CMake/Help/command/add_custom_command.rst

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add_custom_command
------------------
Add a custom build rule to the generated build system.
There are two main signatures for ``add_custom_command``.
Generating Files
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The first signature is for adding a custom command to produce an output::
add_custom_command(OUTPUT output1 [output2 ...]
COMMAND command1 [ARGS] [args1...]
[COMMAND command2 [ARGS] [args2...] ...]
[MAIN_DEPENDENCY depend]
[DEPENDS [depends...]]
[BYPRODUCTS [files...]]
[IMPLICIT_DEPENDS <lang1> depend1
[<lang2> depend2] ...]
[WORKING_DIRECTORY dir]
[COMMENT comment]
[VERBATIM] [APPEND] [USES_TERMINAL])
This defines a command to generate specified ``OUTPUT`` file(s).
A target created in the same directory (``CMakeLists.txt`` file)
that specifies any output of the custom command as a source file
is given a rule to generate the file using the command at build time.
Do not list the output in more than one independent target that
may build in parallel or the two instances of the rule may conflict
(instead use the :command:`add_custom_target` command to drive the
command and make the other targets depend on that one).
In makefile terms this creates a new target in the following form::
OUTPUT: MAIN_DEPENDENCY DEPENDS
COMMAND
The options are:
``APPEND``
Append the ``COMMAND`` and ``DEPENDS`` option values to the custom
command for the first output specified. There must have already
been a previous call to this command with the same output.
The ``COMMENT``, ``MAIN_DEPENDENCY``, and ``WORKING_DIRECTORY``
options are currently ignored when APPEND is given, but may be
used in the future.
``BYPRODUCTS``
Specify the files the command is expected to produce but whose
modification time may or may not be newer than the dependencies.
If a byproduct name is a relative path it will be interpreted
relative to the build tree directory corresponding to the
current source directory.
Each byproduct file will be marked with the :prop_sf:`GENERATED`
source file property automatically.
Explicit specification of byproducts is supported by the
:generator:`Ninja` generator to tell the ``ninja`` build tool
how to regenerate byproducts when they are missing. It is
also useful when other build rules (e.g. custom commands)
depend on the byproducts. Ninja requires a build rule for any
generated file on which another rule depends even if there are
order-only dependencies to ensure the byproducts will be
available before their dependents build.
The ``BYPRODUCTS`` option is ignored on non-Ninja generators
except to mark byproducts ``GENERATED``.
``COMMAND``
Specify the command-line(s) to execute at build time.
If more than one ``COMMAND`` is specified they will be executed in order,
but *not* necessarily composed into a stateful shell or batch script.
(To run a full script, use the :command:`configure_file` command or the
:command:`file(GENERATE)` command to create it, and then specify
a ``COMMAND`` to launch it.)
The optional ``ARGS`` argument is for backward compatibility and
will be ignored.
If ``COMMAND`` specifies an executable target name (created by the
:command:`add_executable` command) it will automatically be replaced
by the location of the executable created at build time. If set, the
:prop_tgt:`CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR` executable target property will
also be prepended to the command to allow the executable to run on
the host.
(Use the ``TARGET_FILE``
:manual:`generator expression <cmake-generator-expressions(7)>` to
reference an executable later in the command line.)
Additionally a target-level dependency will be added so that the
executable target will be built before any target using this custom
command. However this does NOT add a file-level dependency that
would cause the custom command to re-run whenever the executable is
recompiled.
Arguments to ``COMMAND`` may use
:manual:`generator expressions <cmake-generator-expressions(7)>`.
References to target names in generator expressions imply target-level
dependencies, but NOT file-level dependencies. List target names with
the ``DEPENDS`` option to add file-level dependencies.
``COMMENT``
Display the given message before the commands are executed at
build time.
``DEPENDS``
Specify files on which the command depends. If any dependency is
an ``OUTPUT`` of another custom command in the same directory
(``CMakeLists.txt`` file) CMake automatically brings the other
custom command into the target in which this command is built.
If ``DEPENDS`` is not specified the command will run whenever
the ``OUTPUT`` is missing; if the command does not actually
create the ``OUTPUT`` then the rule will always run.
If ``DEPENDS`` specifies any target (created by the
:command:`add_custom_target`, :command:`add_executable`, or
:command:`add_library` command) a target-level dependency is
created to make sure the target is built before any target
using this custom command. Additionally, if the target is an
executable or library a file-level dependency is created to
cause the custom command to re-run whenever the target is
recompiled.
Arguments to ``DEPENDS`` may use
:manual:`generator expressions <cmake-generator-expressions(7)>`.
``IMPLICIT_DEPENDS``
Request scanning of implicit dependencies of an input file.
The language given specifies the programming language whose
corresponding dependency scanner should be used.
Currently only ``C`` and ``CXX`` language scanners are supported.
The language has to be specified for every file in the
``IMPLICIT_DEPENDS`` list. Dependencies discovered from the
scanning are added to those of the custom command at build time.
Note that the ``IMPLICIT_DEPENDS`` option is currently supported
only for Makefile generators and will be ignored by other generators.
``MAIN_DEPENDENCY``
Specify the primary input source file to the command. This is
treated just like any value given to the ``DEPENDS`` option
but also suggests to Visual Studio generators where to hang
the custom command. At most one custom command may specify a
given source file as its main dependency.
``OUTPUT``
Specify the output files the command is expected to produce.
If an output name is a relative path it will be interpreted
relative to the build tree directory corresponding to the
current source directory.
Each output file will be marked with the :prop_sf:`GENERATED`
source file property automatically.
If the output of the custom command is not actually created
as a file on disk it should be marked with the :prop_sf:`SYMBOLIC`
source file property.
``USES_TERMINAL``
The command will be given direct access to the terminal if possible.
With the :generator:`Ninja` generator, this places the command in
the ``console`` :prop_gbl:`pool <JOB_POOLS>`.
``VERBATIM``
All arguments to the commands will be escaped properly for the
build tool so that the invoked command receives each argument
unchanged. Note that one level of escapes is still used by the
CMake language processor before add_custom_command even sees the
arguments. Use of ``VERBATIM`` is recommended as it enables
correct behavior. When ``VERBATIM`` is not given the behavior
is platform specific because there is no protection of
tool-specific special characters.
``WORKING_DIRECTORY``
Execute the command with the given current working directory.
If it is a relative path it will be interpreted relative to the
build tree directory corresponding to the current source directory.
Build Events
^^^^^^^^^^^^
The second signature adds a custom command to a target such as a
library or executable. This is useful for performing an operation
before or after building the target. The command becomes part of the
target and will only execute when the target itself is built. If the
target is already built, the command will not execute.
::
add_custom_command(TARGET <target>
PRE_BUILD | PRE_LINK | POST_BUILD
COMMAND command1 [ARGS] [args1...]
[COMMAND command2 [ARGS] [args2...] ...]
[BYPRODUCTS [files...]]
[WORKING_DIRECTORY dir]
[COMMENT comment]
[VERBATIM] [USES_TERMINAL])
This defines a new command that will be associated with building the
specified ``<target>``. The ``<target>`` must be defined in the current
directory; targets defined in other directories may not be specified.
When the command will happen is determined by which
of the following is specified:
``PRE_BUILD``
Run before any other rules are executed within the target.
This is supported only on Visual Studio 7 or later.
For all other generators ``PRE_BUILD`` will be treated as
``PRE_LINK``.
``PRE_LINK``
Run after sources have been compiled but before linking the binary
or running the librarian or archiver tool of a static library.
This is not defined for targets created by the
:command:`add_custom_target` command.
``POST_BUILD``
Run after all other rules within the target have been executed.