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

[Keith Gardner]

Hi,

Even if the Linux environment does not have a GUI, you can use ccmake.  It is like the cmake-gui but runs inside a terminal window.  I use this all the time on Windows through putty.

As for clicking generate, with the latest version of CMake, you can click generate without clicking configure and you have the behavior of cmake CLI.  At my company, we have many CMake options and need to configure multiple times, even on Linux.

-----Original Message-----
From: cmake-bounces at cmake.org [mailto:cmake-bounces at cmake.org] On Behalf Of Andreas Pakulat
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 1:32 PM
To: Robert Dailey
Cc: CMake ML
Subject: Re: [CMake] cmake-gui's separation between configuration & generation

Hi,

On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 8:20 PM, Robert Dailey <rcdailey.lists at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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.

I think the majority of Linux users these days have a graphical display at hand, just like MacOSX or Windows users. The cases where CMake is run from the commandline is IMO the same on all platforms:
Either because the users like CLI better or because the machine indeed has no display since its not needing one (read: Buildfarms).

Andreas
--

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