[cmake-developers] install(EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL) new feature - request for comment

[Nick Lewis]

There is currently no way to exclude a component install() from a full
installation. Current workarounds using OPTIONAL do not work reliably
because they depend on previous builds and on the order of the execution of
the
build and install commands for the components and the default target

Let us take an example of a project that has some tests in a component that
need to be installed into a dedicated test package. The user expectation is
that the result could be achieved by typing the following:

     make
     make tests
     make install
     DESTDIR=/testpkgs make install-tests

However this results in test components in the default installation as well
as the testpkg

Judging by questions on the mail list, users typically try to overcome this
problem by adding the EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL keyword to the install() command but
this is currently unsupported. The patch uploaded to the issue tracker
provides support for it.

Brad has further suggested that the install(EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL) should be
implicitly set when installing components built with
add_executable/library(EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL)

I welcome your views on these ideas

https://cmake.org/Bug/view.php?id=14921

Best Regards
Nick

-- 
Nick Lewis
nick.lewis at amag.com
+44 1684 277137 <+441684277137>
www.amag.com
AMAG Technology, Challenge House, International Drive, Tewkesbury Business
Park, TEWKESBURY, GL20 8UQ, U.K.

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