CMake and Make

CMake and Make are both tools that are commonly used in software development to build and manage software projects. However, they serve different purposes and are used at different stages of the software development process.

CMake is a build system generator that is used to create build scripts for software projects. It is a cross-platform tool that can be used to build software projects written in various programming languages and technologies. CMake uses a simple configuration file, called a CMakeLists.txt file, to specify the build rules for a project. It can generate build scripts for a wide range of build systems, including Make, Ninja, and Visual Studio.

Make, on the other hand, is a build automation tool that is used to build software projects based on a set of rules specified in a Makefile. Makefiles are text files that contain a list of rules that specify how to build a project. They include information about the project’s dependencies, build commands, and other build-related details. Make is typically used to build software projects on Unix-like operating systems, such as Linux and macOS.

In summary, CMake is a tool that is used to generate build scripts for software projects, while Make is a tool that is used to build software projects based on rules specified in a Makefile. CMake is often used in conjunction with Make, with CMake generating the Makefile that is then used by Make to build the project.

Make

Make is a build automation tool that is used to build and manage projects written in various programming languages. It is primarily used in Unix-like operating systems, but is also available for other platforms. Make is particularly useful for building large, complex projects that are composed of multiple source files and require multiple steps to build.

A makefile is a text file that contains instructions for building a project using Make. It specifies the targets, dependencies, and rules for building the project.

To get started with Make and makefiles, you will need to install Make on your system. On Unix-like systems, Make is usually installed by default. If it is not installed, you can install it using your system’s package manager. On Windows, you can download and install Make from the GnuWin32 project.

Once you have Make installed, you can create a makefile for your project. A makefile typically contains a list of targets, dependencies, and rules. A target is a file that Make is responsible for creating or updating. A dependency is a file that a target depends on. A rule specifies how to create or update a target based on its dependencies.

Here is an example makefile for a simple C project:

CC=gcc
CFLAGS=-I.

hello: hello.o
$(CC) -o hello hello.o $(CFLAGS)

hello.o: hello.c
$(CC) -c hello.c $(CFLAGS)

In this example, the makefile has two targets: hello and hello.o. The hello target depends on the hello.o target, which in turn depends on the hello.c source file. The CC and CFLAGS variables specify the compiler and compiler flags to use when building the targets.

To build the project using this makefile, you can simply run the make command in your terminal. Make will read the makefile and build the targets in the order specified by the dependencies.

There are many more features and options available in Make and makefiles. To learn more, you can consult the documentation for Make or the GNU Make Manual.

CMake

CMake is a build system generator that is commonly used in software engineering projects to build, test, and package software. It is a cross-platform tool that can be used to build software projects written in various programming languages and technologies. In this article, we will look at how to use CMake to build software engineer projects for various languages and technologies.

Before we dive into using CMake, let’s first understand what a build system is and why it is important in software development. A build system is a tool that automates the process of building, testing, and packaging software. It helps to ensure that the software is built consistently and with the correct dependencies and configurations.

One of the main benefits of using a build system is that it allows software developers to easily build and test their code on different platforms and environments. This is especially important for software projects that need to be built and run on multiple operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and macOS.

CMake is a popular build system generator that is widely used in software engineering projects. It is an open-source tool that is designed to be used across multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. CMake is based on a simple configuration file, called a CMakeLists.txt file, which specifies the build rules for a project.

To use CMake to build a software project, you first need to create a CMakeLists.txt file that specifies the build rules for your project. This file should include information about the project’s name, version, and dependencies, as well as any custom build rules that you may need to specify.

Once you have created the CMakeLists.txt file, you can then use CMake to generate build scripts for your project. CMake supports a wide range of build systems, including Make, Ninja, and Visual Studio, so you can choose the build system that is most appropriate for your project and target platform.

To build your project using CMake, you will need to run the CMake command with the appropriate arguments. For example, to build a project for a Unix-like operating system, you might use a command like this:

cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" .

This command will generate a Makefile for your project, which you can then use to build the project using the make command.

CMake is a powerful and flexible tool that is widely used in software engineering projects to build, test, and package software. It is a cross-platform tool that can be used to build projects written in various programming languages and technologies, making it a valuable tool for software developers.