What Does --Target Option Mean In Cmake?

2 minutes read

The --target option in CMake allows you to specify a specific target to build when running the cmake command. By providing this option, you can build a specific target instead of building all targets defined in the CMakeLists.txt file. This can be useful when you only need to build a specific part of your project, such as a library or executable, without having to build everything.


What is the syntax for the --target option in CMake?

The syntax for the --target option in CMake is as follows:

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cmake --build <build_directory> --target <target_name>


or

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cmake --build <build_directory> --target <target_name> --config <configuration>


where:

  • is the directory where the project was built using CMake.
  • is the name of the target that you want to build.
  • is the build configuration (e.g. Debug, Release) that you want to build the target for. (optional)


What happens if an invalid target is specified with the --target option in CMake?

If an invalid target is specified with the --target option in CMake, CMake will throw an error message indicating that the specified target does not exist in the CMake project. The build process will be aborted, and the user will need to correct the target name before proceeding with the build.


How to specify a custom target with the --target flag in CMake?

To specify a custom target with the --target flag in CMake, you can use the following syntax:

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cmake --build <path-to-build> --target <custom-target>


Here, <path-to-build> is the path to the build directory where the CMake build files are located, and <custom-target> is the name of the custom target that you want to build.


For example, if you have a custom target named my_custom_target in your CMake project, you can specify it as follows:

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cmake --build /path/to/build --target my_custom_target


This will build only the specified custom target my_custom_target without building any other targets in the project.

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