CMake:Packaging With CPack
Introduction
CPack is a powerful, easy to use, cross-platform software packaging tool distributed with CMake since version 2.4.2. It uses the generators concept from CMake, to abstract package generation on specific platforms. It can be used with or without CMake, but it may depend on some software being installed on the system, for details see the information about the supported package formats below. Using a simple configuration file or using a CMake module, the author of a project can package a complex project into a simple installer.
Using CPack with CMake
CMake comes with CPack module, which will generate appropriate CPack input file. To use this module, some CMake variables need to be set. These variables will be copied to the CPack input file.
A simple CMake section to use CPack from CMake is this:
INCLUDE(CPack)
This will generate new target in Makefile (or Visual Studio, or Xcode) called "package". By running this target, CPack will be invoked, which will generate all the packages. Example output of the "package" target of Makefile is:
Run CPack packaging tool... CPack: Create package using STGZ CPack: Install projects CPack: - Run preinstall target for: CMake CPack: - Install project: CMake CPack: - Strip files CPack: Compress package CPack: Finalize package CPack: Package /home/andy/CMake-bin/cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686.sh generated. CPack: Create package using TGZ CPack: Install projects CPack: - Run preinstall target for: CMake CPack: - Install project: CMake CPack: - Strip files CPack: Compress package CPack: Finalize package CPack: Package /home/andy/CMake-bin/cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686.tar.gz generated. CPack: Create package using TZ CPack: Install projects CPack: - Run preinstall target for: CMake CPack: - Install project: CMake CPack: - Strip files CPack: Compress package CPack: Finalize package CPack: Package /home/andy/CMake-bin/cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686.tar.Z generated.
When adding line:
INCLUDE(CPack)
CMake module CPack.cmake will generate CPack configuration file called CPackConfig.cmake.
A more typical CMake list section for CPack configuration would be:
INCLUDE(InstallRequiredSystemLibraries) SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY "My funky project") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR "Me, myself, and I") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/ReadMe.txt") SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/Copyright.txt") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MAJOR "1") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR "3") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_PATCH "2") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY "CMake ${CMake_VERSION_MAJOR}.${CMake_VERSION_MINOR}") IF(WIN32 AND NOT UNIX) # There is a bug in NSI that does not handle full unix paths properly. Make # sure there is at least one set of four (4) backlasshes. SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_ICON "${CMake_SOURCE_DIR}/Utilities/Release\\\\InstallIcon.bmp") SET(CPACK_NSIS_INSTALLED_ICON_NAME "bin\\\\MyExecutable.exe") SET(CPACK_NSIS_DISPLAY_NAME "${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY} My Famous Project") SET(CPACK_NSIS_HELP_LINK "http:\\\\\\\\www.my-project-home-page.org") SET(CPACK_NSIS_URL_INFO_ABOUT "http:\\\\\\\\www.my-personal-home-page.com") SET(CPACK_NSIS_CONTACT "me@my-personal-home-page.com") SET(CPACK_NSIS_MODIFY_PATH ON) ELSE(WIN32 AND NOT UNIX) SET(CPACK_STRIP_FILES "bin/MyExecutable") SET(CPACK_SOURCE_STRIP_FILES "") ENDIF(WIN32 AND NOT UNIX) SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES "MyExecutable" "My Executable") INCLUDE(CPack)
CPack and INSTALL commands
CPack will internally use CMake's install mechanism to populate the package. The Install Commands page describes how to use the CMake's INSTALL command.
Using CPack without CMake
CPack can be used directly by specifying CPackConfig.cmake file. This file uses CMake syntax and has to contain several variables. Here is example CPackConfig.cmake files from CMake build directory on Linux system:
SET(CPACK_CMAKE_GENERATOR "Unix Makefiles") SET(CPACK_GENERATOR "STGZ;TGZ;TZ") SET(CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS "/home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin;CMake;ALL;/") SET(CPACK_NSIS_DISPLAY_NAME "CMake 2.5") SET(CPACK_OUTPUT_CONFIG_FILE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin/CPackConfig.cmake") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Copyright.txt") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY "CMake is a build tool") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES "ccmake;CMake") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME "cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY "CMake 2.5") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_REGISTRY_KEY "CMake 2.5.0") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME "CMake") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR "Kitware") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION "2.5.0") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MAJOR "2") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR "5") SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_PATCH "0") SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Copyright.txt") SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Templates/CPack.GenericDescription.txt") SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Templates/CPack.GenericWelcome.txt") SET(CPACK_SOURCE_GENERATOR "TGZ;TZ") SET(CPACK_SOURCE_OUTPUT_CONFIG_FILE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin/CPackSourceConfig.cmake") SET(CPACK_SOURCE_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME "cmake-2.5.0") SET(CPACK_SOURCE_STRIP_FILES "") SET(CPACK_STRIP_FILES "bin/ccmake;bin/cmake;bin/cpack;bin/ctest") SET(CPACK_SYSTEM_NAME "Linux-i686") SET(CPACK_TOPLEVEL_TAG "Linux-i686")
These variables can be overwritten on the command line using the option "-D":
cpack -D CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR=Me -D CPACK_SYSTEM_NAME=super-duper-linux ...
CPack Settings
Variable Name | ____________Description____________ | Example |
---|---|---|
CPACK_CMAKE_GENERATOR | What CMake generator should be used if the project is CMake project | Unix Makefiles |
CPACK_GENERATOR | CPack generator to be used | STGZ;TGZ;TZ |
CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS | List of four values: Build directory, Project Name, Project Component, Directory in the package | /home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin;CMake;ALL;/ |
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE | File used as a description of a project | /path/to/project/ReadMe.txt |
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY | Description summary of a project | CMake is a build tool |
CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES | Pair of project executable and label | ccmake;CMake |
CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME | Package file name without extension. Also a directory of installer | cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686 |
CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY | Installation directory on the target system | CMake 2.5") |
CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_REGISTRY_KEY | Registry key used when installing this project | CMake 2.5.0 |
CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME | Package name | CMake |
CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR | Package vendor name | Kitware |
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION | Package full version | 2.5.0 |
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MAJOR | Package Major Version | 2 |
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR | Package Minor Version | 5 |
CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_PATCH | Package Patch Version | 0 |
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE | License file for the project | /home/andy/vtk/CMake/Copyright.txt |
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README | ReadMe file for the project | /home/andy/vtk/CMake/Templates/CPack.GenericDescription.txt |
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME | Welcome file for the project | /home/andy/vtk/CMake/Templates/CPack.GenericWelcome.txt |
CPACK_SOURCE_GENERATOR | List of generators used for the source package | TGZ;TZ |
CPACK_SOURCE_IGNORE_FILES | Pattern of files in the source tree that won't be packaged | /CVS/;/\\.svn/;\\.swp$;\\.#;/#;.*~;cscope.* |
CPACK_SOURCE_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME | Name of the source package | cmake-2.5.0 |
CPACK_SOURCE_STRIP_FILES | List of files in the source tree that will be stripped. Starting with CMake 2.6.0 CPACK_SOURCE_STRIP_FILES will be a boolean variable which enables stripping of all files (a list of files evaluates to TRUE in CMake, so this change is compatible). | |
CPACK_STRIP_FILES | List of files to be stripped. Starting with CMake 2.6.0 CPACK_STRIP_FILES will be a boolean variable which enables stripping of all files (a list of files evaluates to TRUE in CMake, so this change is compatible). | bin/ccmake;bin/cmake;bin/cpack;bin/ctest |
CPACK_SYSTEM_NAME | System name | Linux-i686 |
CPACK_TOPLEVEL_TAG | Directory for the installed | Linux-i686 |
CPack Package Generators
Currently CPack features the following package generators:
- TGZ
- Tar GZip compressed packages.
- STGZ
- Self extracting Tar GZip compressed packages (needs /bin/sh, tar, gunzip and tail for extracting).
- NSIS
- Nullsoft Installer. Requires NSIS for creating the package.
- ZIP
- ZIP compressed packages. Requires zip, WinZip or 7Zip for creating the package.
- TBZ2
- Tar BZip2 compressed packages. Requires bzip2 for creating the package.
- TZ
- Tar UNIX compress compressed packages.
- PackageMaker (OSX only)
- Mac OSX Package Maker packages. Requires Package Maker for creating the package.
- OSXX11 (OSX only)
- Mac OSX X11 Bundle. Requires hdiutil for creating the package.
- CygwinBinary (Cygwin only)
- Tar Bzip2 compressed Cygwin package. Requires bzip2 for creating the package.
- CygwinSource (Cygwin only)
- Tar Bzip2 compressed Cygwin source package. Requires bzip2 for creating the package.
- DEB
- Debian packages. Requires only ar for creating the package. In CMake cvs since July 2007, will be in 2.6.0. With CPack 2.4.x you can check use the approach described in CMakeUserUseDebian .
RPM packages are currently not supported, but you should look at the RPM module.
For an enhanced version of these modules, take a look at this discussion http://www.cmake.org/pipermail/cmake/2007-July/014945.html .