How to Run A Basic `Add_custom_command` In Cmake?

7 minutes read

To run a basic add_custom_command in CMake, you can specify this command in your CMakeLists.txt file. This command allows you to add custom commands to be executed at build time.


To use add_custom_command, you typically provide various arguments such as OUTPUT, COMMAND, and DEPENDS. The OUTPUT argument specifies the output file name of the command, the COMMAND argument specifies the actual command to be run, and the DEPENDS argument specifies the dependencies of the command.


You can add a custom command by writing the following syntax in your CMakeLists.txt file:

1
2
3
4
5
add_custom_command(
   OUTPUT output_file.txt
   COMMAND your_command
   DEPENDS dependency_file.txt
)


After adding the custom command, you can use the generated output file in your build process. This is particularly useful for tasks that are not handled by default build commands in CMake.


Keep in mind that add_custom_command is a powerful feature in CMake that allows you to extend the build process with custom commands. It can be useful for various tasks such as generating files, running scripts, or executing custom commands at build time.

Best Software Developer Books of December 2024

1
Software Requirements (Developer Best Practices)

Rating is 5 out of 5

Software Requirements (Developer Best Practices)

2
Lean Software Systems Engineering for Developers: Managing Requirements, Complexity, Teams, and Change Like a Champ

Rating is 4.9 out of 5

Lean Software Systems Engineering for Developers: Managing Requirements, Complexity, Teams, and Change Like a Champ

3
The Software Developer's Career Handbook: A Guide to Navigating the Unpredictable

Rating is 4.8 out of 5

The Software Developer's Career Handbook: A Guide to Navigating the Unpredictable

4
Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

Rating is 4.7 out of 5

Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual

5
Engineers Survival Guide: Advice, tactics, and tricks After a decade of working at Facebook, Snapchat, and Microsoft

Rating is 4.6 out of 5

Engineers Survival Guide: Advice, tactics, and tricks After a decade of working at Facebook, Snapchat, and Microsoft

6
The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide: How to Learn Programming Languages Quickly, Ace Your Programming Interview, and Land Your Software Developer Dream Job

Rating is 4.5 out of 5

The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide: How to Learn Programming Languages Quickly, Ace Your Programming Interview, and Land Your Software Developer Dream Job


How to run a command on specific platforms with add_custom_command in cmake?

To run a command on specific platforms with add_custom_command in CMake, you can use the following syntax:

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 7
 8
 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
if(APPLE)
    add_custom_command(TARGET target_name
        POST_BUILD
        COMMAND command_to_run
        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
        COMMENT "Running command on macOS"
    )
elseif(UNIX)
    add_custom_command(TARGET target_name
        POST_BUILD
        COMMAND command_to_run
        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
        COMMENT "Running command on Unix"
    )
elseif(WIN32)
    add_custom_command(TARGET target_name
        POST_BUILD
        COMMAND command_to_run
        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
        COMMENT "Running command on Windows"
    )
endif()


In this example, the add_custom_command is used to run a specific command on different platforms based on the if-else conditions. You can replace "target_name" with the name of your target, "command_to_run" with the actual command you want to execute, and update the comments accordingly. This way, the command will only be executed on the specified platforms.


How to specify outputs for add_custom_command in cmake?

To specify outputs for an add_custom_command in CMake, you can use the OUTPUT option. Here is an example:

1
2
3
4
5
add_custom_command(
    OUTPUT output_file.txt
    COMMAND <command to generate output_file.txt>
    DEPENDS input_file.txt
)


In this example, output_file.txt is specified as the output of the custom command. The command specified in the COMMAND option will generate output_file.txt, and CMake will track the dependencies specified in the DEPENDS option to determine when the custom command needs to be re-run.


How to specify a target using add_custom_command?

To specify a target using add_custom_command in CMake, you need to provide the target name as the first argument of the add_custom_command function. This can be done by setting the TARGET option to the desired target name.


Here is an example of how to specify a target using add_custom_command in CMake:

1
2
3
4
5
6
add_custom_command(TARGET my_target
                   POST_BUILD
                   COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_directory
                   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/input_directory
                   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/output_directory
                   COMMENT "Copying input directory to output directory")


In this example, my_target is the target name specified in the add_custom_command function. The POST_BUILD option indicates that this command should be executed after the target has been built. The COMMAND option specifies the actual command to be executed, which in this case is copying a directory using ${CMAKE_COMMAND} and -E copy_directory. The COMMENT option provides a description of the command that will be displayed during the build process.


By providing the target name as the first argument of the add_custom_command function, you can specify which target the custom command should be associated with in your CMake project.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Pocket

Related Posts:

To add multiple comments in the add_custom_command of CMake, you can use the COMMENT argument followed by the desired comments. You can add multiple comments by separating them with a semicolon (;). For example: add_custom_command( TARGET my_target POS...
To add a .obj file to the dependencies with CMake, you can utilize the add_custom_command and add_custom_target functions in your CMakeLists.txt file. First, you will need to use add_custom_command to create a command that copies the .obj file to the build dir...
To check the software version invoked by CMake, you can use the command line option &#34;--version&#34; with the CMake executable. This will display the version of CMake that is currently being used. Additionally, you can also use the command &#34;cmake --help...