What Is CMake

CMake is a cross-platform build system generator. You write CMakeLists.txt once, then generate platform-specific build files (Makefile, Ninja files, Visual Studio projects, and more).

On Linux, a typical workflow is:

1. Write CMakeLists.txt
2. Generate build system
3. Build

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mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

Template 1: Single Source File

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cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.5)
project(Demo1)

add_executable(demo1 test01.cpp)

Template 2: Multiple Source Files

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cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.5)
project(Demo2)

add_executable(demo2 main.cpp utils.cpp)

Template 3: Include Directories + Libraries

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cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.5)
project(Demo3)

include_directories(include)
add_executable(demo3 src/main.cpp src/foo.cpp)
target_link_libraries(demo3 pthread)

Recommended Project Structure

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project/
  CMakeLists.txt
  src/
  include/
  build/

Tips

• Keep out-of-source builds (build/) to avoid polluting source tree.
• Use target_* commands (target_include_directories, target_link_libraries) for modern CMake style.
• Pin a minimum CMake version to avoid compatibility surprises.