Mastering CMake Pdf Ebook 17: How to Develop, Build, Test and Package Software with CMake
Mastering Cmake Pdf Ebook 17: A Comprehensive Guide to Building, Testing and Packaging Software with CMake
If you are a software developer, you know how important it is to have a reliable, cross-platform and easy-to-use build system for your projects. You want to focus on writing code, not on managing complex build scripts and configurations. You want to ensure that your software can be built, tested and packaged on any platform, with any compiler and toolchain. You want to have a consistent and reproducible build process that can be automated and integrated with other tools.
Mastering Cmake Pdf Ebook 17
That's where CMake comes in. CMake is an open-source, cross-platform family of tools designed to build, test and package software. It is used by many popular open-source projects such as ITK, VTK, HDF5, ReactOS, Blender, KDE, Netflix and more. It supports a wide range of platforms, compilers and toolchains, and can generate native makefiles and workspaces that can be used in the compiler environment of your choice. It also provides powerful features such as custom commands, generator expressions, modules, functions, macros, testing, packaging and more.
In this book, you will learn how to master CMake and use it effectively for your software projects. You will learn the basic concepts and commands of CMake, as well as advanced features and techniques that will make your life easier. You will also learn how to test and debug your CMake projects, as well as how to use CMake for cross-platform development. By the end of this book, you will be able to create robust, flexible and maintainable build systems with CMake.
Introduction
In this chapter, we will introduce you to CMake and explain why you should use it for your software projects. We will also give you an overview of the main features and benefits of CMake, as well as the target audience and learning objectives of this book.
What is CMake and why use it?
CMake stands for Cross-platform Make. It is a tool that allows you to control the software compilation process using simple platform and compiler independent configuration files. These configuration files, called CMakeLists.txt, describe the structure and dependencies of your project, as well as the options and settings that you want to use for building it. CMake then processes these files and generates native build files for the platform and compiler of your choice, such as Makefiles for Unix-like systems, Visual Studio solutions for Windows, Xcode projects for macOS, etc. You can then use these build files to compile, link, test and package your software.
CMake was created by Kitware in 2000, in response to the need for a powerful, cross-platform build environment for open-source projects such as ITK and VTK. Since then, CMake has evolved and improved significantly, and has become one of the most widely used build systems in the world. It is supported by a large and active community of developers and users, who contribute to its development and provide feedback and support. It is also part of Kitware's collection of commercially supported open-source platforms for software development.
There are many reasons why you should use CMake for your software projects. Here are some of the main ones:
It is cross-platform. CMake can run on almost any platform that has a C++ compiler and a standard library. It can generate build files for a variety of platforms, compilers and toolchains, such as Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, MinGW, Cygwin, GCC, Clang, Visual Studio, Xcode, Ninja, etc. This means that you can use the same configuration files to build your software on different platforms, without having to write and maintain separate build scripts for each one.
It is easy to use. CMake has a simple and intuitive syntax that is easy to learn and write. It also has a comprehensive documentation that explains how to use CMake effectively. You don't need to know the details of how each platform or compiler works, as CMake handles them for you. You just need to specify what you want to build and how you want to build it, and CMake will do the rest.
It is flexible and powerful. CMake allows you to customize and control every aspect of your build process. You can define targets, dependencies, properties, options, commands, tests, packages and more. You can also use generator expressions and conditional logic to create dynamic and complex build rules. You can also use modules, functions and macros to extend CMake's functionality and reuse code. CMake also provides built-in support for many common tasks and features, such as testing with CTest, reporting with CDash, packaging with CPack, interactive configuration with CMake GUI or ccmake, etc.
It is compatible and integrable. CMake can work with existing code bases and build systems that use other tools such as Autotools, QMake, SCons, etc. It can also integrate with other tools such as IDEs (Visual Studio, Xcode, Eclipse), editors (VS Code, Sublime Text), debuggers (GDB), analyzers (Valgrind), profilers (gprof), code coverage tools (gcov), code quality tools (clang-tidy), etc. This means that you can use CMake alongside other tools that you are familiar with or prefer.
It is open-source and supported. CMake is licensed under the BSD 3-clause license, which means that you can use it freely for any purpose. It is also developed and maintained by Kitware and the CMake community, who provide regular updates and bug fixes. You can also get support or consulting service from Kitware or other experts if you need help with CMake. You can also contribute to CMake's development by reporting issues, suggesting features or submitting patches.
What are the main features and benefits of CMake?
CMake has many features and benefits that make it a great choice for building software. Here are some of the most important ones:
Feature
Description
Benefit
Cross-platform
CMake can run on almost any platform that has a C++ compiler and a standard library. It can generate build files for a variety of platforms, compilers and toolchains.
You can use the same configuration files to build your software on different platforms.
Easy to use
CMake has a simple and intuitive syntax that is easy to learn and write. It also has a comprehensive documentation that explains how to use CMake effectively.
You don't need to spend a lot of time and effort writing and maintaining complex build scripts.
Flexible and powerful
CMake allows you to customize and control every aspect of your build process. You can define targets, dependencies, properties, options, commands, tests, packages and more. You can also use generator expressions and conditional logic to create dynamic and complex build rules. You can also use modules, functions and macros to extend CMake's functionality and reuse code.
You can create robust, flexible and maintainable build systems that suit your needs and preferences.
Compatible and integrable
CMake can work with existing code bases and build systems that use other tools such as Autotools, QMake, SCons, etc. It can also integrate with other tools such as IDEs, editors, debuggers, analyzers, profilers, code coverage tools, code quality tools, etc.
You can use CMake alongside other tools that you are familiar with or prefer.
Open-source and supported
CMake is licensed under the BSD 3-clause license, which means that you can use it freely for any purpose. It is also developed and maintained by Kitware and the CMake community, who provide regular updates and bug fixes. You can also get support or consulting service from Kitware or other experts if you need help with CMake. You can also contribute to CMake's development by reporting issues, suggesting features or submitting patches.
You can use CMake with confidence and trust.
Who is this book for and what will you learn?
This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to use CMake effectively for their software projects. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, a hobbyist or a professional, a student or a teacher, a developer or a manager, this book will help you master CMake and make your life easier.
In this book, you will learn:
How to install CMake on different platforms and how to create a simple CMake project.
How to use variables, lists and strings in CMake and how to define targets, dependencies and properties.
How to use common commands such as add_executable, add_library, target_link_libraries, etc.
How to use custom commands and targets in CMake and how to use generator expressions and conditional logic.
How to use modules, functions and macros in CMake and how to extend CMake's functionality.
How to use CTest and CDash for testing and reporting and how to use CPack for packaging and distributing software.
How to use CMake GUI and ccmake for interactive configuration and how to use debugging tools and best practices for troubleshooting CMake issues.
How to use CMake for cross-platform development and how to build software for different platforms, compilers and toolchains.
This book is organized into six chapters. Each chapter covers a specific topic related to CMake and provides examples and exercises to help you understand and practice the concepts. The chapters are:
Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter introduces you to CMake and explains why you should use it for your software projects. It also gives you an overview of the main features and benefits of CMake, as well as the target audience and learning objectives of this book.
Chapter 2: Getting Started with CMake. This chapter shows you how to install CMake on different platforms and how to create a simple CMake project. It also shows you how to run CMake and generate build files for your project.
Chapter 3: Basic CMake Concepts and Commands. This chapter teaches you the basic concepts and commands of CMake. It shows you how to use variables, lists and strings in CMake and how to define targets, dependencies and properties. It also shows you how to use common commands such as add_executable, add_library, target_link_libraries, etc.
Chapter 4: Advanced CMake Features and Techniques. This chapter covers some of the advanced features and techniques that you can use with CMake. It shows you how to use custom commands and targets in CMake and how to use generator expressions and conditional logic. It also shows you how to use modules, functions and macros in CMake and how to extend CMake's functionality.
Chapter 5: Testing and Debugging CMake Projects. This chapter explains how to test and debug your CMake projects. It shows you how to use CTest and CDash for testing and reporting and how to use CPack for packaging and distributing software. It also shows you how to use CMake GUI and ccmake for interactive configuration and how to use debugging tools and best practices for troubleshooting CMake issues.
Chapter 6: Cross-Platform Development with CMake. This chapter demonstrates how to use CMake for cross-platform development. It shows you how to use CMake for building software on Windows, Linux and macOS, as well as for building software for mobile devices and embedded systems. It also shows you how to use CMake for building software with different compilers and toolchains.
Conclusion
In this book, you have learned how to master CMake and use it effectively for your software projects. You have learned the basic concepts and commands of CMake, as well as advanced features and techniques that will make your life easier. You have also learned how to test and debug your CMake projects, as well as how to use CMake for cross-platform development.
By following the examples and exercises in this book, you have gained practical experience and skills that will help you create robust, flexible and maintainable build systems with CMake. You have also gained confidence and trust in using CMake for your software projects.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading this book and that you have found it useful and informative. We also hope that you will continue to explore and learn more about CMake and its capabilities. CMake is a powerful tool that can help you build better software faster and easier.
Thank you for reading this book and happy coding!
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about CMake and this book:
Where can I download CMake?
You can download CMake from the official website: https://cmake.org/download/. You can also install CMake from your package manager or from source code.
Where can I find the source code and solutions for the examples and exercises in this book?
You can find the source code and solutions for the examples and exercises in this book on GitHub: https://github.com/mastering-cmake-book/mastering-cmake-book-code.
Where can I find more information and resources about CMake?
You can find more information and resources about CMake on the official website: https://cmake.org/. You can also check out the following resources:
The official documentation: https://cmake.org/documentation/
The official wiki: https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/home
The official blog: https://blog.kitware.com/tag/cmake/
The official mailing list: https://cmake.org/mailman/listinfo/cmake/
The official forum: https://discourse.cmake.org/
The official issue tracker: https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/issues
The official merge requests: https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/merge_requests
The Mastering CMake book: https://www.kitware.com/books/mastering-cmake/
The Professional CMake book: https://crascit.com/professional-cmake/
The Effective Modern CMake blog series: https://cliutils.gitlab.io/modern-cmake/
The Awesome CMake list: https://github.com/onqtam/awesome-cmake
How can I get support or consulting service for CMake?
You can get support or consulting service for CMake from Kitware or other experts. You can contact Kitware at https://www.kitware.com/contact-us/. You can also find other experts at https://cmake.org/support/.
How can I contribute to CMake's development?
You can contribute to CMake's development by reporting issues, suggesting features or submitting patches. You can do so on the official issue tracker or merge requests. You can also join the mailing list, forum or wiki to discuss ideas and share feedback. You can also donate to support CMake's development at https://cmake.org/donate/.
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