[CMake] [PATCH] support for CTEST_INITIAL_CACHE in new-style ctest script

[Alexander Neundorf]

-------- Original-Nachricht --------
> Datum: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:31:43 -0500
> Von: Bill Hoffman <bill.hoffman at kitware.com>
> An: a.neundorf-work at gmx.net
> CC: cmake at cmake.org
> Betreff: Re: [CMake] [PATCH] support for CTEST_INITIAL_CACHE in new-style ctest	script

> Alexander Neundorf wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > the attached patch adds support for the CTEST_INITIAL_CACHE variable
> when 
> > using new-style ctest commands.
> > Now ctest_configure() checks the CTEST_INITIAL_CACHE variable and if it
> is not 
> > empty, AND there is no CMakeCache.txt yet, it writes the initial 
> > CMakeCache.txt
> > I had a look at the code of the old-style ctest script, it seems there
> any 
> > existing CMakeCache.txt is overwritten if CTEST_INITIAL_CACHE is set. Is
> this 
> > correct ? Is this behaviour also wanted for the new-style commands ?
> > I think it is not necessary, because if I want to have a fresh cmake
> run, I 
> > can use ctest_empty_binary_directory() before, then I will also get the 
> > initial cache again.
> > 
> > What do you think ?
> > Ok to commit ?
> > 
> 
> I am not sure I like the idea.  The old style ctest was declarative in 
> nature.  The new one is procedural.  I am not sure I like magic global 
> variables affecting commands.   A better way to do this would be to add 
> an optional argument to ctest_configure that allows an initial cache to 
> be passed into the function.

Well, it would be quite backward compatible, so it would just work for users expecting to set() this variable.

Or a quite similar solution as you propose:
set(my_cache "FOO:STRING=foo
BAR:STRING=bar
")

ctest_configure(... INITIAL_CACHE "${my_cache}")


Or a bit more different, where the user doesn't have to know about the format of the cmake cache:
set(FOO foo)
set(BAR bar)

ctest_configure(... CMAKE_VARS FOO BAR)

So the user would just tell ctest_configure() which variables to hand over to cmake, and ctest_configure() would then write the CMakeCache.txt (or a cmake script to be preloaded using -C).

Alex

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