CMake: How to Download and Set Up Your Environment for C/C++ Development
How to Download CMake
CMake is an open-source, cross-platform tool that allows developers to manage the build process of their software projects in a simple and portable way. CMake can generate native project files for various platforms and environments, such as Visual Studio, Xcode, Make, Ninja, and more. CMake can also handle complex tasks such as system introspection, dependency detection, and user customization.
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In this article, you will learn how to download and install CMake on Windows, macOS, and Linux/UNIX systems. You will also learn some common errors and solutions for using CMake effectively.
Introduction
What is CMake and what are its benefits
CMake stands for Cross-platform Make. It is not a build system itself, but rather a meta build system that generates another system's build files. For example, CMake on Windows will produce a solution for Visual Studio; CMake on Linux will produce a Makefile; CMake on macOS will produce a project for Xcode and so on.
CMake has many benefits for software development, especially for cross-platform projects. Some of these benefits are:
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It allows developers to write one set of configuration files that can be used on different platforms and environments.
It supports directory hierarchies and applications that depend on multiple libraries.
It has minimal dependencies, requiring only a C++ compiler on its own build system.
It provides automatic discovery and configuration of the toolchain and system libraries.
It supports optional components and user-defined variables at configuration time.
It supports custom commands and targets for generating source files or performing other tasks during the build process.
What are the prerequisites for installing CMake
To install CMake, you need to have a working C++ compiler on your system. You also need to have enough disk space to store the downloaded files and the installed binaries. The exact requirements may vary depending on your platform and configuration.
Installing CMake on Windows
Downloading the pre-compiled binaries from the official website
The easiest way to install CMake on Windows is to download the pre-compiled binaries from the official website: . You can choose between MSI packages and ZIP files. The MSI packages are installers that will guide you through the installation process. The ZIP files are archives that you can extract to any location you want.
Running the installer and modifying the system PATH variable
If you choose to download an MSI package, you need to run it as an administrator and follow the instructions on the screen. You can choose a custom installation directory if you want, but make sure to check the option to add CMake to the system PATH for all users or the current user. This will allow you to run CMake from any command prompt or terminal window.
If you choose to download a ZIP file, you need to extract it to a location of your choice. You can use any file archiver tool, such as WinZip, WinRAR, or 7-Zip. After extracting the files, you need to manually add the bin directory of CMake to the system PATH variable. You can do this by following these steps:
Open the Control Panel and click on System and Security.
Click on System and then on Advanced system settings.
Click on the Environment Variables button at the bottom of the window.
In the System variables section, find the variable named PATH and click on Edit.
Add a semicolon (;) at the end of the existing value and then paste the full path to the bin directory of CMake. For example, if you extracted CMake to C:\Program Files\CMake, you would add ;C:\Program Files\CMake\bin to the PATH variable.
Click on OK to save the changes and close all the windows.
Verifying the installation by running cmake --version
To verify that CMake is installed correctly and added to the PATH, you can open a command prompt or a terminal window and run the following command:
cmake --version
This should display the version number and release date of CMake. For example:
cmake version 3.21.3 CMake suite maintained and supported by Kitware (kitware.com/cmake).
If you see an error message saying that cmake is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file, then you need to check your PATH variable and make sure it contains the correct path to the bin directory of CMake.
Installing CMake on macOS
Downloading the disk image or tarball from the official website
The easiest way to install CMake on macOS is to download the disk image or tarball from the official website: . You can choose between DMG files and TGZ files. The DMG files are disk images that contain a graphical installer for CMake. The TGZ files are compressed archives that contain the pre-compiled binaries for CMake.
Copying CMake.app into /Applications or a custom location
If you choose to download a DMG file, you need to double-click on it to mount it as a virtual drive. You will see a window with a CMake icon and an Applications folder. You can drag and drop the CMake icon into the Applications folder or any other location you want. This will copy CMake.app into your system.
Making the command-line tools available in the PATH
If you want to use CMake from the command line, you need to make sure that its executable files are available in your PATH variable. You can do this by following these steps:
Open a terminal window and navigate to the location where you copied CMake.app. For example, if you copied it into /Applications, you would run this command:
cd /Applications
Run this command to create symbolic links for all the executable files in CMake.app/Contents/bin into /usr/local/bin:
sudo "/Applications/CMake.app/Contents/bin/cmake-gui" --install
Enter your password when prompted and press Enter.
Verifying the installation by running cmake --version
To verify that CMake is installed correctly and added to the PATH, you can open a terminal window and run the following command:
cmake --version
This should display the version number and release date of CMake. For example:
cmake version 3.21.3 CMake suite maintained and supported by Kitware (kitware.com/cmake).
Installing CMake on Linux/UNIX
Downloading the pre-compiled binaries or source code from the official website
The easiest way to install CMake on Linux/UNIX systems is to download the pre-compiled binaries or source code from MAKE_C_COMPILER or CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER variables at configuration time. For example, if you want to use gcc instead of the default compiler, you would run this command:
cmake -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=gcc -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++ ..
You can also use the CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE variable to specify a file that contains the settings for your toolchain. For example, if you have a file named toolchain.cmake that defines the compiler, linker, and other tools for your target platform, you would run this command:
cmake -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=toolchain.cmake ..
Handling spaces in paths and arguments
Another common issue when using CMake is dealing with spaces in paths and arguments. Spaces can cause problems when passing them to commands or scripts, as they may be interpreted as separators or delimiters.
To handle spaces in paths and arguments for CMake, you need to use double quotes or escape them with backslashes. For example, if you want to install CMake into a directory that contains spaces, such as C:\Program Files\CMake, you would run this command:
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="C:\Program Files\CMake" ..
Or this command:
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=C:\Program\ Files\CMake ..
Conclusion
CMake is a powerful and versatile tool for managing the build process of your software projects. It can help you create cross-platform and portable projects tha