Cmake Overview

Cmake is a cross-platform build system generator. It is a tool that allows you to manage the build process for your project. It is used to control the software compilation process using simple platform and compiler independent configuration files. Cmake generates native makefiles and workspaces that can be used in the compiler environment of your choice.

Why Cmake?

Cmake can help you to manage your build process in a more efficient way.

Installation

Linux

sudo apt-get install cmake

Getting Started

To get started with Cmake, you need to create a CMakeLists.txt file in the root of your project. This file will contain the configuration settings for your project.

Command	Description
`cmake_minimum_required(VERSION <min>[...<policy_max>] [FATAL_ERROR])`	Specifies the minimum required version of CMake to configure the project.
`project(<PROJECT-NAME> [LANGUAGES <language-name>...])`	Sets the name of the project and enables languages.
`set(<variable> <value>... [PARENT_SCOPE])`	Sets a variable to a value.
`add_executable(<name> <options>... <sources>...)`	Adds an executable target to the project using the specified source files.
`add_library(<name> [<type>] [EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL] <sources>...)`	Adds a library target to the project using the specified source files.
`target_link_libraries(<target> ... <item>...)`	Links a target to a library.

Build Types

Cmake supports different build types. The most common build types are:

Debug: This build type is used for debugging purposes. It includes debugging symbols and disables optimizations.
Release: This build type is used for the final release of the software. It includes optimizations and disables debugging symbols.

Command Line Options

Cmake provides several command line options that you can use to configure the build process. Some of the most common options are:

-G <generator>: Specifies the build system generator to use.
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=<type>: Specifies the build type to use.
-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=<path>: Specifies the installation directory.
-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=<path>: Specifies the path to search for dependencies.
-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=<file>: Specifies the toolchain file to use.
-B <build-dir>: Specifies the build directory.target_link_libraries
-S <source-dir>: Specifies the source directory.
--build <build-dir>: Builds the project.

Some examples of using these options are:

cmake -B build -S . -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -G ninja
cmake --build build

This will configure the project in the build directory, using the source files in the current directory, with the Release build type, and using the ninja build system generator. It will then build the project.