[CMake] Would it be possible to have cmake make final binaries?

Clinton Stimpson clinton at elemtech.com
Tue Aug 31 13:02:34 EDT 2010


On Tuesday, August 31, 2010 09:33:18 am Mark Roden wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I'm wondering if it would be possible to have CMake bypass IDEs altogether
> and just produce the final, installed results.
> 
> Right now, I do this:
> 1) download source
> 2) configure source
> 3) tweak settings
> 4) configure source again
> 5) Probably configure a third time, depending on what CMake wants to make
> the 'generate' button show up
> 6) generate code
> 7) open IDE
> 8) select build style (debug, release, etc)
> 9) build
> 10) build install
> 11) use libraries/exes/etc
> 
> Would it be possible to combine steps 6-10 with a single button in CMake?
> That is, have a CMake default flag that is 'build style', and have that be
> something like 'debug' (which corresponds to a set of compiler switches,
> etc), 'release' (other switches), and so forth.  Have that show up as a
> simple option when configuring.  Then, rather than having to go through all
> subsequent steps, just have a third button that is 'build and install',
> that just goes right to building and installing?
> 
> The idea is that if I need to set up a development environment on a new
> machine, or recover from a crash, or the like, I should be able to download
> the source and (ideally) press a single button to make it happen.
> 
> I've followed this style:
> http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000043.html
> 
> for a while now, and having the one-button deployment really shows
> weaknesses in the process, as well as really helps have end users get to
> what they actually want, which is an installed, usable version of the code
> that they downloaded.  It's like running ./configure; make; make install
> from the command line, but in delicious GUI form and allowing you to easily
> flip whatever switches you want in step 3 above.
> 
> Make sense?  Good idea/bad idea?

See:
http://cmake.org/Bug/view.php?id=8260
http://cmake.org/Bug/view.php?id=8664

Feel free to add your comments to that.
I think its a good idea.

As for the "Joel Test" you gave a link to, one can already do #2 and #3 with a 
ctest script.  But yeah, have a GUI button as well would be nice.
An issue is that there are multiple things that "one" button can do.

Clint


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