CMake : A Quick Primer

Introduction

CMake is a build system generator that allows you to create build scripts (like Makefiles, Visual Studio projects, etc.) in a platform-independent way. It helps manage the build process for C/C++ projects.

Key Concepts

• CMakeLists.txt: The main configuration file for CMake.
• cmake command: Used to generate build files.
• make command: Used to compile the project (on Unix-like systems).

Code Sample

In this chapter, and beyond, we will be actively working with CMake. Grab your favourite text editor, and C++ compiler and get ready to code.

1. Create a file main.cpp:

#include <iostream>
int main() {
    std::cout << "Hello, World!" << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

2. Create a CMakeLists.txt file in the same directory:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
project(HelloWorld)

add_executable(HelloWorld main.cpp)

3. Build and run the project:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
cmake --build .
./HelloWorld

4. Output:

Hello, World!

Quiz