For cmake-gui this can be done by setting the STRINGS property of the cache entry: set_property(CACHE CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE PROPERTY STRINGS "DEBUG;RELEASE;MY_BUILD_TYPE") And here's a blog about that feature: http://www.kitware.com/blog/home/post/82 So, yes, Robert, it is possible. And David D., I'm not sure how we could make it automatic as you request in the bug report. HTH, David C.