRUCTIONS
This variable should contain a semicolon-separated list of pairs path, instruction and can be used
to customize the install command being automatically created for each file or directory.
CPack creates the following Inno Setup instruction for every file...
Source: "absolute\path\to\my_file.txt"; DestDir: "{app}"; Flags: ignoreversion
...and the following line for every directory:
Name: "{app}\my_folder"
You might want to change the destination directory or the flags of my_file.txt. Since we can also
provide a relative path, the line you'd like to have, is the following:
Source: "my_file.txt"; DestDir: "{userdocs}"; Flags: ignoreversion uninsneveruninstall
You would do this by using my_file.txt as path and Source: "my_file.txt"; DestDir: "{userdocs}";
Flags: ignoreversion uninsneveruninstall as instruction.
You've to take care of the escaping problem. So the CMake command would be:
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_CUSTOM_INSTALL_INSTRUCTIONS "my_file.txt;Source: \\\"my_file.txt\\\"\\; DestDir: \\\"{userdocs}\\\"\\; Flags: ignoreversion uninsneveruninstall")
To improve readability, you should go around the escaping problem by using
CPACK_VERBATIM_VARIABLES or by placing the instruction into a separate CPack project config file.
If you customize the install instruction of a specific file, you lose the connection to its
component. To go around, manually add Components: <component>. You also need to add its shortcuts
and [Run] entries by yourself in a custom section, since the executable won't be found anymore by
CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES.
Here's another example (Note: You've to go around the escaping problem for the example to work):
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_CUSTOM_INSTALL_INSTRUCTIONS
"component1/my_folder" "Name: \"{userdocs}\\my_folder\"\; Components: component1"
"component2/my_folder2/my_file.txt" "Source: \"component2\\my_folder2\\my_file.txt\"\; DestDir: \"{app}\\my_folder2\\my_file.txt\"\; Flags: ignoreversion uninsneveruninstall\; Components: component2")
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_MENU_LINKS
This variable should contain a semicolon-separated list of pairs link, link name and can be used
to add shortcuts into the start menu folder beside those of the executables (see
CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES). While link name is the label, link can be a URL or a path relative to
the installation directory.
Here's an example:
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_MENU_LINKS
"doc/cmake-@CMake_VERSION_MAJOR@.@CMake_VERSION_MINOR@/cmake.html"
"CMake Help" "https://cmake.org" "CMake Web Site")
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_CREATE_UNINSTALL_LINK
If this option is turned on, a shortcut to the application's uninstaller is automatically added to
the start menu folder.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
OFF
CPACK_INNOSETUP_RUN_EXECUTABLES
A semicolon-separated list of executables being specified in CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES which the
user can run when the installer finishes.
They're internally added to the [Run] section.
Mandatory
No
Components Specific Variables
The generator supports components and also downloaded components. However, there are some features of
components that aren't supported yet (especially component dependencies). These variables are ignored for
now.
CPack will change a component's name in Inno Setup if it has a parent group for technical reasons.
Consider using group\component as component name in Inno Setup scripts if you have the component
component and its parent group group.
Here are some additional variables for components:
CPACK_INNOSETUP_<compName>_INSTALL_DIRECTORY
If you don't want the component compName to be installed under {app}, you've to specify its
installation directory here.
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_VERIFY_DOWNLOADS
This option only affects downloaded components.
If this option is turned on, the hashes of the downloaded archives are calculated during compile
and download time. The installer will only proceed if they match.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
ON
Compilation and Scripting Specific Variables
CPACK_INNOSETUP_EXECUTABLE
The filename of the Inno Setup Script Compiler command.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
ISCC
CPACK_INNOSETUP_EXECUTABLE_ARGUMENTS
A semicolon-separated list of extra command-line options for the Inno Setup Script Compiler
command.
For example: /Qp;/Smysigntool=$p
Take care of the escaping problem.
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_DEFINE_<macro>
This group allows to add custom define directives as command-line options to the Inno Setup
Preprocessor command. Each entry emulates a #define public <macro> directive. Its macro is
accessible from anywhere (public), so it can also be used in extra script files.
Macro names must not contain any special characters. Refer to the Inno Setup Preprocessor
documentation for the detailed rules.
Consider the following example:
# The following line emulates: #define public MyMacro "Hello, World!"
set(CPACK_INNOSETUP_DEFINE_MyMacro "Hello, World!")
At this point, you can use MyMacro anywhere. For example in the following extra script:
AppComments={#emit "'My Macro' has the value: " + MyMacro}
Take care of the escaping problem.
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_EXTRA_SCRIPTS
A semicolon-separated list of paths to additional .iss script files to be processed.
They're internally included at the top of the output script file using a #include directive.
You can add any section in your file to extend the installer (e.g. adding additional tasks or
registry keys). Prefer using CPACK_INNOSETUP_SETUP_<directive> when extending the [Setup] section.
Mandatory
No
CPACK_INNOSETUP_CODE_FILES
A semicolon-separated list of paths to additional Pascal files to be processed.
This variable is actually the same as CPACK_INNOSETUP_EXTRA_SCRIPTS, except you don't have to add
[Code] at the top of your file. Never change the current section in a code file. This will result
in undefined behavior! Treat them as normal Pascal scripts instead.
Code files are included at the very bottom of the output script.
Mandatory
No
CPack IFW Generator
Added in version 3.1.
Configure and run the Qt Installer Framework to generate a Qt installer.
Overview
This cpack generator generates configuration and meta information for the Qt Installer Framework (QtIFW),
and runs QtIFW tools to generate a Qt installer.
QtIFW provides tools and utilities to create installers for the platforms supported by Qt: Linux,
Microsoft Windows, and macOS.
To make use of this generator, QtIFW needs to be installed. The CPackIFW module looks for the location
of the QtIFW command-line utilities, and defines several commands to control the behavior of this
generator. See Hints for Finding QtIFW.
Variables
You can use the following variables to change the behavior of the CPack IFW generator.
Debug
CPACK_IFW_VERBOSE
Added in version 3.3.
Set to ON to enable addition debug output. By default is OFF.
Package
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_TITLE
Name of the installer as displayed on the title bar. If not specified, it defaults to
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_PUBLISHER
Publisher of the software (as shown in the Windows Control Panel). If not specified, it defaults
to CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR.
CPACK_IFW_PRODUCT_URL
URL to a page that contains product information on your web site.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_ICON
Filename for a custom installer icon. It must be an absolute path. This should be a .icns file on
macOS and a .ico file on Windows. It is ignored on other platforms.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WINDOW_ICON
Filename for a custom window icon in PNG format for the Installer application. It must be an
absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_LOGO
Filename for a logo image in PNG format, used as QWizard::LogoPixmap. It must be an absolute
path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WATERMARK
Added in version 3.8.
Filename for a watermark image in PNG format, used as QWizard::WatermarkPixmap. It must be an
absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_BANNER
Added in version 3.8.
Filename for a banner image in PNG format, used as QWizard::BannerPixmap. It must be an absolute
path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_BACKGROUND
Added in version 3.8.
Filename for a background image in PNG format, used as QWizard::BackgroundPixmap (only used by
MacStyle). It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_STYLE
Added in version 3.8.
Wizard style to be used (Modern, Mac, Aero or Classic).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_DEFAULT_WIDTH
Added in version 3.8.
Default width of the wizard in pixels. Setting a banner image will override this.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_DEFAULT_HEIGHT
Added in version 3.8.
Default height of the wizard in pixels. Setting a watermark image will override this.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_SHOW_PAGE_LIST
Added in version 3.20.
Set to OFF if the widget listing installer pages on the left side of the wizard should not be
shown.
It is ON by default, but will only have an effect if using QtIFW 4.0 or later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_TITLE_COLOR
Added in version 3.8.
Color of the titles and subtitles (takes an HTML color code, such as #88FF33).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_STYLE_SHEET
Added in version 3.15.
Filename for a stylesheet. It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_TARGET_DIRECTORY
Default target directory for installation. If CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY is set, this
defaults to @ApplicationsDir@/${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}. If that variable isn't set
either, the default used is @RootDir@/usr/local. Predefined variables of the form @...@ are
expanded by the QtIFW scripting engine.
CPACK_IFW_ADMIN_TARGET_DIRECTORY
Default target directory for installation with administrator rights.
You can use predefined variables.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_REMOVE_TARGET_DIR
Added in version 3.11.
Set to OFF if the target directory should not be deleted when uninstalling.
Is ON by default
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_GROUP
The group, which will be used to configure the root package.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_NAME
The root package name, which will be used if the configuration group is not specified.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_START_MENU_DIRECTORY
Added in version 3.3.
Name of the default program group for the product in the Windows Start menu. If not specified, it
defaults to CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_NAME.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_MAINTENANCE_TOOL_NAME
Added in version 3.3.
Filename of the generated maintenance tool. The platform-specific executable file extension will
be appended.
If not specified, QtIFW provides a default name (maintenancetool).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_MAINTENANCE_TOOL_INI_FILE
Added in version 3.3.
Filename for the configuration of the generated maintenance tool.
If not specified, QtIFW uses a default file name (maintenancetool.ini).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_ALLOW_NON_ASCII_CHARACTERS
Added in version 3.3.
Set to ON if the installation path can contain non-ASCII characters. Only supported for QtIFW 2.0
and later. Older QtIFW versions will always allow non-ASCII characters.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_ALLOW_SPACE_IN_PATH
Added in version 3.3.
Set to OFF if the installation path cannot contain space characters.
Is ON for QtIFW less 2.0 tools.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_DISABLE_COMMAND_LINE_INTERFACE
Added in version 3.23.
Set to ON if command line interface features should be disabled. It is OFF by default and will
only have an effect if using QtIFW 4.0 or later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_CONTROL_SCRIPT
Added in version 3.3.
Filename for a custom installer control script.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RESOURCES
Added in version 3.7.
List of additional resources (.qrc files) to include in the installer binary. They should be
specified as absolute paths and no two resource files can have the same file name.
You can use the cpack_ifw_add_package_resources() command to resolve relative paths.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_FILE_EXTENSION
Added in version 3.10.
The target binary extension.
On Linux, the name of the target binary is automatically extended with .run, if you do not specify
the extension.
On Windows, the target is created as an application with the extension .exe, which is
automatically added, if not supplied.
On Mac, the target is created as an DMG disk image with the extension .dmg, which is automatically
added, if not supplied.
CPACK_IFW_REPOSITORIES_ALL
The list of remote repositories.
The default value of this variable is computed by CPack and contains all repositories added with
cpack_ifw_add_repository() or updated with cpack_ifw_update_repository().
CPACK_IFW_DOWNLOAD_ALL
If this is ON, all components will be downloaded. If not set, the behavior is determined by
whether cpack_configure_downloads() has been called with the ALL option or not.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_PRODUCT_IMAGES
Added in version 3.23.
A list of images to be shown on the PerformInstallationPage. These must be absolute paths and the
images must be in PNG format.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM
Added in version 3.23.
Command executed after the installer is finished, if the user accepts the action. Provide the full
path to the application, as found when installed. This typically means the path should begin with
the QtIFW predefined variable @TargetDir@.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM_ARGUMENTS
Added in version 3.23.
List of arguments passed to the program specified in CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM_DESCRIPTION
Added in version 3.23.
Text shown next to the check box for running the program after the installation. If
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM is set but no description is provided, QtIFW will use a default
message like Run <Name> now.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_SIGNING_IDENTITY
Added in version 3.23.
Allows specifying a code signing identity to be used for signing the generated app bundle. Only
available on macOS, ignored on other platforms.
CPACK_IFW_ARCHIVE_FORMAT
Added in version 3.23.
Set the format used when packaging new component data archives. If you omit this option, the 7z
format will be used as a default. Supported formats:
• 7z
• zip
• tar.gz
• tar.bz2
• tar.xz
NOTE:
If the Qt Installer Framework tools were built without libarchive support, only 7z format is
supported.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.2.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_ARCHIVE_COMPRESSION
Added in version 3.23.
Archive compression level. The allowable values are:
• 0 (No compression)
• 1 (Fastest compression)
• 3 (Fast compression)
• 5 (Normal compression)
• 7 (Maximum compression)
• 9 (Ultra compression)
If this variable is not set, QtIFW will use a default compression level, which will typically be 5
(Normal compression).
NOTE:
Some formats do not support all the possible values. For example zip compression only supports
values from 1 to 7.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.2.0 and later.
Components
CPACK_IFW_RESOLVE_DUPLICATE_NAMES
Resolve duplicate names when installing components with groups.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGES_DIRECTORIES
Additional prepared packages directories that will be used to resolve dependent components.
CPACK_IFW_REPOSITORIES_DIRECTORIES
Added in version 3.10.
Additional prepared repository directories that will be used to resolve and repack dependent
components.
This feature is available for QtIFW 3.1 and later.
QtIFW Tools
CPACK_IFW_FRAMEWORK_VERSION
Added in version 3.3.
The version of the QtIFW tools that will be used. This variable is set by the CPackIFW module.
The following variables provide the locations of the QtIFW command-line tools as discovered by the
CPackIFW module. These variables are cached, and may be configured if needed.
CPACK_IFW_ARCHIVEGEN_EXECUTABLE
Added in version 3.19.
The path to archivegen.
CPACK_IFW_BINARYCREATOR_EXECUTABLE
The path to binarycreator.
CPACK_IFW_REPOGEN_EXECUTABLE
The path to repogen.
CPACK_IFW_INSTALLERBASE_EXECUTABLE
The path to installerbase.
CPACK_IFW_DEVTOOL_EXECUTABLE
The path to devtool.
Hints for Finding QtIFW
Generally, the CPack IFW generator automatically finds QtIFW tools. The following (in order of
precedence) can also be set to augment the locations normally searched by find_program():
CPACK_IFW_ROOT
Added in version 3.9.
CMake variable
CPACK_IFW_ROOT
Added in version 3.9.
Environment variable
QTIFWDIR
CMake variable
QTIFWDIR
Environment variable
NOTE:
The specified path should not contain bin at the end (for example: D:\\DevTools\\QtIFW2.0.5).
Other Settings
Online installer
By default, this generator generates an offline installer. This means that all packaged files are fully
contained in the installer executable.
In contrast, an online installer will download some or all components from a remote server.
The DOWNLOADED option in the cpack_add_component() command specifies that a component is to be
downloaded. Alternatively, the ALL option in the cpack_configure_downloads() command specifies that all
components are to be be downloaded.
The cpack_ifw_add_repository() command and the CPACK_IFW_DOWNLOAD_ALL variable allow for more specific
configuration.
When there are online components, CPack will write them to archive files. The help page of the
CPackComponent module, especially the section on the cpack_configure_downloads() function, explains how
to make these files accessible from a download URL.
Internationalization
Added in version 3.9.
Some variables and command arguments support internationalization via CMake script. This is an optional
feature.
Installers created by QtIFW tools have built-in support for internationalization and many phrases are
localized to many languages, but this does not apply to the description of your components and groups.
Localization of the description of your components and groups is useful for users of your installers.
A localized variable or argument can contain a single default value, and after that a set of pairs with
the name of the locale and the localized value.
For example:
set(LOCALIZABLE_VARIABLE "Default value"
en "English value"
en_US "American value"
en_GB "Great Britain value"
)
See Also
Qt Installer Framework Manual:
• Index page: https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/index.html
• Component Scripting: https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/scripting.html
• Predefined Variables: https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/scripting.html#predefined-variables
• Promoting Updates: https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/ifw-updates.html
Download Qt Installer Framework for your platform from Qt site:
https://download.qt.io/official_releases/qt-installer-framework
CPack NSIS Generator
CPack Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) generator specific options.
Changed in version 3.22: The NSIS generator requires NSIS 3.03 or newer.
Variables specific to CPack NSIS generator
The following variables are specific to the graphical installers built on Windows Nullsoft Scriptable
Install System.
CPACK_NSIS_INSTALL_ROOT
The default installation directory presented to the end user by the NSIS installer is under this
root dir. The full directory presented to the end user is:
${CPACK_NSIS_INSTALL_ROOT}/${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_ICON
An icon filename. The name of a *.ico file used as the main icon for the generated install
program.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_UNIICON
An icon filename. The name of a *.ico file used as the main icon for the generated uninstall
program.
CPACK_NSIS_INSTALLER_MUI_ICON_CODE
undocumented.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_WELCOMEFINISHPAGE_BITMAP
Added in version 3.5.
The filename of a bitmap to use as the NSIS MUI_WELCOMEFINISHPAGE_BITMAP.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_UNWELCOMEFINISHPAGE_BITMAP
Added in version 3.5.
The filename of a bitmap to use as the NSIS MUI_UNWELCOMEFINISHPAGE_BITMAP.
CPACK_NSIS_EXTRA_PREINSTALL_COMMANDS
Extra NSIS commands that will be added to the beginning of the install Section, before your
install tree is available on the target system.
CPACK_NSIS_EXTRA_INSTALL_COMMANDS
Extra NSIS commands that will be added to the end of the install Section, after your install tree
is available on the target system.
CPACK_NSIS_EXTRA_UNINSTALL_COMMANDS
Extra NSIS commands that will be added to the uninstall Section, before your install tree is
removed from the target system.
CPACK_NSIS_COMPRESSOR
The arguments that will be passed to the NSIS SetCompressor command.
CPACK_NSIS_ENABLE_UNINSTALL_BEFORE_INSTALL
Ask about uninstalling previous versions first. If this is set to ON, then an installer will look
for previous installed versions and if one is found, ask the user whether to uninstall it before
proceeding with the install.
CPACK_NSIS_MODIFY_PATH
Modify PATH toggle. If this is set to ON, then an extra page will appear in the installer that
will allow the user to choose whether the program directory should be added to the system PATH
variable.
CPACK_NSIS_DISPLAY_NAME
The display name string that appears in the Windows Apps & features in Control Panel
CPACK_NSIS_PACKAGE_NAME
The title displayed at the top of the installer.
CPACK_NSIS_INSTALLED_ICON_NAME
A path to the executable that contains the installer icon.
CPACK_NSIS_HELP_LINK
URL to a web site providing assistance in installing your application.
CPACK_NSIS_URL_INFO_ABOUT
URL to a web site providing more information about your application.
CPACK_NSIS_CONTACT
Contact information for questions and comments about the installation process.
CPACK_NSIS_<compName>_INSTALL_DIRECTORY
Added in version 3.7.
Custom install directory for the specified component <compName> instead of $INSTDIR.
CPACK_NSIS_CREATE_ICONS_EXTRA
Additional NSIS commands for creating Start Menu shortcuts.
CPACK_NSIS_DELETE_ICONS_EXTRA
Additional NSIS commands to uninstall Start Menu shortcuts.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLES_DIRECTORY
Creating NSIS Start Menu links assumes that they are in bin unless this variable is set. For
example, you would set this to exec if your executables are in an exec directory.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_FINISHPAGE_RUN
Specify an executable to add an option to run on the finish page of the NSIS installer.
CPACK_NSIS_MENU_LINKS
Specify links in [application] menu. This should contain a list of pair link link name. The link
may be a URL or a path relative to installation prefix. Like:
set(CPACK_NSIS_MENU_LINKS
"doc/cmake-@CMake_VERSION_MAJOR@.@CMake_VERSION_MINOR@/cmake.html"
"CMake Help" "https://cmake.org" "CMake Web Site")
CPACK_NSIS_UNINSTALL_NAME
Added in version 3.17.
Specify the name of the program to uninstall the version. Default is Uninstall.
CPACK_NSIS_WELCOME_TITLE
Added in version 3.17.
The title to display on the top of the page for the welcome page.
CPACK_NSIS_WELCOME_TITLE_3LINES
Added in version 3.17.
Display the title in the welcome page on 3 lines instead of 2.
CPACK_NSIS_FINISH_TITLE
Added in version 3.17.
The title to display on the top of the page for the finish page.
CPACK_NSIS_FINISH_TITLE_3LINES
Added in version 3.17.
Display the title in the finish page on 3 lines instead of 2.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_HEADERIMAGE
Added in version 3.17.
The image to display on the header of installers pages.
CPACK_NSIS_MANIFEST_DPI_AWARE
Added in version 3.18.
If set, declares that the installer is DPI-aware.
CPACK_NSIS_BRANDING_TEXT
Added in version 3.20.
If set, updates the text at the bottom of the install window. To set the string to blank, use a
space (" ").
CPACK_NSIS_BRANDING_TEXT_TRIM_POSITION
Added in version 3.20.
If set, trim down the size of the control to the size of the branding text string. Allowed values
for this variable are LEFT, CENTER or RIGHT. If not specified, the default behavior is LEFT.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE
Added in version 3.21.
If set, specify the name of the NSIS executable. Default is makensis.
CPACK_NSIS_IGNORE_LICENSE_PAGE
Added in version 3.22.
If set, do not display the page containing the license during installation.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS
Added in version 3.25.
This variable is a semicolon-separated list of arguments to prepend to the nsis script to run. If
the arguments do not start with a / or a -, it will add one automatically to the corresponding
arguments. The command that will be run is:
makensis.exe <preArgs>... "nsisFileName.nsi" <postArgs>...
where <preArgs>... is constructed from CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS and <postArgs>... is
constructed from CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS
Added in version 3.25.
This variable is a semicolon-separated list of arguments to append to the nsis script to run. If
the arguments do not start with a / or a -, it will add one automatically to the corresponding
arguments. The command that will be run is:
makensis.exe <preArgs>... "nsisFileName.nsi" <postArgs>...
where <preArgs>... is constructed from CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS and <postArgs>... is
constructed from CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS.
CPack NuGet Generator
Added in version 3.12.
When build a NuGet package there is no direct way to control an output filename due a lack of the
corresponding CLI option of NuGet, so there is no CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME variable. To form the
output filename NuGet uses the package name and the version according to its built-in rules.
Also, be aware that including a top level directory (CPACK_INCLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY) is ignored by this
generator.
Variables specific to CPack NuGet generator
The CPack NuGet generator may be used to create NuGet packages using CPack. The CPack NuGet generator is
a CPack generator thus it uses the CPACK_XXX variables used by CPack.
The CPack NuGet generator has specific features which are controlled by the specifics CPACK_NUGET_XXX
variables. In the "one per group" mode (see CPACK_COMPONENTS_GROUPING), <compName> placeholder in the
variables below would contain a group name (uppercased and turned into a "C" identifier).
List of CPack NuGet generator specific variables:
CPACK_NUGET_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging for CPack NuGet generator
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEBUG
Enable debug messages while executing CPack NuGet generator.
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
Required metadata variables
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_NAME
The NUGET package name. CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_NAME is used as the package id on nuget.org
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_VERSION
The NuGet package version.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
A long description of the package for UI display.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION,
• CPACK_COMPONENT_GROUP_<groupName>_DESCRIPTION,
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_AUTHORS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_AUTHORS
A comma-separated list of packages authors, matching the profile names on nuget.org. These are
displayed in the NuGet Gallery on nuget.org and are used to cross-reference packages by the same
authors.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR
Optional metadata variables
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_OWNERS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_OWNERS
Deprecated since version 3.30: Use authors (CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_AUTHORS) instead.
A comma-separated list of the package creators using profile names on nuget.org. This is often the
same list as in authors, and is ignored when uploading the package to nuget.org.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL
An URL for the package's home page, often shown in UI displays as well as nuget.org.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSEURL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LICENSEURL
Deprecated since version 3.20: Use a local license file (CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME) or
a SPDX license identifier (CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION) instead.
An URL for the package's license, often shown in UI displays as well as on nuget.org.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 4.9.0 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME
Added in version 3.20.
The package's license file in .txt or .md format.
If CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME is specified, CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION is
ignored.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 4.9.0 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION
Added in version 3.20.
A Software Package Data Exchange SPDX license identifier such as MIT, BSD-3-Clause, or
LGPL-3.0-or-later. In the case of a choice of licenses or more complex restrictions, compound
license expressions may be formed using boolean operators, for example MIT OR BSD-3-Clause. See
the SPDX specification for guidance on forming complex license expressions.
If CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME is specified, CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION is
ignored.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_ICONURL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_ICONURL
Deprecated since version 3.20: Use a local icon file (CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_ICON) instead.
An URL for a 64x64 image with transparency background to use as the icon for the package in UI
display.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_ICON
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_ICON
Added in version 3.20.
The filename of a 64x64 image with transparency background to use as the icon for the package in
UI display.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 5.3.0 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_README
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_README
Added in version 3.30.
The package path relative to the root of the package to a readme file. Supported file formats
include only Markdown (*.md).
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 5.10.0 preview 2 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REQUIRE_LICENSE_ACCEPTANCE
When set to a true value, the user will be prompted to accept the license before installing the
package.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
Deprecated since version 3.30: Summary is being deprecated. Use description (‐
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION) instead.
A short description of the package for UI display. If omitted, a truncated version of description
is used.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_RELEASE_NOTES
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_RELEASE_NOTES
A description of the changes made in this release of the package, often used in UI like the
Updates tab of the Visual Studio Package Manager in place of the package description.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_COPYRIGHT
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_COPYRIGHT
Copyright details for the package.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LANGUAGE
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LANGUAGE
Added in version 3.20.
Locale specifier for the package, for example en_CA.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TAGS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_TAGS
A space-delimited list of tags and keywords that describe the package and aid discoverability of
packages through search and filtering.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REPOSITORY_URL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_REPOSITORY_URL
Added in version 3.30.
Repository metadata allows you to map the *.nupkg to the repository that built it. This should be
a publicly available URL that can be invoked directly by a version control software. It should not
be an HTML page as this is meant for the computer.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 4.0 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REPOSITORY_TYPE
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_REPOSITORY_TYPE
Added in version 3.30.
A type of the VCS repository. When uploading a package to nuget.org, the type is limited to 100
characters.
Mandatory
Yes, if repository URL has been specified
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 4.0 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REPOSITORY_BRANCH
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_REPOSITORY_BRANCH
Added in version 3.30.
A VSC branch name to build the package.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 4.6 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REPOSITORY_COMMIT
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_REPOSITORY_COMMIT
Added in version 3.30.
A SHA-1 hash of the commit to build the package.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Supported
NuGet 4.6 and above
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TITLE
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_TITLE
A human-friendly title of the package, typically used in UI displays as on nuget.org and the
Package Manager in Visual Studio. If not specified, the package ID is used.
Mandatory
No
Default
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DISPLAY_NAME,
• CPACK_COMPONENT_GROUP_<groupName>_DISPLAY_NAME
Dependencies specification
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES
A list of default (not framework-specific) package dependencies.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<dependency>_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<dependency>_VERSION
A version specification for the particular dependency, where <dependency> is an item of the
dependency list (see above).
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TFMS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_TFMS
Added in version 3.30.
A list of Target Framework Monikers (TFMs) for the package, e.g., "net47;netcoreapp21". For each
of these TFMs a dependency group will be generated in the dependencies block of the NuGet package.
Framework-specific dependencies can be added to these groups with the TFM dependency lists (see
below).
This variable is particularly useful for fixing warnings NU5128.
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<tfm>
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<tfm>
Added in version 3.30.
A list of package dependencies that apply specifically to the <tfm> framework, where <tfm> is an
item from the TFMs list (see above).
Mandatory
No
Default
None
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<tfm>_<dependency>_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<tfm>_<dependency>_VERSION
Added in version 3.30.
A version specification for the particular framework-specific dependency, where <dependency> is an
item of the <tfm>-specific dependency list (see above).
Mandatory
No
Default
None
Example usage
set(CPACK_GENERATOR NuGet)
# Set up package metadata
set(CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME SamplePackage)
set(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION "1.0.0")
set(CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR "Example Inc")
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_AUTHORS "ExampleInc")
set(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION "A .NET wrapper around the foobar library for frobbling bratchens")
set(CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL "https://www.example.com")
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REPOSITORY_URL "https://github.com/example/libfoobar.git")
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REPOSITORY_TYPE git)
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION "MIT")
# Set up dependencies
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TFMS "net4;net6.0")
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_net4 "Foo;Bar")
# NB: If a version number is omitted, the dependency will not be created
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_net4_Foo_VERSION "1.23")
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_net4_Bar_VERSION "4.3.2")
# NB: General dependencies (not framework-specific) go in this variable
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES "Baz")
set(CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_Baz_VERSION "9.8.6")
# NB: Since "net6.0" was listed but no dependencies have been specified, an empty group
# will be added to the nuspec file for this framework. This can be used to address warning NU5128.
include(CPack)
CPack PackageMaker Generator
Removed. This once generated PackageMaker installers, but the generator has been removed since CMake
3.24. Xcode no longer distributes the PackageMaker tools. Use the CPack productbuild Generator instead.
CPack productbuild Generator
Added in version 3.7.
productbuild CPack generator (macOS).
Variables specific to CPack productbuild generator
The following variable is specific to installers built on Mac macOS using ProductBuild:
CPACK_COMMAND_PRODUCTBUILD
Path to the productbuild(1) command used to generate a product archive for the macOS Installer or
Mac App Store. This variable can be used to override the automatically detected command (or
specify its location if the auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_IDENTIFIER
Added in version 3.23.
Set the unique (non-localized) product identifier to be associated with the product (i.e.,
com.kitware.cmake). Any component product names will be appended to this value.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_IDENTITY_NAME
Added in version 3.8.
Adds a digital signature to the resulting package.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_KEYCHAIN_PATH
Added in version 3.8.
Specify a specific keychain to search for the signing identity.
CPACK_COMMAND_PKGBUILD
Path to the pkgbuild(1) command used to generate an macOS component package on macOS. This
variable can be used to override the automatically detected command (or specify its location if
the auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_PKGBUILD_IDENTITY_NAME
Added in version 3.8.
Adds a digital signature to the resulting package.
CPACK_PKGBUILD_KEYCHAIN_PATH
Added in version 3.8.
Specify a specific keychain to search for the signing identity.
CPACK_PREFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT
Full path to a file that will be used as the preinstall script for the named <COMP> component's
package, where <COMP> is the uppercased component name. No preinstall script is added if this
variable is not defined for a given component.
CPACK_POSTFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT
Full path to a file that will be used as the postinstall script for the named <COMP> component's
package, where <COMP> is the uppercased component name. No postinstall script is added if this
variable is not defined for a given component.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_RESOURCES_DIR
Added in version 3.9.
If specified the productbuild generator copies files from this directory (including
subdirectories) to the Resources directory. This is done before the CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME,
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README, and CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE files are copied.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS
Added in version 3.23.
This option enables more granular control over where the product may be installed. When it is set
to true (see policy CMP0161), a domains element of the following form will be added to the
productbuild Distribution XML:
<domains enable_anywhere="true" enable_currentUserHome="false" enable_localSystem="true"/>
The default values are as shown above, but can be overridden with
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ANYWHERE, CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_USER, and
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ROOT.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ANYWHERE
Added in version 3.23.
May be used to override the enable_anywhere attribute in the domains element of the Distribution
XML. When set to true, the product can be installed at the root of any volume, including
non-system volumes.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS must be set to true for this variable to have any effect.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_USER
Added in version 3.23.
May be used to override the enable_currentUserHome attribute in the domains element of the
Distribution XML. When set to true, the product can be installed into the current user's home
directory. Note that when installing into the user's home directory, the following additional
requirements will apply:
• The installer may not write outside the user's home directory.
• The install will be performed as the current user rather than as root. This may have
ramifications for CPACK_PREFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT and CPACK_POSTFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT.
• Administrative privileges will not be needed to perform the install.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS must be set to true for this variable to have any effect.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ROOT
Added in version 3.23.
May be used to override the enable_localSystem attribute in the domains element of the
Distribution XML. When set to true, the product can be installed in the root directory. This
should normally be set to true unless the product should only be installed to the user's home
directory.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS must be set to true for this variable to have any effect.
Background Image
Added in version 3.17.
This group of variables controls the background image of the generated installer.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND
Adds a background to Distribution XML if specified. The value contains the path to image in
Resources directory.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_ALIGNMENT
Adds an alignment attribute to the background in Distribution XML. Refer to Apple documentation
for valid values.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_SCALING
Adds a scaling attribute to the background in Distribution XML. Refer to Apple documentation for
valid values.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_MIME_TYPE
Adds a mime-type attribute to the background in Distribution XML. The option contains MIME type
of an image.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_UTI
Adds an uti attribute to the background in Distribution XML. The option contains UTI type of an
image.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA
Adds a background for the Dark Aqua theme to Distribution XML if specified. The value contains the
path to image in Resources directory.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_ALIGNMENT
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_ALIGNMENT option, but for the dark theme.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_SCALING
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_SCALING option, but for the dark theme.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_MIME_TYPE
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_MIME_TYPE option, but for the dark theme.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_UTI
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_UTI option, but for the dark theme.
Distribution XML Template
CPack uses a template file to generate the distribution.dist file used internally by this package
generator. Ordinarily, CMake provides the template file, but projects may supply their own by placing a
file called CPack.distribution.dist.in in one of the directories listed in the CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
variable. CPack will then pick up the project's template file instead of using its own.
The distribution.dist file is generated by performing substitutions similar to the configure_file()
command. Any variable set when CPack runs will be available for substitution using the usual @...@ form.
The following variables are also set internally and made available for substitution:
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE_NOPATH
Same as CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE except without the path. The named file will be available in
the same directory as the generated distribution.dist file.
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README_NOPATH
Same as CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README except without the path. The named file will be available in
the same directory as the generated distribution.dist file.
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME_NOPATH
Same as CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME except without the path. The named file will be available in
the same directory as the generated distribution.dist file.
CPACK_APPLE_PKG_INSTALLER_CONTENT
Added in version 3.23.
This contains all the XML elements that specify installer-wide options (including domain details),
default backgrounds and the choices outline.
CPACK_PACKAGEMAKER_CHOICES
Deprecated since version 3.23.
This contains only the XML elements that specify the default backgrounds and the choices outline.
It does not include the installer-wide options or any domain details. Use
CPACK_APPLE_PKG_INSTALLER_CONTENT instead.
CPack RPM Generator
The built in (binary) CPack RPM generator (Unix only)
Variables specific to CPack RPM generator
The CPack RPM generator may be used to create RPM packages using CPack. The CPack RPM generator is a
CPack generator thus it uses the CPACK_XXX variables used by CPack.
The CPack RPM generator has specific features which are controlled by the specifics CPACK_RPM_XXX
variables.
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_XXXX variables may be used in order to have component-specific values. Note
however that <COMPONENT> refers to the grouping name written in upper case. It may be either a component
name or a component GROUP name. Usually, those variables correspond to RPM spec file entities. One may
find information about spec files here https://rpm.org/documentation.
Changed in version 3.6: <COMPONENT> part of variables is preferred to be in upper case (e.g. if component
is named foo then use CPACK_RPM_FOO_XXXX variable name format) as is with other CPACK_<COMPONENT>_XXXX
variables. For the purposes of back compatibility (CMake/CPack version 3.5 and lower) support for same
cased component (e.g. fOo would be used as CPACK_RPM_fOo_XXXX) is still supported for variables defined
in older versions of CMake/CPack but is not guaranteed for variables that will be added in the future.
For the sake of back compatibility same cased component variables also override upper cased versions
where both are present.
Here are some CPack RPM generator wiki resources that are here for historic reasons and are no longer
maintained but may still prove useful:
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/Configuration
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/PackageGenerators#rpm-unix-only
List of CPack RPM generator specific variables:
CPACK_RPM_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging for CPack RPM generator
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
If enabled (ON) multiple packages are generated. By default a single package containing files of
all components is generated.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SUMMARY
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_SUMMARY
The RPM package summary.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
Added in version 3.2: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_SUMMARY variables.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_NAME
The RPM package name.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
Added in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_NAME variables.
CPACK_RPM_FILE_NAME
CPACK_RPM_<component>_FILE_NAME
Added in version 3.6.
Package file name.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
<CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>[-<component>].rpm with spaces replaced by '-'
This may be set to:
RPM-DEFAULT
Tell rpmbuild to automatically generate the package file name.
<file-name>[.rpm]
Use the given file name.
Changed in version 3.29: The .rpm suffix will be automatically added if missing.
Previously the suffix was required.
NOTE:
By using user provided spec file, rpm macro extensions such as for generating debuginfo
packages or by simply using multiple components more than one rpm file may be generated, either
from a single spec file or from multiple spec files (each component execution produces its own
spec file). In such cases duplicate file names may occur as a result of this variable setting
or spec file content structure. Duplicate files get overwritten and it is up to the packager to
set the variables in a manner that will prevent such errors.
CPACK_RPM_MAIN_COMPONENT
Added in version 3.8.
Main component that is packaged without component suffix.
Mandatory
No
Default
This variable can be set to any component or group name so that component or group rpm package is
generated without component suffix in filename and package name.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_EPOCH
Added in version 3.10.
The RPM package epoch
Mandatory
No
Default
Optional number that should be incremented when changing versioning schemas or fixing mistakes in
the version numbers of older packages.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_VERSION
The RPM package version.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
The RPM package architecture.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
Native architecture output by uname -m
This may be set to noarch if you know you are building a noarch package.
Added in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE variables.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE
The RPM package release.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
1
This is the numbering of the RPM package itself, i.e. the version of the packaging and not the
version of the content (see CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_VERSION). One may change the default value if the
previous packaging was buggy and/or you want to put here a fancy Linux distro specific numbering.
NOTE:
This is the string that goes into the RPM Release: field. Some distros (e.g. Fedora, CentOS) require
1%{?dist} format and not just a number. %{?dist} part can be added by setting
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE_DIST.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE_DIST
Added in version 3.6.
The dist tag that is added RPM Release: field.
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
This is the reported %{dist} tag from the current distribution or empty %{dist} if RPM macro is
not set. If this variable is set then RPM Release: field value is set to
${CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE}%{?dist}.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_LICENSE
The RPM package license policy.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
"unknown"
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_GROUP
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_GROUP
The RPM package group.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
"unknown"
Added in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_GROUP variables.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_VENDOR
The RPM package vendor.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR if set or "unknown"
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_URL
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_URL
The projects URL.
Mandatory
No
Default
CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
Added in version 3.12: The CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
RPM package description.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION (component based installers only) if set,
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE if set, or
• no package description available
Added in version 3.2: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION variables.
CPACK_RPM_COMPRESSION_TYPE
RPM compression type.
Mandatory
No
Default
(system default)
May be used to override RPM compression type to be used to build the RPM. For example some Linux
distribution now default to lzma or xz compression whereas older cannot use such RPM. Using this
one can enforce compression type to be used.
Possible values are:
lzma Lempel–Ziv–Markov chain algorithm
xz XZ Utils compression
bzip2 bzip2 Burrows–Wheeler algorithm
gzip GNU Gzip compression
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOREQ
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_AUTOREQ
RPM spec autoreq field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to enable (1, yes) or disable (0, no) automatic shared libraries dependency detection.
Dependencies are added to requires list.
NOTE:
By default automatic dependency detection is enabled by rpm generator.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOPROV
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_AUTOPROV
RPM spec autoprov field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to enable (1, yes) or disable (0, no) automatic listing of shared libraries that are
provided by the package. Shared libraries are added to provides list.
NOTE:
By default automatic provides detection is enabled by rpm generator.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOREQPROV
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_AUTOREQPROV
RPM spec autoreqprov field.
Mandatory
No
Default
Variable enables/disables autoreq and autoprov at the same time. See CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOREQ
and CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOPROV for more details.
NOTE:
By default automatic detection feature is enabled by rpm.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES
RPM spec requires field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM dependencies (requires). Note that you must enclose the complete requires
string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES "python >= 2.5.0, cmake >= 2.8")
The required package list of an RPM file could be printed with:
rpm -qp --requires file.rpm
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
RPM spec conflicts field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set negative RPM dependencies (conflicts). Note that you must enclose the complete
requires string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS "libxml2")
The conflicting package list of an RPM file could be printed with:
rpm -qp --conflicts file.rpm
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PRE
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PRE
Added in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(pre) field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM preinstall dependencies (requires(pre)). Note that you must enclose the
complete requires string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PRE "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POST
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POST
Added in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(post) field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM postinstall dependencies (requires(post)). Note that you must enclose the
complete requires string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POST "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POSTUN
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POSTUN
Added in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(postun) field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM postuninstall dependencies (requires(postun)). Note that you must enclose
the complete requires string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POSTUN "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PREUN
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PREUN
Added in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(preun) field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM preuninstall dependencies (requires(preun)). Note that you must enclose the
complete requires string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PREUN "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
RPM spec suggest field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set weak RPM dependencies (suggests). If rpmbuild doesn't support the Suggests tag,
CPack will emit a warning and ignore this variable. Note that you must enclose the complete
requires string between quotes.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
RPM spec provides field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM dependencies (provides). The provided package list of an RPM file could be
printed with:
rpm -qp --provides file.rpm
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_OBSOLETES
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_OBSOLETES
RPM spec obsoletes field.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set RPM packages that are obsoleted by this one.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELOCATABLE
build a relocatable RPM.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_PACKAGE_RELOCATABLE
If this variable is set to TRUE or ON, the CPack RPM generator will try to build a relocatable RPM
package. A relocatable RPM may be installed using:
rpm --prefix or --relocate
in order to install it at an alternate place see rpm(8). Note that currently this may fail if
CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is set to ON. If CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is set then you will get a warning message
but if there is file installed with absolute path you'll get unexpected behavior.
CPACK_RPM_SPEC_INSTALL_POST
Deprecated since version 2.8.12: Use CPACK_RPM_SPEC_MORE_DEFINE instead.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to override the __spec_install_post section within the generated spec file. This
affects the install step during package creation, not during package installation. For adding
operations to be performed during package installation, use CPACK_RPM_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
instead.
CPACK_RPM_SPEC_MORE_DEFINE
RPM extended spec definitions lines.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to add any %define lines to the generated spec file. An example of its use is to
prevent stripping of executables (but note that this may also disable other default post install
processing):
set(CPACK_RPM_SPEC_MORE_DEFINE "%define __spec_install_post /bin/true")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_DEBUG
Toggle CPack RPM generator debug output.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be set when invoking cpack in order to trace debug information during CPack RPM run. For
example you may launch CPack like this:
cpack -D CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_DEBUG=1 -G RPM
CPACK_RPM_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE
CPACK_RPM_<componentName>_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE
A user provided spec file.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be set by the user in order to specify a USER binary spec file to be used by the CPack RPM
generator instead of generating the file. The specified file will be processed by configure_file(
@ONLY).
CPACK_RPM_GENERATE_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE_TEMPLATE
Spec file template.
Mandatory
No
Default
If set CPack will generate a template for USER specified binary spec file and stop with an error.
For example launch CPack like this:
cpack -D CPACK_RPM_GENERATE_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE_TEMPLATE=1 -G RPM
The user may then use this file in order to hand-craft is own binary spec file which may be used
with CPACK_RPM_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE.
CPACK_RPM_PRE_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_PRE_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_PRE_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE
Path to file containing pre install/uninstall/transaction script.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to embed a pre installation/uninstallation/transaction script in the spec file. The
referred script file (or both) will be read and directly put after the %pre or %preun section If
CPACK_RPM_COMPONENT_INSTALL is set to ON the install/uninstall/transaction script for each
component can be overridden with CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PRE_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE,
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PRE_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE, and CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PRE_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE
One may verify which scriptlet has been included with:
rpm -qp --scripts package.rpm
Added in version 3.18: The CPACK_RPM_PRE_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE variable.
CPACK_RPM_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_POST_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_POST_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE
Path to file containing post install/uninstall/transaction script.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to embed a post installation/uninstallation/transaction script in the spec file. The
referred script file (or both) will be read and directly put after the %post or %postun section.
If CPACK_RPM_COMPONENT_INSTALL is set to ON the install/uninstall/transaction script for each
component can be overridden with CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE,
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_POST_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE, and CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_POST_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE
One may verify which scriptlet has been included with:
rpm -qp --scripts package.rpm
Added in version 3.18: The CPACK_RPM_POST_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE variable.
CPACK_RPM_USER_FILELIST
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_USER_FILELIST
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to explicitly specify %(<directive>) file line in the spec file. Like
%config(noreplace) or any other directive that be found in the %files section. Since the CPack RPM
generator is generating the list of files (and directories) the user specified files of the
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_USER_FILELIST list will be removed from the generated list. If referring to
directories do not add a trailing slash.
Added in version 3.8: You can have multiple directives per line, as in %attr(600,root,root)
%config(noreplace).
CPACK_RPM_CHANGELOG_FILE
RPM changelog file.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to embed a changelog in the spec file. The referred file will be read and directly
put after the %changelog section.
CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST
list of path to be excluded.
Mandatory
No
Default
The following paths are excluded by default:
• /etc
• /etc/init.d
• /usr
• /usr/bin
• /usr/include
• /usr/lib
• /usr/libx32
• /usr/lib64
• /usr/share
• /usr/share/aclocal
• /usr/share/doc
May be used to exclude path (directories or files) from the auto-generated list of paths
discovered by CPack RPM. The default value contains a reasonable set of values if the variable is
not defined by the user. If the variable is defined by the user then the CPack RPM generator will
NOT any of the default path. If you want to add some path to the default list then you can use
CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST_ADDITION variable.
Added in version 3.10: Added /usr/share/aclocal to the default list of excludes.
CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST_ADDITION
additional list of path to be excluded.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to add more exclude path (directories or files) from the initial default list of
excluded paths. See CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST.
CPACK_RPM_RELOCATION_PATHS
Added in version 3.2.
Packages relocation paths list.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to specify more than one relocation path per relocatable RPM. Variable contains a
list of relocation paths that if relative are prefixed by the value of
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX or by the value of CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX if the
component version is not provided. Variable is not component based as its content can be used to
set a different path prefix for e.g. binary dir and documentation dir at the same time. Only
prefixes that are required by a certain component are added to that component - component must
contain at least one file/directory/symbolic link with CPACK_RPM_RELOCATION_PATHS prefix for a
certain relocation path to be added. Package will not contain any relocation paths if there are no
files/directories/symbolic links on any of the provided prefix locations. Packages that either do
not contain any relocation paths or contain files/directories/symbolic links that are outside
relocation paths print out an AUTHOR_WARNING that RPM will be partially relocatable.
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX
Added in version 3.2.
Per component relocation path install prefix.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX
May be used to set per component CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX for relocatable RPM packages.
CPACK_RPM_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX_RELOCATION
CPACK_RPM_NO_<COMPONENT>_INSTALL_PREFIX_RELOCATION
Added in version 3.3.
Removal of default install prefix from relocation paths list.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX or CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX are treated as one
of relocation paths
May be used to remove CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX and CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX from
relocatable RPM prefix paths.
CPACK_RPM_ADDITIONAL_MAN_DIRS
Added in version 3.3.
Mandatory
No
Default
Regular expressions that are added by default were taken from brp-compress RPM macro:
• /usr/man/man.*
• /usr/man/.*/man.*
• /usr/info.*
• /usr/share/man/man.*
• /usr/share/man/.*/man.*
• /usr/share/info.*
• /usr/kerberos/man.*
• /usr/X11R6/man/man.*
• /usr/lib/perl5/man/man.*
• /usr/share/doc/.*/man/man.*
• /usr/lib/.*/man/man.*
May be used to set additional man dirs that could potentially be compressed by brp-compress RPM
macro. Variable content must be a list of regular expressions that point to directories containing
man files or to man files directly. Note that in order to compress man pages a path must also be
present in brp-compress RPM script and that brp-compress script must be added to RPM configuration
by the operating system.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_USER
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_USER
Added in version 3.6.
default user ownership of RPM content
Mandatory
No
Default
root
Value should be user name and not UID. Note that <compName> must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_GROUP
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_GROUP
Added in version 3.6.
default group ownership of RPM content
Mandatory
No
Default
root
Value should be group name and not GID. Note that <compName> must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_FILE_PERMISSIONS
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_FILE_PERMISSIONS
Added in version 3.6.
default permissions used for packaged files
Mandatory
No
Default
(system default)
Accepted values are lists with PERMISSIONS. Valid permissions are:
• OWNER_READ
• OWNER_WRITE
• OWNER_EXECUTE
• GROUP_READ
• GROUP_WRITE
• GROUP_EXECUTE
• WORLD_READ
• WORLD_WRITE
• WORLD_EXECUTE
Note that <compName> must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_DIR_PERMISSIONS
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_DIR_PERMISSIONS
Added in version 3.6.
default permissions used for packaged directories
Mandatory
No
Default
(system default)
Accepted values are lists with PERMISSIONS. Valid permissions are the same as for
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_FILE_PERMISSIONS. Note that <compName> must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_INSTALL_WITH_EXEC
Added in version 3.11.
force execute permissions on programs and shared libraries
Mandatory
No
Default
(system default)
Force set owner, group and world execute permissions on programs and shared libraries. This can be
used for creating valid rpm packages on systems such as Debian where shared libraries do not have
execute permissions set.
NOTE:
Programs and shared libraries without execute permissions are ignored during separation of debug
symbols from the binary for debuginfo packages.
Packaging of Symbolic Links
Added in version 3.3.
The CPack RPM generator supports packaging of symbolic links:
execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
-E create_symlink <relative_path_location> <symlink_name>)
install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/<symlink_name>
DESTINATION <symlink_location> COMPONENT libraries)
Symbolic links will be optimized (paths will be shortened if possible) before being added to the package
or if multiple relocation paths are detected, a post install symlink relocation script will be generated.
Symbolic links may point to locations that are not packaged by the same package (either a different
component or even not packaged at all) but those locations will be treated as if they were a part of the
package while determining if symlink should be either created or present in a post install script -
depending on relocation paths.
Changed in version 3.6: Symbolic links that point to locations outside packaging path produce a warning
and are treated as non relocatable permanent symbolic links. Previous versions of CMake produced an
error in this case.
Currently there are a few limitations though:
• For component based packaging component interdependency is not checked when processing symbolic links.
Symbolic links pointing to content of a different component are treated the same way as if pointing to
location that will not be packaged.
• Symbolic links pointing to a location through one or more intermediate symbolic links will not be
handled differently - if the intermediate symbolic link(s) is also on a relocatable path, relocating it
during package installation may cause initial symbolic link to point to an invalid location.
Packaging of debug information
Added in version 3.7.
Debuginfo packages contain debug symbols and sources for debugging packaged binaries.
Debuginfo RPM packaging has its own set of variables:
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
CPACK_RPM_<component>_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
Enable generation of debuginfo RPM package(s).
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
NOTE:
Binaries must contain debug symbols before packaging so use either Debug or RelWithDebInfo for
CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE variable value.
Additionally, if CPACK_STRIP_FILES is set, the files will be stripped before they get to the RPM
generator, so will not contain debug symbols and a debuginfo package will not get built. Do not use
with CPACK_STRIP_FILES.
NOTE:
Packages generated from packages without binary files, with binary files but without execute
permissions or without debug symbols will cause packaging termination.
CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS
Provides locations of root directories of source files from which binaries were built.
Mandatory
Yes if CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE is set
Default
NOTE:
For CMake project CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS is set by default to point to CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR and
CMAKE_BINARY_DIR paths.
NOTE:
Sources with path prefixes that do not fall under any location provided with CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS
will not be present in debuginfo package.
CPACK_RPM_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX
CPACK_RPM_<component>_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX
Prefix of location where sources will be placed during package installation.
Mandatory
Yes if CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE is set
Default
/usr/src/debug/${CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME} and for component packaging
/usr/src/debug/${CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME}-<component>
NOTE:
Each source path prefix is additionally suffixed by src_<index> where index is index of the path used
from CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS variable. This produces ${CPACK_RPM_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX}/src_<index>
replacement path. Limitation is that replaced path part must be shorter or of equal length than the
length of its replacement. If that is not the case either CPACK_RPM_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX variable
has to be set to a shorter path or source directories must be placed on a longer path.
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_EXCLUDE_DIRS
Directories containing sources that should be excluded from debuginfo packages.
Mandatory
No
Default
The following paths are excluded by default:
• /usr
• /usr/src
• /usr/src/debug
Listed paths are owned by other RPM packages and should therefore not be deleted on debuginfo
package uninstallation.
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_EXCLUDE_DIRS_ADDITION
Paths that should be appended to CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_EXCLUDE_DIRS for exclusion.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_SINGLE_PACKAGE
Added in version 3.8.
Create a single debuginfo package even if components packaging is set.
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
When this variable is enabled it produces a single debuginfo package even if component packaging
is enabled.
When using this feature in combination with components packaging and there is more than one
component this variable requires CPACK_RPM_MAIN_COMPONENT to be set.
NOTE:
If none of the CPACK_RPM_<component>_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE variables is set then
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE is automatically set to ON when CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_SINGLE_PACKAGE is set.
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_FILE_NAME
CPACK_RPM_<component>_DEBUGINFO_FILE_NAME
Added in version 3.9.
Debuginfo package file name.
Mandatory
No
Default
rpmbuild tool generated package file name
Alternatively provided debuginfo package file name must end with .rpm suffix and should differ
from file names of other generated packages.
Variable may contain @cpack_component@ placeholder which will be replaced by component name if
component packaging is enabled otherwise it deletes the placeholder.
Setting the variable to RPM-DEFAULT may be used to explicitly set filename generation to default.
NOTE:
CPACK_RPM_FILE_NAME also supports rpmbuild tool generated package file name - disabled by default but
can be enabled by setting the variable to RPM-DEFAULT.
Packaging of sources (SRPM)
Added in version 3.7.
SRPM packaging is enabled by setting CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SOURCES variable while usually using
CPACK_INSTALLED_DIRECTORIES variable to provide directory containing CMakeLists.txt and source files.
For CMake projects SRPM package would be produced by executing:
cpack -G RPM --config ./CPackSourceConfig.cmake
NOTE:
Produced SRPM package is expected to be built with cmake(1) executable and packaged with cpack(1)
executable so CMakeLists.txt has to be located in root source directory and must be able to generate
binary rpm packages by executing cpack -G command. The two executables as well as rpmbuild must also
be present when generating binary rpm packages from the produced SRPM package.
Once the SRPM package is generated it can be used to generate binary packages by creating a directory
structure for rpm generation and executing rpmbuild tool:
mkdir -p build_dir/{BUILD,BUILDROOT,RPMS,SOURCES,SPECS,SRPMS}
rpmbuild --define "_topdir <path_to_build_dir>" --rebuild <SRPM_file_name>
Generated packages will be located in build_dir/RPMS directory or its sub directories.
NOTE:
SRPM package internally uses CPack/RPM generator to generate binary packages so CMakeScripts.txt can
decide during the SRPM to binary rpm generation step what content the package(s) should have as well
as how they should be packaged (monolithic or components). CMake can decide this for e.g. by reading
environment variables set by the package manager before starting the process of generating binary rpm
packages. This way a single SRPM package can be used to produce different binary rpm packages on
different platforms depending on the platform's packaging rules.
Source RPM packaging has its own set of variables:
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SOURCES
Should the content be packaged as a source rpm (default is binary rpm).
Mandatory
No
Default
OFF
NOTE:
For cmake projects CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SOURCES variable is set to OFF in CPackConfig.cmake and ON in
CPackSourceConfig.cmake generated files.
CPACK_RPM_SOURCE_PKG_BUILD_PARAMS
Additional command-line parameters provided to cmake(1) executable.
Mandatory
No
Default
CPACK_RPM_SOURCE_PKG_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX
Packaging install prefix that would be provided in CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX variable for
producing binary RPM packages.
Mandatory
Yes
Default
/
CPACK_RPM_BUILDREQUIRES
List of source rpm build dependencies.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to set source RPM build dependencies (BuildRequires). Note that you must enclose the
complete build requirements string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_BUILDREQUIRES "python >= 2.5.0, cmake >= 2.8")
CPACK_RPM_REQUIRES_EXCLUDE_FROM
Added in version 3.22.
Mandatory
No
Default
May be used to keep the dependency generator from scanning specific files or directories for
dependencies. Note that you can use a regular expression that matches all of the directories or
files, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_REQUIRES_EXCLUDE_FROM "bin/libqsqloci.*\\.so.*")
CPack WIX Generator
Use the WiX Toolset to produce a Windows Installer .msi database.
Added in version 3.7: The CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DISABLED variable is now supported.
WiX Toolsets
CPack selects one of the following variants of the WiX Toolset based on the CPACK_WIX_VERSION variable:
• WiX .NET Tools
• WiX Toolset v3
WiX .NET Tools
Packaging is performed using the following tools:
wix build
Build WiX source files directly into a Windows Installer .msi database.
Invocations may be customized using tool-specific variables:
• CPACK_WIX_BUILD_EXTENSIONS
• CPACK_WIX_BUILD_EXTRA_FLAGS
WiX extensions must be named with the form WixToolset.<Name>.wixext.
CPack expects the wix .NET tool to be available for command-line use with any required WiX extensions
already installed. Be sure the wix version is compatible with CPACK_WIX_VERSION, and that WiX extension
versions match the wix tool version. For example:
1. Install the wix command-line tool using dotnet.
To install wix globally for the current user:
dotnet tool install --global wix --version 4.0.4
This places wix.exe in %USERPROFILE%\.dotnet\tools and adds the directory to the current user's PATH
environment variable.
Or, to install wix in a specific path, e.g., in c:\WiX:
dotnet tool install --tool-path c:\WiX wix --version 4.0.4
This places wix.exe in c:\WiX, but does not add it to the current user's PATH environment variable.
The WIX environment variable may be set to tell CPack where to find the tool, e.g., set WIX=c:\WiX.
2. Add the WiX UI extension, needed by CPack's default WiX template:
wix extension add --global WixToolset.UI.wixext/4.0.4
Extensions added globally are stored in %USERPROFILE%\.wix, or if the WIX_EXTENSIONS environment
variable is set, in %WIX_EXTENSIONS%\.wix.
WiX Toolset v3
Packaging is performed using the following tools:
candle Compiles WiX source files into .wixobj files.
Invocations may be customized using tool-specific variables:
• CPACK_WIX_CANDLE_EXTENSIONS
• CPACK_WIX_CANDLE_EXTRA_FLAGS
light Links .wixobj files into a Windows Installer .msi database.
Invocations may be customized using tool-specific variables:
• CPACK_WIX_LIGHT_EXTENSIONS
• CPACK_WIX_LIGHT_EXTRA_FLAGS
CPack invokes both tools as needed. Intermediate .wixobj files are considered implementation details.
WiX extensions must be named with the form Wix<Name>Extension.
CPack expects the above tools to be available for command-line use via the PATH. Or, if the WIX
environment variable is set, CPack looks for the tools in %WIX% and %WIX%\bin.
Variables specific to CPack WIX generator
The following variables are specific to the installers built on Windows using WiX.
CPACK_WIX_VERSION
Added in version 3.30.
Specify the version of WiX Toolset for which the configuration is written. The value must be one
of
4 Package using WiX .NET Tools.
3 Package using WiX Toolset v3. This is the default.
CPACK_WIX_UPGRADE_GUID
Upgrade GUID (Product/@UpgradeCode)
Will be automatically generated unless explicitly provided.
It should be explicitly set to a constant generated globally unique identifier (GUID) to allow
your installers to replace existing installations that use the same GUID.
You may for example explicitly set this variable in your CMakeLists.txt to the value that has been
generated per default. You should not use GUIDs that you did not generate yourself or which may
belong to other projects.
A GUID shall have the following fixed length syntax:
XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
(each X represents an uppercase hexadecimal digit)
CPACK_WIX_PRODUCT_GUID
Product GUID (Product/@Id)
Will be automatically generated unless explicitly provided.
If explicitly provided this will set the Product Id of your installer.
The installer will abort if it detects a pre-existing installation that uses the same GUID.
The GUID shall use the syntax described for CPACK_WIX_UPGRADE_GUID.
CPACK_WIX_LICENSE_RTF
RTF License File
If CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE has an .rtf extension it is used as-is.
If CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE has an .txt extension it is implicitly converted to RTF by the WIX
Generator. The expected encoding of the .txt file is UTF-8.
With CPACK_WIX_LICENSE_RTF you can override the license file used by the WIX Generator in case
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE is in an unsupported format or the .txt -> .rtf conversion does not
work as expected.
CPACK_WIX_PRODUCT_ICON
The Icon shown next to the program name in Add/Remove programs.
If set, this icon is used in place of the default icon.
CPACK_WIX_UI_REF
Specify the WiX UI extension's dialog set:
• With WiX .NET Tools, this is the Id of the <ui:WixUI> element in the default WiX template.
• With WiX Toolset v3, this is the Id of the <UIRef> element in the default WiX template.
The default is WixUI_InstallDir in case no CPack components have been defined and
WixUI_FeatureTree otherwise.
CPACK_WIX_UI_BANNER
The bitmap will appear at the top of all installer pages other than the welcome and completion
dialogs.
If set, this image will replace the default banner image.
This image must be 493 by 58 pixels.
CPACK_WIX_UI_DIALOG
Background bitmap used on the welcome and completion dialogs.
If this variable is set, the installer will replace the default dialog image.
This image must be 493 by 312 pixels.
CPACK_WIX_PROGRAM_MENU_FOLDER
Start menu folder name for launcher.
If this variable is not set, it will be initialized with CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
Added in version 3.16: If this variable is set to ., then application shortcuts will be created
directly in the start menu and the uninstaller shortcut will be omitted.
CPACK_WIX_CULTURES
Language(s) of the installer
Languages are compiled into the Wix UI extension library. To use them, simply provide the name of
the culture. If you specify more than one culture identifier in a comma or semicolon delimited
list, the first one that is found will be used. You can find a list of supported languages at: ‐
https://wixtoolset.org/docs/v3/wixui/wixui_localization/
CPACK_WIX_TEMPLATE
Template file for WiX generation
If this variable is set, the specified template will be used to generate the WiX wxs file. This
should be used if further customization of the output is required. The template contents will
override the effect of most CPACK_WIX_ variables.
If this variable is not set, the default MSI template included with CMake will be used.
CPACK_WIX_PATCH_FILE
Optional list of XML files with fragments to be inserted into generated WiX sources.
Added in version 3.5: Support listing multiple patch files.
This optional variable can be used to specify an XML file that the WIX generator will use to
inject fragments into its generated source files.
Patch files understood by the CPack WIX generator roughly follow this RELAX NG compact schema:
start = CPackWiXPatch
CPackWiXPatch = element CPackWiXPatch { CPackWiXFragment* }
CPackWiXFragment = element CPackWiXFragment
{
attribute Id { string },
fragmentContent*
}
fragmentContent = element * - CPackWiXFragment
{
(attribute * { text } | text | fragmentContent)*
}
Currently fragments can be injected into most Component, File, Directory and Feature elements.
Added in version 3.3: The following additional special Ids can be used:
• #PRODUCT for the <Product> element.
• #PRODUCTFEATURE for the root <Feature> element.
Added in version 3.7: Support patching arbitrary <Feature> elements.
Added in version 3.9: Allow setting additional attributes.
The following example illustrates how this works.
Given that the WIX generator creates the following XML element:
<Component Id="CM_CP_applications.bin.my_libapp.exe" Guid="*"/>
The following XML patch file may be used to inject an Environment element into it:
<CPackWiXPatch>
<CPackWiXFragment Id="CM_CP_applications.bin.my_libapp.exe">
<Environment Id="MyEnvironment" Action="set"
Name="MyVariableName" Value="MyVariableValue"/>
</CPackWiXFragment>
</CPackWiXPatch>
CPACK_WIX_EXTRA_SOURCES
Extra WiX source files
This variable provides an optional list of extra WiX source files (.wxs) that should be compiled
and linked. The paths must be absolute.
CPACK_WIX_EXTRA_OBJECTS
Extra WiX object files or libraries to use with WiX Toolset v3.
This variable provides an optional list of extra WiX object (.wixobj) and/or WiX library (.wixlib)
files. The paths must be absolute.
CPACK_WIX_EXTENSIONS
Specify a list of additional extensions for WiX tools. See WiX Toolsets for extension naming
patterns.
CPACK_WIX_<TOOL>_EXTENSIONS
Specify a list of additional extensions for a specific WiX tool. See WiX Toolsets for possible
<TOOL> names.
CPACK_WIX_<TOOL>_EXTRA_FLAGS
Specify a list of additional command-line flags for a specific WiX tool. See WiX Toolsets for
possible <TOOL> names.
Use it at your own risk. Future versions of CPack may generate flags which may be in conflict
with your own flags.
CPACK_WIX_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
If this variable is set the generated installer will create an entry in the windows registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Kitware\CMake\Packages\<PackageName> The value for <PackageName> is
provided by this variable.
Assuming you also install a CMake configuration file this will allow other CMake projects to find
your package with the find_package() command.
CPACK_WIX_PROPERTY_<PROPERTY>
Added in version 3.1.
This variable can be used to provide a value for the Windows Installer property <PROPERTY>
The following list contains some example properties that can be used to customize information
under "Programs and Features" (also known as "Add or Remove Programs")
• ARPCOMMENTS - Comments
• ARPHELPLINK - Help and support information URL
• ARPURLINFOABOUT - General information URL
• ARPURLUPDATEINFO - Update information URL
• ARPHELPTELEPHONE - Help and support telephone number
• ARPSIZE - Size (in kilobytes) of the application
CPACK_WIX_ROOT_FEATURE_TITLE
Added in version 3.7.
Sets the name of the root install feature in the WIX installer. Same as
CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DISPLAY_NAME for components.
CPACK_WIX_ROOT_FEATURE_DESCRIPTION
Added in version 3.7.
Sets the description of the root install feature in the WIX installer. Same as
CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION for components.
CPACK_WIX_SKIP_PROGRAM_FOLDER
Added in version 3.7.
If this variable is set to true, the default install location of the generated package will be
CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY directly. The install location will not be located relatively
below ProgramFiles or ProgramFiles64.
NOTE:
Installers created with this feature do not take differences between the system on which
the installer is created and the system on which the installer might be used into account.
It is therefore possible that the installer e.g. might try to install onto a drive that is
unavailable or unintended or a path that does not follow the localization or convention of
the system on which the installation is performed.
CPACK_WIX_ROOT_FOLDER_ID
Added in version 3.9.
This variable allows specification of a custom root folder ID. The generator specific <64> token
can be used for folder IDs that come in 32-bit and 64-bit variants. In 32-bit builds the token
will expand empty while in 64-bit builds it will expand to 64.
When unset generated installers will default installing to ProgramFiles<64>Folder.
CPACK_WIX_ROOT
This variable can optionally be set to the root directory of a custom WiX Toolset installation.
When unspecified CPack will try to locate a WiX Toolset installation via the WIX environment
variable instead.
CPACK_WIX_CUSTOM_XMLNS
Added in version 3.19.
This variable provides a list of custom namespace declarations that are necessary for using WiX
extensions. Each declaration should be in the form name=url, where name is the plain namespace
without the usual xmlns: prefix and url is an unquoted namespace url. A list of commonly known WiX
schemata can be found here: https://wixtoolset.org/docs/v3/xsd/
CPACK_WIX_SKIP_WIX_UI_EXTENSION
Added in version 3.23.
If this variable is set to true, the default inclusion of the WiX UI extension is skipped, i.e.,
the -ext WixUIExtension or -ext WixToolset.UI.wixext flag is not passed to WiX tools.
CPACK_WIX_ARCHITECTURE
Added in version 3.24.
This variable can be optionally set to specify the target architecture of the installer. May for
example be set to x64 or arm64.
When unspecified, CPack will default to x64 or x86.
CPACK_WIX_INSTALL_SCOPE
Added in version 3.29.
This variable can be optionally set to specify the InstallScope of the installer:
perMachine
Create an installer that installs for all users and requires administrative privileges.
Start menu entries created by the installer are visible to all users.
This is the default if CPACK_WIX_VERSION is set to any value other than 3.
perUser
Not yet supported. This is reserved for future use.
NONE Create an installer without any InstallScope attribute.
If CPACK_WIX_VERSION is not set, or is set to 3, this value is the default to preserve
compatibility with 3.28 and lower. Otherwise, this value is not supported.
Deprecated since version 3.29: This value is only for compatibility with the inconsistent
behavior used by CPack 3.28 and older. The resulting installer requires administrative
privileges and installs into the system-wide ProgramFiles directory, but the start menu
entry and uninstaller registration are created only for the current user.
WARNING:
An installation performed by an installer created without any InstallScope cannot be
cleanly updated or replaced by an installer with an InstallScope. In order to
transition a project's installers from NONE to perMachine, the latter installer should
be distributed with instructions to first manually uninstall any older version.
See https://wixtoolset.org/docs/v3/xsd/wix/package/
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