[CMake] Fwd: Re: Compiler debug file, howto remove in clean?

[Michael Hertling]

On 12/14/2011 09:43 AM, Totte Karlsson wrote:
> 
> On 12/13/2011 4:15 PM, David Cole wrote:
>> RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY is a target property, not a variable. You'd
>> have to use get_property to retrieve its value, not
>> ${RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}...
> 
> Thanks! I ended up with the following, in the targets CMakeList file
> 
> get_property(exe_path TARGET ${target} PROPERTY RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY)
> set_property(DIRECTORY PROPERTY ADDITIONAL_MAKE_CLEAN_FILES 
> ${exe_path}/${target}.tds)
> and that seem to work fine.
> 
> Question 1: What is best practice? To do the "get_property" in a top level 
> CmakeList file and set_property in each targets CMakeList file. Or do I need 
> both lines in each target CMakeList file?

The latter, as the target must be defined before you can query its
properties; thus, the GET_PROPERTY() command should reside in the
respective CMakeLists.txt file next to the target. Moreover, the
RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property is empty if it's neither set
explicitly nor initialized by CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY;
perhaps, you should handle this case, e.g.:

ADD_EXECUTABLE(xyz ...)
GET_PROPERTY(s TARGET xyz PROPERTY RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY SET)
IF(s)
  GET_PROPERTY(... TARGET xyz PROPERTY RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY)
  SET_PROPERTY(DIRECTORY APPEND PROPERTY ADDITIONAL_MAKE_CLEAN_FILES ...)
ELSE()
  # Warn or bail out or do just nothing...
ENDIF()

> Q 2: I have
> set(CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY 	${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/bins)
> 
> in the top level CMakeList file. If I want a variable corresponding to the 
> RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY property, is there a best practice naming convention 
> for such? For example, is it possible to create a variable with the same name, like:
> 
> get_property(RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY TARGET ${target} PROPERTY 
> RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY)
> ?

Yes, because properties and variables are different types of objects
with separate namespaces, and property-related predefined variables
usually have the "CMAKE_" prefix.

Regards,

Michael

>> On Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 10:04 AM, Totte Karlsson
>> <totte at dunescientific.com>  wrote:
>>> not sure if the following was sent to the newsgroup?
>>> Sorry if posting double..
>>>
>>>>> set_property(DIRECTORY PROPERTY ADDITIONAL_MAKE_CLEAN_FILES
>>>>>
>>>>>                         ${RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/${target}.tds
>>>>>                         )
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Is your RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY variable set up correctly?
>>>
>>>
>>> In the top Cmake file I have
>>> set(EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH      ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/bins)
>>> set(CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH})
>>> Not sure if that is best practice? I'm a cmake beginner
>>>
>>>
>>> Do you
>>>>
>>>> perhaps mean the target property of this name instead, and what's
>>>> the value of your "target" variable?
>>>
>>>
>>> In the 'target' cmake file, where the target is an application or a dll, it
>>> looks something like (for an application 'read_from_file'):
>>>
>>> set(target read_from_file)
>>> add_executable(${target} main.cpp)
>>>
>>> #MTK libraries
>>> target_link_libraries (${target} mtkCommon)
>>> ...
>>> #VTK libraries
>>> target_link_libraries(${target} vtkCommon)
>>> ....
>>> ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND(
>>> TARGET ${target} POST_BUILD
>>> COMMAND echo ${target} and ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}
>>> COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
>>>     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/ball.mtk ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}
>>> COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
>>>     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/Alanine.mtk ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}
>>> )
>>>
>>> set_property(DIRECTORY PROPERTY ADDITIONAL_MAKE_CLEAN_FILES
>>>                         ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}/ball.mtk
>>>                         ${EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH}/Alanine.mtk
>>>
>>>                         ${RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/${target}.tds
>>>                         )
>>>
>>> #then comes installs, omitted...
>>> install (TARGETS ${target}                              DESTINATION bins)
>>> ...
>>>
>>> In the set_property command, the cleaning works for the text files, ball and
>>> Alanine.mtk. Interestingly, if I change it to
>>>                         ${EXCECUTABLE_PATH}/${target}.tds
>>>
>>> So I guess the RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY variable is not set correctly? I
>>> thought
>>> I read somewhere it is setup when the CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY is
>>> setup?
>>>
>>> Any feedback appreciated!
>>> totte