A simple example

This is a simple yet complete example of a proper CMakeLists. For this program, we have one library (MyLibExample) with a header file and a source file, and one application, MyExample, with one source file.

  1. # Almost all CMake files should start with this
  2. # You should always specify a range with the newest
  3. # and oldest tested versions of CMake. This will ensure
  4. # you pick up the best policies.
  5. cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.15...3.31)
  7. # This is your project statement. You should always list languages;
  8. # Listing the version is nice here since it sets lots of useful variables
  9. project(
  10.   ModernCMakeExample
  11.   VERSION 1.0
  12.   LANGUAGES CXX)
  14. # If you set any CMAKE_ variables, that can go here.
  15. # (But usually don't do this, except maybe for C++ standard)
  17. # Find packages go here.
  19. # You should usually split this into folders, but this is a simple example
  21. # This is a "default" library, and will match the *** variable setting.
  22. # Other common choices are STATIC, SHARED, and MODULE
  23. # Including header files here helps IDEs but is not required.
  24. # Output libname matches target name, with the usual extensions on your system
  25. add_library(MyLibExample simple_lib.cpp simple_lib.hpp)
  27. # Link each target with other targets or add options, etc.
  29. # Adding something we can run - Output name matches target name
  30. add_executable(MyExample simple_example.cpp)
  32. # Make sure you link your targets with this command. It can also link libraries and
  33. # even flags, so linking a target that does not exist will not give a configure-time error.
  34. target_link_libraries(MyExample PRIVATE MyLibExample)

The complete example is available in examples folder.

A larger, multi-file example is also available.