Re: Building with CMake?

From: pbristow_at_[hidden]
Date: 2019-10-08 17:14:05

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Boost-users <boost-users-bounces_at_[hidden]> On Behalf Of Robert
> Dailey via Boost-users
> Sent: 8 October 2019 17:34
> To: Boost <boost-users_at_[hidden]>
> Cc: Robert Dailey <rcdailey.lists_at_[hidden]>
> Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Building with CMake?
> 
> On Tue, Oct 8, 2019 at 11:29 AM Mateusz Loskot via Boost-users <boost-
> users_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> > Boost is a collection of C++ libraries where each library has a fair
> > bit of freedom of how it is being developed; each has their developers
> > and maintainers who are free to add any build configuration they like
> > as local/internal per the library they maintain.
> >
> > For example, Boost.Beast and Boost.GIL, both header-only libraries,
> > allow their contributors to build tests and examples using CMake.
> > So, CMake-lovers should follow instructions specific to those libraries:
> > https://github.com/boostorg/gil/blob/develop/CONTRIBUTING.md
> > https://github.com/boostorg/beast#building-tests-and-examples
> >
> > If you search carefully, you may even find .sln and .vcxproj files
> > dangling in folders of some libraries. It does not mean you can build
> > whole Boost by opening the .sln file in VS and hitting Ctrl+Shift+B.
> >
> > If there is a maintainer of a Boost library who likes Bazel or
> > Premake, you may see configuration files for those as well.
> 
> Thanks for explaining. I figured it would be a little more complicated than that
> because:
> 
> 1. This essentially means library maintainers are choosing to maintain at least 2
> build systems (bjam for overall boost build, + whatever preferential build system
> they use for the library itself).
> 
> 2. Dependency management. Boost.Filesystem depends on Boost.System.
> But what if Boost.System maintainers didn't want to use CMake?
> 
> I don't know how you guys are solving these problems. To me it is much simpler to
> use CMake for everything. Not sure why the super repo hasn't adopted it yet. I
> recall a project to do CMake for boost that started years ago.

Indeed - and it is still a work in progress, but it is *much* more difficult that it might appear, and requires time and special skills in both CMake, bjam and each and every  individual Boost libraries.

If you have something to contribute, you are most welcome to help 😉

Paul

Paul A. Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse
Kendal, Cumbria 
LA8 8AB           UK