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The CMake build process consists of several main steps, from setting up the project to generating and executing build commands. 1. **Create Build Directory**: Keep the source code directory clean. 2. **Use CMake to Generate Build Files**: Configure the project and generate platform-appropriate build files. 3. **Compile and Build**: Use the generated build files to compile and build. 4. **Clean Build Files**: Delete intermediate files and target files. 5. **Reconfigure and Build**: Handle changes to project settings. !(#) The following is a detailed explanation of the build process: ### 1. Create Build Directory CMake recommends using an "Out-of-source" build method, which means placing build files in a separate directory outside the source code directory. This keeps the source code directory clean and makes it easy to manage different build configurations. !(#) **Create Build Directory:** In the project's root directory, create a new build directory. For example, you can create a directory named build. mkdir build **Enter Build Directory:** Enter the build directory you just created. cd build ### 2. Use CMake to Generate Build Files Run CMake in the build directory to generate build system files suitable for the current platform (such as Makefile, Ninja build files, Visual Studio project files, etc.). **Run CMake Configuration:** Run the CMake command in the build directory, specifying the source code directory. The source code directory is the directory containing the CMakeLists.txt file. cmake .. If you need to specify a generator (such as Ninja, Visual Studio), you can use the -G option. For example: cmake -G "Ninja" .. If you need to specify the build type (such as Debug or Release), you can use the -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE option. For example: cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release .. **Check Configuration Results:** CMake will output detailed information during the configuration process, including libraries found, options defined, etc. If there are no errors, the build system files will be generated in the build directory. ### 3. Compile and Build Use the generated build files to compile and build. Different build systems use different commands. **Use Makefile (or similar build system):** If using Makefile, you can run the make command to compile and build the project. make If you want to build a specific target, you can specify the target name. For example: make MyExecutable **Use Ninja:** If using the Ninja build system, run the ninja command to compile and build the project. ninja Similar to make, you can build a specific target: ninja MyExecutable **Use Visual Studio:** If Visual Studio project files are generated, you can open the .sln file and then select Build Solution in Visual Studio. You can also use the msbuild command-line tool to compile: msbuild MyProject.sln /p:Configuration=Release ### 4. Clean Build Files Intermediate files and target files generated during the build process can be deleted through cleanup operations. **Use Makefile:** Run the make clean command (if cleanup rules are defined) to delete generated files. make clean **Use Ninja:** Run the ninja clean command (if cleanup rules are defined) to delete generated files. ninja clean **Manual Deletion:** You can manually delete all files in the build directory, but keep the source code directory unchanged. For example: rm -rf build/* ### 5. Reconfigure and Build If you modify the CMakeLists.txt file or project settings, you may need to reconfigure and build the project. **Re-run CMake Configuration:** Re-run the CMake configuration command in the build directory. cmake .. **Re-compile:** Use the build command to recompile the project. make