Re: Using Boost.Test header-only from CMake

From: Gavin Lambert (boost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2021-06-08 07:42:07

Mere moments ago, quoth I:
> TLDR: C++ is extremely ODR-prone and libraries are very fragile things.

Another way of putting all this is that libraries that can be configured 
between static/shared are mostly fine these days, because the tools have 
some blunt hammers that mostly do the right things with them.  (But 
still bite people on occasion.)

But libraries that can be configured between compiled and header-only 
are inherently a "here be dragons" and unless done *really* carefully 
(or sufficiently small that they can exist without dependencies of their 
own), are best avoided.

Pick one of header-only or compiled, and commit to it.  Don't try to 
hedge it to configuration, as this will only lead to pain and suffering.

And don't try to be header-only unless all of your dependencies are also 
header-only, or you're *really darn sure* that the build tools can unify 
the static/shared configuration across the whole program.