CMake Usage Guide: Command-Line Options and Syntax

CMake Usage Guide: Command-Line Options and Syntax

CMake is a powerful cross-platform build system used to generate native build systems for various platforms. This guide explains the basic syntax for using CMake from the command line.

CMake Command-Line Syntax

You can invoke CMake using the following syntax:

cmake [options] <path-to-source>
cmake [options] <path-to-existing-build>
cmake [options] -S <path-to-source> -B <path-to-build>

Explanation:

• <path-to-source>: Path to the directory containing your project's source code.
• <path-to-existing-build>: Path to an existing build directory generated by CMake.
• <path-to-build>: Path to the directory where you want to generate the build system.
• -S: Specifies the source directory.
• -B: Specifies the build directory.
• [options]: Optional arguments affecting CMake's behavior.

Generating a Build System

To (re-)generate a build system for your project:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt.

2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create the build system.

3. Run the appropriate CMake command:

   • Generate in the current directory: cmake <path-to-source>
   • Generate in a specific directory: cmake -S <path-to-source> -B <path-to-build>
   • Re-generate an existing build directory: cmake <path-to-existing-build>

Getting Help

For more information about CMake's options and functionalities, run the following command:

cmake --help

This will display a comprehensive list of available options and their descriptions.