CMake:Packaging With CPack

Introduction

CPack is a powerful, easy to use, cross-platform software packaging tool distributed with CMake since version 2.4.2. It uses the generators concept from CMake, to abstract package generation on specific platforms, and it can be used with or without CMake.

Using either a simple configuration file or the CMake module, a complex project can be packaged into an installer.

Using CPack without CMake

CPack can be used directly by specifying a CPackConfig.cmake file, which uses CMake syntax and defines several variables. Here is an example CPackConfig.cmake file for a Linux system:

SET(CPACK_CMAKE_GENERATOR "Unix Makefiles")
SET(CPACK_GENERATOR "STGZ;TGZ;TZ")
SET(CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS "/home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin;CMake;ALL;/")
SET(CPACK_NSIS_DISPLAY_NAME "CMake 2.5")
SET(CPACK_OUTPUT_CONFIG_FILE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin/CPackConfig.cmake")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Copyright.txt")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY "CMake is a build tool")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES "ccmake;CMake")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME "cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY "CMake 2.5")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_REGISTRY_KEY "CMake 2.5.0")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME "CMake")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR "Kitware")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION "2.5.0")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MAJOR "2")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR "5")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_PATCH "0")
SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Copyright.txt")
SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Templates/CPack.GenericDescription.txt")
SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME "/home/andy/vtk/CMake/Templates/CPack.GenericWelcome.txt")
SET(CPACK_SOURCE_GENERATOR "TGZ;TZ")
SET(CPACK_SOURCE_OUTPUT_CONFIG_FILE "/home/andy/vtk/CMake-bin/CPackSourceConfig.cmake")
SET(CPACK_SOURCE_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME "cmake-2.5.0")
SET(CPACK_SOURCE_STRIP_FILES "")
SET(CPACK_STRIP_FILES "bin/ccmake;bin/cmake;bin/cpack;bin/ctest")
SET(CPACK_SYSTEM_NAME "Linux-i686")
SET(CPACK_TOPLEVEL_TAG "Linux-i686")

These variables can also be overwritten on the command line using the option "-D":

cpack -D CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR=Me -D CPACK_SYSTEM_NAME=super-duper-linux ...

Using CPack with CMake

CMake comes with a CPack module, which will automatically generate an appropriate CPack configuration file. To use the module, simply invoke the following command (BTW, failure to do so will result in an annoying "CPack Error: CPack project name not specified" message...):

INCLUDE(CPack)

This generates a new target called "package" in your build system. When this target is built, CPack will be invoked to generate all of the packages. Internally, CPack will use CMake's install mechanism to automatically populate the package.

An example output of the "package" target (from a Linux Makefile) is:

Run CPack packaging tool...
CPack: Create package using STGZ
CPack: Install projects
CPack: - Run preinstall target for: CMake
CPack: - Install project: CMake
CPack: - Strip files
CPack: Compress package
CPack: Finalize package
CPack: Package /home/andy/CMake-bin/cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686.sh generated.
CPack: Create package using TGZ
CPack: Install projects
CPack: - Run preinstall target for: CMake
CPack: - Install project: CMake
CPack: - Strip files
CPack: Compress package
CPack: Finalize package
CPack: Package /home/andy/CMake-bin/cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686.tar.gz generated.
CPack: Create package using TZ
CPack: Install projects
CPack: - Run preinstall target for: CMake
CPack: - Install project: CMake
CPack: - Strip files
CPack: Compress package
CPack: Finalize package
CPack: Package /home/andy/CMake-bin/cmake-2.5.0-Linux-i686.tar.Z generated.

Using CMake variables to configure CPack

To configure CPack, it is possible to define CPack variables inside a CMake file. These variables will be copied across to the generated CPackConfig.cmake file before CPack is invoked.

This is an example CMake list section for CPack configuration:

INCLUDE(InstallRequiredSystemLibraries)

SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY "My funky project")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR "Me, myself, and I")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/ReadMe.txt")
SET(CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/Copyright.txt")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MAJOR "1")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR "3")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION_PATCH "2")
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY "CMake ${CMake_VERSION_MAJOR}.${CMake_VERSION_MINOR}")
IF(WIN32 AND NOT UNIX)
  # There is a bug in NSI that does not handle full unix paths properly. Make
  # sure there is at least one set of four (4) backlasshes.
  SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_ICON "${CMake_SOURCE_DIR}/Utilities/Release\\\\InstallIcon.bmp")
  SET(CPACK_NSIS_INSTALLED_ICON_NAME "bin\\\\MyExecutable.exe")
  SET(CPACK_NSIS_DISPLAY_NAME "${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY} My Famous Project")
  SET(CPACK_NSIS_HELP_LINK "http:\\\\\\\\www.my-project-home-page.org")
  SET(CPACK_NSIS_URL_INFO_ABOUT "http:\\\\\\\\www.my-personal-home-page.com")
  SET(CPACK_NSIS_CONTACT "me@my-personal-home-page.com")
  SET(CPACK_NSIS_MODIFY_PATH ON)
ELSE(WIN32 AND NOT UNIX)
  SET(CPACK_STRIP_FILES "bin/MyExecutable")
  SET(CPACK_SOURCE_STRIP_FILES "")
ENDIF(WIN32 AND NOT UNIX)
SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_EXECUTABLES "MyExecutable" "My Executable")
INCLUDE(CPack)

CPack Generators

There are several generators usable with CPack.

Example

Here is an example.

Debugging

A very detailed log of CPack execution steps can be obtained via cpack --debug --verbose (which, as a side note, are features that are awfully hidden at least in older versions of CPack).

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