[CMake] cmake-gui's separation between configuration & generation

[Robert Dailey]

On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 1:12 PM, Andreas Pakulat <apaku at gmx.de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 5:48 PM, Robert Dailey <rcdailey.lists at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 10:43 AM, John Drescher <drescherjm at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Is the separation between configuration & generation really necessary
>>>> for cmake-gui? I ask because several of my co-workers are confused
>>>> between the differences in the two, even though I explain it.
>>>>
>>>> Honestly there isn't really a reason that I can think of to do a
>>>> configure without a generate, unless you're testing the integrity of
>>>> your CMake script changes maybe, but even then, if its broken
>>>> generation won't take place.
>>>>
>>>> The command line program does not separate the two, so I simply think
>>>> cmake-gui should eliminate the configure button, and simply have a
>>>> generate button. Does this seem fair? Is there a reason why they are
>>>> separated?
>>>
>>> I can think of one use case that I use that the separation is a good
>>> thing. What about when you have options and variables that are
>>> conditional depending on other CMake variables so that setting the
>>> variables / options may take more than 1 configure.
>>
>> Well, think of this from the perspective of Linux users. They don't
>> get to configure seperately, so only Windows users get special
>> treatment here (and maybe Mac too, since it's using Qt).
>
> You need to check your facts a bit more thoroughly ;) cmake-gui exists
> on all platforms that Qt exists on, specifically because Qt is
> cross-platform. And Qt runs on Windows, Linux, MacOSX and a few more
> Unices.

I already knew all of this, what I was saying is that not everyone has
Linux with a GUI, so they'd HAVE to use the CLI for CMake in that
case. I'm only on Windows anyway, so my example is limited to that.