[cmake-developers] Testing CMake

[Brad King]

On 10/24/2013 09:31 AM, Nils Gladitz wrote:
> I've been wondering about the test setup in Tests/CMakeLists.txt.
> Is CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND in that context the newly build ctest or the old 
> one that performed the build?

It is the newly built one.

> Does CMAKE_CTEST_COMMAND when invoked with "--build-and-test" perhaps 
> run that build and test with the new binaries?

It uses the new binaries.

> Some of the scripts reference ancient versions of cmake and I am scared 
> of breaking them by introducing features that are not available in them.

I don't think there is any reason not to update cmake_minimum_required
in any test to the current version.  Those lines just "rot" when there
is not a reason to update them (like getting a policy set by default).

> Are there additional reasons why newer features should be kept out of 
> certain scripts?

New features only need to be kept out of Tests/CMakeLists.txt code and
the subdirectories it enters via add_subdirectory.  Those are processed
by the existing CMake used to perform the build.  All the test case
CMakeLists.txt files get processed with the just-built binaries when
the tests run.

-Brad