[CMake] XML CMake ?

[Jorgen Bodde]

Hi,

Well it depends what entity you use I guess;

SET(CXREF_SRCS
comment.c
cxref.c
)

With

<SET var="CXREF_SRCS">
    <FILES>comment.c cxref.c</FILE>
</SET>

Or:

<set var = "CXREF_SRCS" files="comment.c cxref.c" />

For real small notation. But flavors do differ. The original discussion 
was more for machine parsing, and whenever one can read HTML one can 
read XML as well ... I also meant writing a second parser next to the 
original one, so people can choose.

- Jorgen



David Somers wrote:

>Hi Jurgen,
>
>  
>
>>Well one of my arguments was that it would be nice that it is parsable
>>and better readable.
>>    
>>
>
>Hmmm. I'm not sure that XML would be better readable. Too many angle
>brackets getting in the way :-) For example,
>
>compare:
>
>SET(CXREF_SRCS
>comment.c
>cxref.c
>)
>
>With
>
><SET var="CXREF_SRCS">
>	<FILE>comment.c</FILE>
>	<FILE>cxref.c</FILE>
></SET>
>
>Which is easier to read/understand?
>
>  
>
>>There are tons of standard XML parsers out there,
>>and it would be nice if it would allow (future) config tools to parse
>>and present the CMake scripts more visual where the user can add e.g.
>>project properties in a GUI. With the current language, parsing becomes
>>more difficult and less transparent.
>>    
>>
>
>I think one of the problems with development is the separation (or rather
>decoupling) of project management and build management.
>
>In an ideal world, there would be a unified project configuration file that
>could be used by an IDE for its  project-oriented view, and by the build
>system to do the building.
>
>At present, there is the situation that CMake is generating project-oriented
>files for KDevelop/XCode/VS, but this is a one-way street... no
>changes/updates can be made in these IDE's... the CMake files need to be
>changed/updated and the project files re-generated. This isn't a bad thing,
>since it means CMake effectively holds meta-build information which is then
>used to generate builds on different platforms/IDEs (which is actually one
>of the reasons I'm using CMake: I do multi-platform development).
>
>Now, if, for example, CMake could not only generate KDevelop project files,
>but KDevelop itself could modify/generate CMake files, that bit of
>round-trip engineering would be quite nice to see.
>
>  
>
>>I am not banging on the language being horrid, it isn't THAT bad .. but
>>XML just seems to be a nice addition.
>>    
>>
>
>Sure, its not that bad. Believe me when I say I've seen a lot worse.
>
>However, I've yet to see a programming language encoded in XML that didn't
>look completely silly.
>
>  
>
>>Ohh by the way, greetings from a snow covered Holland (although it is
>>already melting here ;-)
>>    
>>
>
>I though the snow missed your guys up there? We had a bit more snowfall
>today, and now the sky is a perfect clear bue, the ground is covered in
>snow, and its currently -2 and dropping. Wonderful.
>
>Greetings from frozen and snow-covered Luxembourg,
>
>David
>
>
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>  
>