Thanks for the explanation, Craig. Is there a way to detect if the target was a physical file created using add_library/add_executable, or a utility target created using add_custom_target in order to conditionally call the target_link_libraries command ? There is the condition if(TARGET target-name) , but according to the documentation it returns true for any existing logical target name such as those created by the <https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/add_executable.html#command:add_executable> add_executable(), <https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/add_library.html#command:add_library> add_library(), or <https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target> add_custom_target() commands.
From: Craig Scott [mailto:craig.sc...@crascit.com] Sent: Monday, July 25, 2016 1:52 PM To: Azharuddin Mohammed <azhar...@codeaurora.org> Cc: CMake <cmake@cmake.org> Subject: Re: [CMake] What is a utility target ? In the context of that particular part of the CMake documentation, it is referring to targets that are not created by add_library() or add_executable(). Targets created by add_custom_target() are not something CMake knows what to do with if you give them to the target_link_libraries() command, since these custom targets may not (and typically won't) correspond to a physical file being created (that's what add_custom_command() is for). So the term utility target can be thought of as being a custom target you create for convenience, but not something which actually corresponds to a library or executable. Examples of utility targets that CMake will automatically create for you include things like all, test, package, etc. On Tue, Jul 26, 2016 at 6:39 AM, Azharuddin Mohammed <azhar...@codeaurora.org <mailto:azhar...@codeaurora.org> > wrote: Hi CMake Policy CMP0039 (https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/policy/CMP0039.html) mentions that “Utility targets may not have link dependencies” . Can someone please explain what does “utility targets” mean ? Thanks - Azhar -- Powered by www.kitware.com <http://www.kitware.com> Please keep messages on-topic and check the CMake FAQ at: http://www.cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_FAQ Kitware offers various services to support the CMake community. For more information on each offering, please visit: CMake Support: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/support.html CMake Consulting: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/consulting.html CMake Training Courses: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/training.html Visit other Kitware open-source projects at http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe: http://public.kitware.com/mailman/listinfo/cmake -- Craig Scott Melbourne, Australia http://crascit.com
-- Powered by www.kitware.com Please keep messages on-topic and check the CMake FAQ at: http://www.cmake.org/Wiki/CMake_FAQ Kitware offers various services to support the CMake community. For more information on each offering, please visit: CMake Support: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/support.html CMake Consulting: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/consulting.html CMake Training Courses: http://cmake.org/cmake/help/training.html Visit other Kitware open-source projects at http://www.kitware.com/opensource/opensource.html Follow this link to subscribe/unsubscribe: http://public.kitware.com/mailman/listinfo/cmake