[cmake-developers] A type for static plugins?

[Stephen Kelly]

Brad King wrote:
> IMO that's too special-purpose.  However, since it is so common to
> add a library and then set properties on it, perhaps there should be
> a syntax in add_library and add_executable to inline property settings.
> 
> For example, we could add a keyword signature to declare SOURCES
> and PROPERTIES in one call:
> 
>  add_library(myplugin STATIC
>    SOURCES foo.cpp
>    PROPERTIES QT_STATICPLUGIN "1"
>    )

Perhaps. 

What would a complete example look like where the user can choose the build 
type?


 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)
 project(Something)

 set(my_lib_type SHARED CACHE STRING "Choose the type of libraries to build,
   options are: SHARED or STATIC.")
 set_property(CACHE my_lib_type PROPERTY STRINGS "SHARED" "STATIC")

 # Don't give plugins a 'lib' prefix
 set(CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_PREFIX "")

 add_library(some_lib ${my_lib_type} foo.cpp)

 if (my_lib_type STREQUAL SHARED)
   add_library(some_plugin MODULE main.cpp)
 else()
   add_library(some_plugin STATIC
     SOURCES main.cpp
     PROPERTIES 
       STATICPLUGIN 1
        # If we need this anyway, we might as well move it upscope 
        # and remove the CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_PREFIX setting, replacing 
        # it with
        #  set_property(TARGET some_plugin PROPERTY PREFIX "")
       PREFIX ""
     )
 endif()


I don't know why CMAKE_SHARED_MODULE_PREFIX has 'SHARED' in the name, but it 
seems another gain from adding a STATIC_MODULE type would be control of 
things like the default PREFIX, using either a new CMAKE_MODULE_PREFIX or a 
new CMAKE_STATIC_MODULE_PREFIX. Also things like CXXFLAGS and LINKER_FLAGS 
for the type could be set easily (CMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS, etc).

Admittedly, that's still a relatively minor gain.

Thanks,

Steve.