CMake-Based Build System

Boost.Cmake is an alternative build system for Boost based on ​CMake, a cross-platform, open-source make system.

Mailing list

Join the boost-cmake mailing list here:

​http://lists.boost.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/boost-cmake

IRC

Discuss boost-cmake on ​freenode.net IRC in #alt.boost.

Versions

1.40.0

The cmake build in the standard boost distribution tarball for 1.40.0 is BROKEN

The cmake distribution for 1.40.0 is on a branch in a git repository on gitorious.org:

​http://gitorious.org/~straszheim/boost/cmake

The direct download link for a 1.40.0 cmake-buildable tarball is here:

​http://gitorious.org/~straszheim/boost/cmake/commits/1.40.0

And the new documentation (which contains most of what is below. What is below is probably no longer completely reliable) is viewable online here:

​http://gitorious.org/~straszheim/boost/cmake/blobs/raw/1.40.0/tools/build/CMake/docs/build/html/index.html

As well as inside the tarball in the directory tools/build/CMake/docs/build/html/index.html

As usual, patches to the code and/or documentation are gratefully accepted. If you make a clone of the git repository, push your patches and make a merge request, even better.

1.39.0 and 1.38.0

See the ​notes by version.

Older wiki stuff, may not be reliable

How Do I…

• Build Boost with CMake?

• Tune the CMake build configuration (verbosity, tests, static/shared, debug/release, single/multi-threaded)?

• Test Boost with CMake?

• Build/preprocess individual libraries/files with CMake?

• Add a Boost Library with CMake?

• Add a Compiled Library with CMake?

• Add Regression Tests with CMake?

• Modularize a Library with CMake?

• Build a Binary Installer with CMake?

Reference Documentation

• Project macros
  • boost_library_project - Designate a new Boost library project

• Building binaries
  • boost_add_library - Add a compiled Boost library
  • boost_add_executable - Add a compiled executable

• Regression testing
  • boost_test_run - Compile and execute a test
  • boost_test_run_fail - Compile and execute a test (which is expected to fail)
  • boost_test_compile - Compile a test
  • boost_test_compile_fail - Compile a test (which should fail to compile)

• Build features - Different library build features supported by the build system

• ​CMake Macro Reference (note that this documentation is also compiled in to cmake itself. The command cmake --help-full will display it.)

Commentary

• Boost CMake Features
• KDE experiences with Cmake

Ongoing Development

• ​Boost-cmake mailing list
• CMake TODO list - Start here to get involved!
• CMakeModularizationStatus - Modularization status
• There is a CMake component in trac: keep us abreast of any bugs.