Modern CMake for C++: Effortlessly build cutting-edge C++ code and deliver high-quality solutions. 2 Ed

Cover....1

Copyright Page....3

Foreword....4

Contributors....5

Table of Contents....8

Preface....22

Chapter 1: First Steps with CMake....30

Technical requirements....31

Understanding the basics....31

What is CMake?....32

How does it work?....34

The configuration stage....34

The generation stage....35

The building stage....35

Installing CMake on different platforms....37

Docker....38

Windows....39

Linux....40

macOS....41

Building from the source....41

Mastering the command line....42

CMake command line....42

Generating a project buildsystem....42

Building a project....49

Installing a project....51

Running a script....53

Running a command-line tool....53

Running a workflow preset....54

Getting help....54

CTest command line....54

CPack command line....55

CMake GUI....55

CCMake command line....57

Navigating project directories and files....57

The source tree....58

The build tree....58

Listfiles....59

Project file....59

Cache file....60

Package definition file....61

Generated files....61

JSON and YAML files....62

Preset files....62

File-based API....63

Configure log....63

Ignoring files in Git....63

Discovering scripts and modules....64

Scripts....64

Utility modules....65

Find-modules....66

Summary....66

Further reading....66

Chapter 2: The CMake Language....68

Technical requirements....69

The basics of the CMake language syntax....69

Comments....70

Command invocations....72

Command arguments....73

Bracket arguments....73

Quoted arguments....75

Unquoted arguments....75

Working with variables....77

Variable references....78

Using environment variables....79

Using cache variables....81

How to correctly use variable scopes in CMake....82

Using lists....84

Understanding control structures in CMake....86

Conditional blocks....86

The syntax for conditional commands....86

Loops....90

while()....91

foreach() loops....91

Command definitions....93

Macros....93

Functions....94

The procedural paradigm in CMake....96

A word on naming conventions....98

Exploring the frequently used commands....98

The message() command....98

The include() command....101

The include_guard() command....101

The file() command....102

The execute_process() command....102

Summary....103

Further reading....104

Chapter 3: Using CMake in Popular IDEs....106

Getting to know IDEs....107

Choosing an IDE....108

Choose a comprehensive IDE....108

Choose an IDE that is widely supported in your organization....109

Don’t pick an IDE based on the target OS and platform....109

Pick an IDE with remote development support....109

Installing toolchains....110

Using this book’s examples with IDEs....111

Starting with the CLion IDE....112

Why you might like it....113

Take your first steps....114

Advanced feature: Debugger on steroids....116

Starting with Visual Studio Code....116

Why you might like it....117

Take your first steps....118

Advanced feature: Dev Containers....118

Starting with the Visual Studio IDE....119

Why you might like it....120

Take your first steps....121

Advanced feature: Hot Reload debugging....122

Summary....123

Further reading....124

Chapter 4: Setting Up Your First CMake Project....126

Technical requirements....127

Understanding the basic directives and commands....127

Specifying the minimum CMake version....128

Defining languages and metadata....129

Partitioning your project....130

Managing scope with subdirectories ....132

When to use nested projects....134

Keeping external projects external....135

Thinking about the project structure....135

Scoping the environment....141

Detecting the operating system....141

Cross-compilation – what are host and target systems?....142

Abbreviated variables....142

Host system information....143

Does the platform have 32-bit or 64-bit architecture?....144

What is the endianness of the system?....145

Configuring the toolchain....145

Setting the C++ standard....145

Insisting on standard support....146

Vendor-specific extensions....147

Interprocedural optimization....147

Checking for supported compiler features....148

Compiling a test file....148

Disabling in-source builds....150

Summary....151

Further reading....152

Chapter 5: Working with Targets....154

Technical requirements....155

Understanding the concept of a target....155

Defining executable targets....156

Defining library targets....157

Custom targets....157

Dependency graph....158

Visualizing dependencies....160

Setting properties of targets....162

What are Transitive Usage Requirements?....163

Dealing with conflicting propagated properties....166

Meet the pseudo targets....167

Imported targets....168

Alias targets....168

Interface libraries....168

Object libraries....170

Build targets....170

Writing custom commands....171

Using a custom command as a generator....172

Using a custom command as a target hook....173

Summary....174

Further reading....175

Chapter 6: Using Generator Expressions....178

Technical requirements....179

What are generator expressions?....179

Learning the basic rules of general expression syntax....180

Nesting....181

Conditional expansion....182

Evaluating to Boolean....183

Logical operators....183

Comparisons....183

Queries....184

Querying and transforming....184

Dealing with strings, lists, and paths....184

Parametrizing the build configuration and platform....187

Tuning for toolchain....187

Querying target-related information....189

Escaping....191

Trying out examples....192

Build configurations....192

System-specific one liners....192

Interface libraries with compiler-specific flags....193

Nested generator expressions....193

The difference between a conditional expression and the evaluation of a BOOL operator....195

Summary....196

Further reading....196

Chapter 7: Compiling C++ Sources with CMake....198

Technical requirements....199

The basics of compilation....199

How compilation works....200

Initial configuration....202

Requiring specific features from the compiler....203

Managing sources for targets....204

Configuring the preprocessor....205

Providing paths to included files....205

Preprocessor definitions....206

Avoid accessing private class fields in your unit tests....208

Using git commit to track a compiled version....208

Configuring the headers....209

Configuring the optimizer....211

General level....212

Function inlining....214

Loop unrolling....215

Loop vectorization....216

Managing the process of compilation....217

Reducing compilation time....217

Precompilation of headers....218

Unity builds....220

Finding mistakes....222

Configuring errors and warnings....222

Debugging the build....223

Providing information for the debugger....226

Summary....227

Further reading....228

Chapter 8: Linking Executables and Libraries....230

Technical requirements....231

Getting the basics of linking right....231

Building different library types....236

Static libraries....236

Shared libraries....237

Shared modules....238

Position-independent code (PIC)....239

Solving problems with the ODR....240

Sorting out dynamically linked duplicated symbols....243

Use namespaces – don’t count on the linker....245

The order of linking and unresolved symbols....245

Dealing with unreferenced symbols....248

Separating main() for testing....249

Summary....252

Further reading....253

Chapter 9: Managing Dependencies in CMake....254

Technical requirements....255

Using already installed dependencies....255

Finding packages with CMake’s find_package()....255

Writing your own find modules....261

Discovering legacy packages with FindPkgConfig....267

Using dependencies not present in the system....270

FetchContent....270

Basic example with a YAML reader....272

Downloading the dependencies....274

Updating and patching....277

Using the installed dependency where possible....278

ExternalProject....280

Summary....282

Further reading....282

Chapter 10: Using the C++20 Modules....284

Technical requirements....285

What are the C++20 modules?....285

Writing projects with C++20 module support....289

Enabling the experimental support in CMake 3.26 and 3.27....289

Enabling support for CMake 3.28 and up....291

Setting the compiler requirements....291

Declaring a C++ module....291

Configuring the toolchain....292

Summary....294

Further reading....294

Chapter 11: Testing Frameworks....296

Technical requirements....297

Why are automated tests worth the trouble?....297

Using CTest to standardize testing in CMake....298

Build-and-test mode....299

Test mode....301

Querying tests....301

Filtering tests....302

Shuffling tests....302

Handling failures....303

Repeating tests....304

Controlling output....305

Miscellaneous....306

Creating the most basic unit test for CTest....306

Structuring our projects for testing....311

Unit-testing frameworks....315

Catch2....316

GoogleTest....319

Using GTest....319

GMock....321

Generating test coverage reports....328

Using LCOV for coverage reports....329

Avoiding the SEGFAULT gotcha....334

Summary....334

Further reading....335

Chapter 12: Program Analysis Tools....338

Technical requirements....339

Enforcing formatting....339

Using static checkers....343

clang-tidy....346

Cpplint....346

Cppcheck....347

include-what-you-use....347

Link What You Use....347

Dynamic analysis with Valgrind....348

Memcheck....349

Memcheck-Cover....353

Summary....355

Further reading....356

Chapter 13: Generating Documentation....358

Technical requirements....359

Adding Doxygen to your project....359

Generating documentation with a modern look....365

Enhancing output with custom HTML....367

Summary....369

Further reading....370

Chapter 14: Installing and Packaging....372

Technical requirements....373

Exporting without installation....373

Installing projects on the system....376

Installing logical targets....378

Utilizing the default destination for different platforms....380

Dealing with public headers....381

Low-level installation....383

Installing with install(FILES) and install(PROGRAMS)....383

Working with entire directories....386

Invoking scripts during installation....389

Installing runtime dependencies....391

Creating reusable packages....392

Understanding the issues with relocatable targets....392

Installing target export files....394

Writing basic config files....395

Creating advanced config files....398

Generating package version files....402

Defining components....403

How to use components in find_package()....404

How to use components in the install() command....404

Managing symbolic links for versioned shared libraries....406

Packaging with CPack....407

Summary....409

Further reading....410

Chapter 15: Creating Your Professional Project....412

Technical requirements....413

Planning our work....413

Project layout....417

Shared libraries versus static libraries....418

Project file structure....419

Building and managing dependencies....421

Building the Calc library....424

Building the Calc console executable....426

Testing and program analysis....431

Preparing the Coverage module....433

Preparing the Memcheck module....435

Applying testing scenarios....436

Adding static analysis tools....438

Installing and packaging....440

Installation of the library....441

Installation of the executable....443

Packaging with CPack....443

Providing the documentation....444

Generating the technical documentation....444

Writing non-technical documents for a professional project....446

Summary....449

Further reading....450

Chapter 16: Writing CMake Presets....452

Technical requirements....453

Using presets defined in a project....453

Writing a preset file....454

Defining stage-specific presets....455

Common features across presets....455

Unique name fields....456

Optional fields....456

Association with configuration-stage presets....457

Defining configuration-stage presets....457

Defining build-stage presets....459

Defining test-stage presets....460

Defining package-stage presets....463

Adding the installation preset....464

Defining workflow presets....466

Adding conditions and macros....467

Summary....469

Further reading....470

Appendix....472

Miscellaneous commands....472

The string() command....472

Search and replace....473

Manipulation....474

Comparison....474

Hashing....475

Generation....475

JSON....476

The list() command....477

Reading....477

Searching....477

Modification....477

Ordering....478

The file() command....479

Reading....479

Writing....479

Filesystem....480

Path conversion....481

Transfer....481

Locking....481

Archiving....481

The math() command....482

PacktPage....484

Other Books You May Enjoy....486

Index....2

Modern CMake for C++ isn't just another reference book, or a repackaging of the documentation, but a blueprint to bridging the gap between learning C++ and being able to use it in a professional setting. It's an end-to-end guide to the automation of complex tasks, including building, testing, and packaging software.

This second edition is updated to the latest version of the CMake tooling suite, featuring three new chapters and an additional appendix dedicated to CMake presets.

In this book, you'll not only learn how to use the CMake language in CMake projects, but also discover how to make those projects maintainable, elegant, and clean. As you progress, you'll dive into the structure of source directories, building targets, and packages, all while learning how to compile and link executables and libraries. You'll also gain a deeper understanding of how those processes work, and how to optimize builds in CMake for the best results.

You'll discover how to use external dependencies in your project - third-party libraries, testing frameworks, program analysis tools, and documentation generators. Finally, you'll gain proficiency in exporting, installing, and packaging for internal and external purposes.

By the end of this book, you'll be able to use CMake confidently at a professional level.

What You Will Learn:

• Understand best practices for building C++ code
• Gain practical knowledge of the CMake language
• Guarantee code quality with tests and static and dynamic analysis
• Discover how to manage, discover, download, and link dependencies with CMake
• Build solutions that can be reused and maintained in the long term
• Understand how to optimize build artifacts and the build process
• Program modern CMake and manage your build processes
• Acquire expertise in complex subjects like CMake presets and CDash

Who this book is for:

The book is for build engineers and software developers with knowledge of C/C++ programming who are looking to learn CMake to automate the process of building small and large software solutions. If you're just getting started with CMake, a long-time GNU Make user, or simply looking to brush up on the latest best practices, this book is for you.