# try_compile

Contents

- try_compile
  - Try Compiling Whole Projects
  - Try Compiling Source Files
  - Other Behavior Settings

Try building some code.

## Try Compiling Whole Projects

    try_compile(RESULT_VAR <bindir> <srcdir>
                <projectName> [<targetName>] [CMAKE_FLAGS <flags>...]
                [OUTPUT_VARIABLE <var>])

Try building a project. The success or failure of the `try_compile`, i.e. `TRUE` or `FALSE` respectively, is returned in `RESULT_VAR`.

In this form, `<srcdir>` should contain a complete CMake project with a `CMakeLists.txt` file and all sources. The `<bindir>` and `<srcdir>` will not be deleted after this command is run. Specify `<targetName>` to build a specific target instead of the `all` or `ALL_BUILD` target. See below for the meaning of other options.

## Try Compiling Source Files

    try_compile(RESULT_VAR <bindir> <srcfile|SOURCES srcfile...>
                [CMAKE_FLAGS <flags>...]
                [COMPILE_DEFINITIONS <defs>...]
                [LINK_LIBRARIES <libs>...]
                [OUTPUT_VARIABLE <var>]
                [COPY_FILE <fileName> [COPY_FILE_ERROR <var>]])

Try building an executable from one or more source files. The success or failure of the `try_compile`, i.e. `TRUE` or `FALSE` respectively, is returned in `RESULT_VAR`.

In this form the user need only supply one or more source files that include a definition for `main`. CMake will create a `CMakeLists.txt` file to build the source(s) as an executable that looks something like this:

    add_definitions(<expanded COMPILE_DEFINITIONS from caller>)
    include_directories(${INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES})
    link_directories(${LINK_DIRECTORIES})
    add_executable(cmTryCompileExec <srcfile>...)
    target_link_libraries(cmTryCompileExec ${LINK_LIBRARIES})

The options are:

`CMAKE_FLAGS <flags>...`
  Specify flags of the form `-DVAR:TYPE=VALUE` to be passed to the `cmake` command-line used to drive the test build. The above example shows how values for variables `INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES`, `LINK_DIRECTORIES`, and `LINK_LIBRARIES` are used.
`COMPILE_DEFINITIONS <defs>...`
  Specify `-Ddefinition` arguments to pass to `add_definitions` in the generated test project.
`COPY_FILE <fileName>`
  Copy the linked executable to the given `<fileName>`.
`COPY_FILE_ERROR <var>`
  Use after `COPY_FILE` to capture into variable `<var>` any error message encountered while trying to copy the file.
`LINK_LIBRARIES <libs>...`

  Specify libraries to be linked in the generated project. The list of libraries may refer to system libraries and to Imported Targets from the calling project.

  If this option is specified, any `-DLINK_LIBRARIES=...` value given to the `CMAKE_FLAGS` option will be ignored.

`OUTPUT_VARIABLE <var>`
  Store the output from the build process the given variable.

In this version all files in `<bindir>/CMakeFiles/CMakeTmp` will be cleaned automatically. For debugging, `--debug-trycompile` can be passed to `cmake` to avoid this clean. However, multiple sequential `try_compile` operations reuse this single output directory. If you use `--debug-trycompile`, you can only debug one `try_compile` call at a time. The recommended procedure is to protect all `try_compile` calls in your project by `if(NOT DEFINED RESULT_VAR)` logic, configure with cmake all the way through once, then delete the cache entry associated with the try_compile call of interest, and then re-run cmake again with `--debug-trycompile`.

## Other Behavior Settings

If set, the following variables are passed in to the generated try_compile CMakeLists.txt to initialize compile target properties with default values:

- `CMAKE_ENABLE_EXPORTS`
- `CMAKE_LINK_SEARCH_START_STATIC`
- `CMAKE_LINK_SEARCH_END_STATIC`
- `CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE`

If `CMP0056` is set to `NEW`, then `CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS` is passed in as well.

The current setting of `CMP0065` is set in the generated project.

Set the `CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_CONFIGURATION` variable to choose a build configuration.

Set the `CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_TARGET_TYPE` variable to specify the type of target used for the source file signature.

Set the `CMAKE_TRY_COMPILE_PLATFORM_VARIABLES` variable to specify variables that must be propagated into the test project. This variable is meant for use only in toolchain files.