ctest_build

Perform the CTest Build Step as a Dashboard Client.

ctest_build([BUILD <build-dir>] [APPEND]
            [CONFIGURATION <config>]
            [PARALLEL_LEVEL <parallel>]
            [FLAGS <flags>]
            [PROJECT_NAME <project-name>]
            [TARGET <target-name>]
            [NUMBER_ERRORS <num-err-var>]
            [NUMBER_WARNINGS <num-warn-var>]
            [RETURN_VALUE <result-var>]
            [CAPTURE_CMAKE_ERROR <result-var>]
            [PRESET <preset>]
            [PRESETS_FILE <file>]
            )

Build the project and store results in Build.xml for submission with the ctest_submit() command.

The CTEST_BUILD_COMMAND variable may be set to explicitly specify the build command line when no preset is selected. Otherwise the build command line is computed automatically based on the options given.

The options are:

BUILD <build-dir>

Specify the top-level build directory. If not given, the CTEST_BINARY_DIRECTORY variable is used.

APPEND

Mark Build.xml for append to results previously submitted to a dashboard server since the last ctest_start() call. Append semantics are defined by the dashboard server in use. This does not cause results to be appended to a .xml file produced by a previous call to this command.

CONFIGURATION <config>

Specify the build configuration (e.g. Debug). If not specified the CTEST_BUILD_CONFIGURATION variable will be checked. Otherwise the -C <cfg> option given to the ctest(1) command will be used, if any.

PARALLEL_LEVEL <parallel>

Added in version 3.21.

Specify the parallel level of the underlying build system. If not specified, the CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL environment variable will be checked.

FLAGS <flags>

Pass additional arguments to the underlying build command. If not specified the CTEST_BUILD_FLAGS variable will be checked. This can, e.g., be used to trigger a parallel build using the -j option of make. See the ProcessorCount module for an example.

PROJECT_NAME <project-name>

Ignored since CMake 3.0.

Changed in version 3.14: This value is no longer required.

TARGET <target-name>

Specify the name of a target to build. If not specified the CTEST_BUILD_TARGET variable will be checked. Otherwise the default target will be built. This is the "all" target (called ALL_BUILD in Visual Studio Generators).

NUMBER_ERRORS <num-err-var>

Store the number of build errors detected in the given variable.

NUMBER_WARNINGS <num-warn-var>

Store the number of build warnings detected in the given variable.

PRESET <preset>

Added in version 4.4.

Specify a preset to use when building the project. Any value set in the CTest script will take priority over a corresponding setting from the preset. For example, the TARGET argument will override the targets setting from the chosen preset.

When a preset is specified, the CTEST_BUILD_COMMAND variable is ignored so that the preset is always honored.

See also the CTEST_BUILD_PRESET and CTEST_PRESET variables.

PRESETS_FILE <file>

Added in version 4.4.

Specify a presets file to use instead of the default CMakePresets.json in the source directory. A relative path is interpreted relative to the source directory. Has no effect unless a preset is selected via the PRESET argument or the CTEST_BUILD_PRESET or CTEST_PRESET variables.

See also the CTEST_PRESETS_FILE variable.

RETURN_VALUE <result-var>

Store the return value of the native build tool in the given variable.

CAPTURE_CMAKE_ERROR <result-var>

Added in version 3.7.

Store in the <result-var> variable -1 if there are any errors running the command and prevent ctest from returning non-zero if an error occurs.

QUIET

Added in version 3.3.

Suppress any CTest-specific non-error output that would have been printed to the console otherwise. The summary of warnings / errors, as well as the output from the native build tool is unaffected by this option.