Help/manual/cmake-presets.7.rst
.. cmake-manual-description: CMakePresets.json
cmake-presets(7)
.. only:: html
.. contents::
.. versionadded:: 3.19
One problem that CMake users often face is sharing settings with other people
for common ways to configure a project. This may be done to support CI builds,
or for users who frequently use the same build. CMake supports two main files,
CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json, that allow users to
specify common configure options and share them with others. CMake also
supports files included with the include field.
CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json live in the project's root
directory. They both have exactly the same format, and both are optional
(though at least one must be present if :option:--preset <cmake --preset>
is specified). CMakePresets.json is meant to specify project-wide build
details, while CMakeUserPresets.json is meant for developers to specify
their own local build details.
CMakePresets.json may be checked into a version control system, and
CMakeUserPresets.json should NOT be checked in. For example, if a
project is using Git, CMakePresets.json may be tracked, and
CMakeUserPresets.json should be added to the .gitignore.
The files are a JSON document with an object as the root:
.. literalinclude:: presets/example.json :language: json
Preset files specifying version 10 or above may include comments using the
key $comment at any level within the JSON object to provide documentation.
The root object recognizes the following fields:
.. _CMakePresets schema:
$schema
An optional string that provides a URI to the JSON schema that describes the
structure of this JSON document. This field is used for validation and
autocompletion in editors that support JSON schema. It doesn't affect the
behavior of the document itself. If this field is not specified, the JSON
document will still be valid, but tools that use JSON schema for validation
and autocompletion may not function correctly.
version
A required integer representing the version of the JSON schema. See
Versions_ for discussion of the supported versions and the corresponding
version of CMake in which they were added.
cmakeMinimumRequired
An optional object representing the minimum version of CMake needed to
build this project. This object consists of the following fields:
major
An optional integer representing the major version.
minor
An optional integer representing the minor version.
patch
An optional integer representing the patch version.
include
An optional array of strings representing files to include. If the filenames
are not absolute, they are considered relative to the current file.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 4 or above.
See Includes_ for discussion of the constraints on included files.
vendor
An optional map containing vendor-specific information. CMake does not
interpret the contents of this field except to verify that it is a map if
it does exist. However, the keys should be a vendor-specific domain name
followed by a /-separated path. For example, the Example IDE 1.0 could
use example.com/ExampleIDE/1.0. The value of each field can be anything
desired by the vendor, though will typically be a map.
configurePresets
An optional array of Configure Preset_ objects.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 1 or above.
buildPresets
An optional array of Build Preset_ objects.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 2 or above.
testPresets
An optional array of Test Preset_ objects.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 2 or above.
packagePresets
An optional array of Package Preset_ objects.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 6 or above.
workflowPresets
An optional array of Workflow Preset_ objects.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 6 or above.
Includes ^^^^^^^^
CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json can include other files
with the include field in file version 4 and later. Files included
by these files can also include other files. If CMakePresets.json and
CMakeUserPresets.json are both present, CMakeUserPresets.json
implicitly includes CMakePresets.json, even with no include field,
in all versions of the format.
If a preset file contains presets that inherit from presets in another file,
the file must include the other file either directly or indirectly.
Include cycles are not allowed among files. If a.json includes
b.json, b.json cannot include a.json. However, a file may be
included multiple times from the same file or from different files.
Files directly or indirectly included from CMakePresets.json should be
guaranteed to be provided by the project. CMakeUserPresets.json may
include files from anywhere.
Starting from version 7, the include field supports
macro expansion_, but only $penv{} macro expansion. Starting from version
9, other macro expansions are also available, except for $env{} and
preset-specific macros, i.e., those derived from the fields inside a preset's
definition like presetName.
Configure Preset ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Each entry of the configurePresets array is a JSON object
that may contain the following fields:
name
A required string representing the machine-friendly name of the preset.
This identifier is used in the :option:cmake --preset option.
There must not be two configure presets in the union of CMakePresets.json
and CMakeUserPresets.json in the same directory with the same name.
However, a configure preset may have the same name as a build, test,
package, or workflow preset.
hidden
An optional boolean specifying whether or not a preset should be hidden.
If a preset is hidden, it cannot be used in the
:option:--preset <cmake --preset> argument, will not show up in the
:manual:CMake GUI <cmake-gui(1)>, and does not have to have a valid
generator or binaryDir, even from inheritance. hidden presets are
intended to be used as a base for other presets to inherit via the
inherits field.
inherits
An optional array of strings representing the names of presets to inherit
from. This field can also be a string, which is equivalent to an array
containing one string.
The preset will inherit all of the fields from the inherits
presets by default (except name, hidden, inherits,
description, and displayName), but can override them as
desired. If multiple inherits presets provide conflicting values for
the same field, the earlier preset in the inherits array will be
preferred.
A preset can only inherit from another preset that is defined in the
same file or in one of the files it includes (directly or indirectly).
Presets in CMakePresets.json may not inherit from presets in
CMakeUserPresets.json.
condition
An optional Condition_ object. This is allowed in preset files specifying
version 3 or above.
vendor
An optional map containing vendor-specific information. CMake does not
interpret the contents of this field except to verify that it is a map
if it does exist. However, it should follow the same conventions as the
root-level vendor field. If vendors use their own per-preset
vendor field, they should implement inheritance in a sensible manner
when appropriate.
displayName
An optional string with a human-friendly name of the preset.
description
An optional string with a human-friendly description of the preset.
.. _CMakePresets generator:
generator
An optional string representing the :manual:generator <cmake-generators(7)>
to use for the preset. If generator is not specified, it must be
inherited from the inherits preset (unless this preset is hidden).
In version 3 or above, this field may be omitted to fall back to regular
generator discovery procedure.
Note that for :ref:Visual Studio generators, unlike in the command line
:option:-G <cmake -G> argument, you cannot include the platform name
in the generator name. Use the architecture field instead.
architecture, toolset
Optional fields representing the platform and toolset, respectively, for
:manual:generators <cmake-generators(7)> that support them.
See :option:cmake -A option for possible values for architecture
and :option:cmake -T for toolset.
Each may be either a string or an object with the following fields:
value
An optional string representing the value.
strategy
An optional string telling CMake how to handle the architecture or
toolset field. Valid values are:
``"set"``
Set the respective value. This will result in an error for generators
that do not support the respective field.
``"external"``
Do not set the value, even if the generator supports it. This is
useful if, for example, a preset uses the Ninja generator, and an IDE
knows how to set up the Visual C++ environment from the
``architecture`` and ``toolset`` fields. In that case, CMake will
ignore the field, but the IDE can use them to set up the environment
before invoking CMake.
If no ``strategy`` field is given, or if the field uses the string form
rather than the object form, the behavior is the same as ``"set"``.
.. _CMakePresets toolchainFile:
toolchainFile
An optional string representing the path to the toolchain file.
This field supports macro expansion_. If a relative path is specified,
it is calculated relative to the build directory, and if not found,
relative to the source directory. This field takes precedence over any
:variable:CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE value. It is allowed in preset files
specifying version 3 or above.
.. _CMakePresets graphviz:
graphviz
An optional string representing the path to the graphviz input file,
that will contain all the library and executable dependencies
in the project. See the documentation for :option:cmake --graphviz for
more details.
This field supports macro expansion_. If a relative path is specified,
it is calculated relative to the current working directory. It is allowed
in preset files specifying version 10 or above.
.. _CMakePresets binaryDir:
binaryDir
An optional string representing the path to the output binary directory.
This field supports macro expansion_. If a relative path is specified,
it is calculated relative to the source directory. If binaryDir is not
specified, it must be inherited from the inherits preset (unless this
preset is hidden). In version 3 or above, this field may be
omitted.
.. _CMakePresets installDir:
installDir
An optional string representing the path to the installation directory,
which will be used as the :variable:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX variable.
This field supports macro expansion_. If a relative path is specified,
it is calculated relative to the source directory. This is allowed in
preset files specifying version 3 or above.
cmakeExecutable
An optional string representing the path to the CMake executable to use
for this preset. This is reserved for use by IDEs, and is not used by
CMake itself. IDEs that use this field should expand any macros in it.
cacheVariables
An optional map of cache variables. The key is the variable name (which
may not be an empty string), and the value is either null, a boolean
(which is equivalent to a value of "TRUE" or "FALSE" and a type
of BOOL), a string representing the value of the variable (which
supports macro expansion_), or an object with the following fields:
type
An optional string representing the type of the variable.
value
A required string or boolean representing the value of the variable.
A boolean is equivalent to "TRUE" or "FALSE". This field
supports macro expansion_.
Cache variables are inherited through the inherits field, and the
preset's variables will be the union of its own cacheVariables and
the cacheVariables from all its parents. If multiple presets in this
union define the same variable, the standard rules of inherits are
applied. Setting a variable to null causes it to not be set, even if
a value was inherited from another preset.
environment
An optional map of environment variables. The key is the variable name
(which may not be an empty string), and the value is either null or
a string representing the value of the variable. Each variable is set
regardless of whether or not a value was given to it by the process's
environment.
This field supports macro expansion_, and environment variables in this map
may reference each other, and may be listed in any order, as long as such
references do not cause a cycle (for example, if ENV_1 is
$env{ENV_2}, ENV_2 may not be $env{ENV_1}). $penv{NAME}
allows one to prepend or append values to existing environment variables by
accessing only values from the parent environment.
Environment variables are inherited through the inherits field, and
the preset's environment will be the union of its own environment and
the environment from all its parents. If multiple presets in this
union define the same variable, the standard rules of inherits are
applied. Setting a variable to null causes it to not be set, even if
a value was inherited from another preset.
warnings
An optional object specifying the warnings to enable. The object may
contain the following fields:
dev
An optional boolean. Equivalent to passing :option:-Wdev <cmake -Wdev>
or :option:-Wno-dev <cmake -Wno-dev> on the command line. This may not
be set to false if errors.dev is set to true.
deprecated
An optional boolean. Equivalent to passing
:option:-Wdeprecated <cmake -Wdeprecated> or
:option:-Wno-deprecated <cmake -Wno-deprecated> on the command line.
This may not be set to false if errors.deprecated is set to
true.
uninitialized
An optional boolean. Setting this to true is equivalent to passing
:option:--warn-uninitialized <cmake --warn-uninitialized> on the command
line.
unusedCli
An optional boolean. Setting this to false is equivalent to passing
:option:--no-warn-unused-cli <cmake --no-warn-unused-cli> on the command
line.
systemVars
An optional boolean. Setting this to true is equivalent to passing
:option:--check-system-vars <cmake --check-system-vars> on the command
line.
errors
An optional object specifying the errors to enable. The object may
contain the following fields:
dev
An optional boolean. Equivalent to passing :option:-Werror=dev <cmake -Werror>
or :option:-Wno-error=dev <cmake -Werror> on the command line.
This may not be set to true if warnings.dev is set to false.
deprecated
An optional boolean. Equivalent to passing
:option:-Werror=deprecated <cmake -Werror> or
:option:-Wno-error=deprecated <cmake -Werror> on the command line.
This may not be set to true if warnings.deprecated is set to
false.
debug
An optional object specifying debug options. The object may contain the
following fields:
output
An optional boolean. Setting this to true is equivalent to passing
:option:--debug-output <cmake --debug-output> on the command line.
tryCompile
An optional boolean. Setting this to true is equivalent to passing
:option:--debug-trycompile <cmake --debug-trycompile> on the command
line.
find
An optional boolean. Setting this to true is equivalent to passing
:option:--debug-find <cmake --debug-find> on the command line.
.. _CMakePresets trace:
trace
An optional object specifying trace options. This is allowed in preset
files specifying version 7. The object may contain the following fields:
mode
An optional string that specifies the trace mode. Valid values are:
``on``
Causes a trace of all calls made and from where to be printed.
Equivalent to passing :option:`--trace <cmake --trace>` on the command
line.
``off``
A trace of all calls will not be printed.
``expand``
Causes a trace with variables expanded of all calls made and from where
to be printed. Equivalent to passing :option:`--trace-expand <cmake --trace-expand>`
on the command line.
format
An optional string that specifies the format output of the trace.
Valid values are:
``human``
Prints each trace line in a human-readable format.
This is the default format. Equivalent to passing
:option:`--trace-format=human <cmake --trace-format>`
on the command line.
``json-v1``
Prints each line as a separate JSON document. Equivalent to passing
:option:`--trace-format=json-v1 <cmake --trace-format>`
on the command line.
source
An optional array of strings representing the paths of source files to
be traced. This field can also be a string, which is equivalent to an
array containing one string. Equivalent to passing
:option:--trace-source <cmake --trace-source> on the command line.
redirect
An optional string specifying a path to a trace output file. Equivalent
to passing :option:--trace-redirect <cmake --trace-redirect>
on the command line.
Build Preset ^^^^^^^^^^^^
Each entry of the buildPresets array is a JSON object
that may contain the following fields:
name
A required string representing the machine-friendly name of the preset.
This identifier is used in the
:option:cmake --build --preset <cmake--build --preset> option.
There must not be two build presets in the union of CMakePresets.json
and CMakeUserPresets.json in the same directory with the same name.
However, a build preset may have the same name as a configure, test,
package, or workflow preset.
hidden
An optional boolean specifying whether or not a preset should be hidden.
If a preset is hidden, it cannot be used in the
:option:--preset <cmake--build --preset> argument
and does not have to have a valid configurePreset, even from
inheritance. hidden presets are intended to be used as a base for
other presets to inherit via the inherits field.
inherits
An optional array of strings representing the names of presets to inherit
from. This field can also be a string, which is equivalent to an array
containing one string.
The preset will inherit all of the fields from the
inherits presets by default (except name, hidden,
inherits, description, and displayName), but can override
them as desired. If multiple inherits presets provide conflicting
values for the same field, the earlier preset in the inherits array
will be preferred.
A preset can only inherit from another preset that is defined in the
same file or in one of the files it includes (directly or indirectly).
Presets in CMakePresets.json may not inherit from presets in
CMakeUserPresets.json.
condition
An optional Condition_ object. This is allowed in preset files specifying
version 3 or above.
vendor
An optional map containing vendor-specific information. CMake does not
interpret the contents of this field except to verify that it is a map
if it does exist. However, it should follow the same conventions as the
root-level vendor field. If vendors use their own per-preset
vendor field, they should implement inheritance in a sensible manner
when appropriate.
displayName
An optional string with a human-friendly name of the preset.
description
An optional string with a human-friendly description of the preset.
.. _CMakePresets build environment:
environment
An optional map of environment variables. The key is the variable name
(which may not be an empty string), and the value is either null or
a string representing the value of the variable. Each variable is set
regardless of whether or not a value was given to it by the process's
environment.
This field supports macro expansion_, and environment variables in this map
may reference each other, and may be listed in any order, as long as such
references do not cause a cycle (for example, if ENV_1 is
$env{ENV_2}, ENV_2 may not be $env{ENV_1}). $penv{NAME}
allows one to prepend or append values to existing environment variables by
accessing only values from the parent environment.
Environment variables are inherited through the inherits field, and
the preset's environment will be the union of its own environment
and the environment from all its parents. If multiple presets in
this union define the same variable, the standard rules of inherits
are applied. Setting a variable to null causes it to not be set,
even if a value was inherited from another preset.
.. note::
For a CMake project using :module:`ExternalProject` with a configuration
preset having environment variables needed in the ExternalProject, use a
build preset that inherits that configuration preset or the ExternalProject
will not have the environment variables set in the configuration preset.
Example: suppose the host defaults to one compiler (say Clang)
and the user wishes to use another compiler (say GCC). Set configuration
preset environment variables :envvar:`CC` and :envvar:`CXX` and use a build
preset that inherits that configuration preset. Otherwise the
ExternalProject may use a different (system default) compiler than the
top-level CMake project.
configurePreset
An optional string specifying the name of a configure preset to
associate with this build preset. If configurePreset is not
specified, it must be inherited from the inherits preset (unless this
preset is hidden). The build directory is inferred from the configure
preset, so the build will take place in the same binaryDir that the
configuration did.
inheritConfigureEnvironment
An optional boolean that defaults to true. If true, the environment
variables from the associated configure preset are inherited after all
inherited build preset environments, but before environment variables
explicitly specified in this build preset.
.. _CMakePresets build jobs:
jobs
An optional integer. Equivalent to passing
:option:--parallel <cmake--build --parallel> or -j on the command line.
If the value is 0, it is equivalent to passing --parallel with
<jobs> omitted; alternatively, one can define the environment variable
:envvar:CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL as an empty string using the
environment field.
.. versionchanged:: 4.3
This field does not accept negative integer values, regardless of the
version in the preset file.
targets
An optional string or array of strings. Equivalent to passing
:option:--target <cmake--build --target> or -t on the command line.
Vendors may ignore the targets property or hide build presets that
explicitly specify targets. This field supports macro expansion.
configuration
An optional string. Equivalent to passing
:option:--config <cmake--build --config> on the command line.
cleanFirst
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--clean-first <cmake--build --clean-first> on the command line.
.. _CMakePresets resolvePackageReferences:
resolvePackageReferences
An optional string that specifies the package resolve mode. This is
allowed in preset files specifying version 4 or above.
Package references are used to define dependencies to packages from
external package managers. Currently only NuGet in combination with the
:ref:Visual Studio generators is supported. If there are no targets that
define package references, this option does nothing. Valid values are:
on
Causes package references to be resolved before attempting a build.
off
Package references will not be resolved. Note that this may cause
errors in some build environments, such as .NET SDK style projects.
only
Only resolve package references, but do not perform a build.
.. note::
The command line parameter
:option:`--resolve-package-references <cmake--build --resolve-package-references>`
will take priority over this setting. If the command line parameter is not
provided and this setting is not specified, an environment-specific cache
variable will be evaluated to decide, if package restoration should be
performed.
When using the :ref:`Visual Studio generators`, package references are
defined using the :prop_tgt:`VS_PACKAGE_REFERENCES` property. Package
references are restored using NuGet. It can be disabled by setting the
:variable:`CMAKE_VS_NUGET_PACKAGE_RESTORE` variable to ``OFF``. This can
also be done from within a configure preset.
verbose
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--verbose <cmake--build --verbose> on the command line.
nativeToolOptions
An optional array of strings. Equivalent to passing options after --
on the command line. The array values support macro expansion.
Test Preset ^^^^^^^^^^^
Each entry of the testPresets array is a JSON object
that may contain the following fields:
name
A required string representing the machine-friendly name of the preset.
This identifier is used in the :option:ctest --preset option.
There must not be two test presets in the union of CMakePresets.json
and CMakeUserPresets.json in the same directory with the same name.
However, a test preset may have the same name as a configure, build,
package, or workflow preset.
hidden
An optional boolean specifying whether or not a preset should be hidden.
If a preset is hidden, it cannot be used in the
:option:--preset <ctest --preset> argument
and does not have to have a valid configurePreset, even from
inheritance. hidden presets are intended to be used as a base for
other presets to inherit via the inherits field.
inherits
An optional array of strings representing the names of presets to inherit
from. This field can also be a string, which is equivalent to an array
containing one string.
The preset will inherit all of the fields from the
inherits presets by default (except name, hidden,
inherits, description, and displayName), but can override
them as desired. If multiple inherits presets provide conflicting
values for the same field, the earlier preset in the inherits array
will be preferred.
A preset can only inherit from another preset that is defined in the
same file or in one of the files it includes (directly or indirectly).
Presets in CMakePresets.json may not inherit from presets in
CMakeUserPresets.json.
condition
An optional Condition_ object. This is allowed in preset files specifying
version 3 or above.
vendor
An optional map containing vendor-specific information. CMake does not
interpret the contents of this field except to verify that it is a map
if it does exist. However, it should follow the same conventions as the
root-level vendor field. If vendors use their own per-preset
vendor field, they should implement inheritance in a sensible manner
when appropriate.
displayName
An optional string with a human-friendly name of the preset.
description
An optional string with a human-friendly description of the preset.
environment
An optional map of environment variables. The key is the variable name
(which may not be an empty string), and the value is either null or
a string representing the value of the variable. Each variable is set
regardless of whether or not a value was given to it by the process's
environment.
This field supports macro expansion_, and environment variables in this map
may reference each other, and may be listed in any order, as long as such
references do not cause a cycle (for example, if ENV_1 is
$env{ENV_2}, ENV_2 may not be $env{ENV_1}). $penv{NAME}
allows one to prepend or append values to existing environment variables by
accessing only values from the parent environment.
Environment variables are inherited through the inherits field, and
the preset's environment will be the union of its own environment
and the environment from all its parents. If multiple presets in
this union define the same variable, the standard rules of inherits
are applied. Setting a variable to null causes it to not be set,
even if a value was inherited from another preset.
configurePreset
An optional string specifying the name of a configure preset to
associate with this test preset. If configurePreset is not
specified, it must be inherited from the inherits preset (unless this
preset is hidden). The build directory is inferred from the configure
preset, so tests will run in the same binaryDir that the
configuration did and build did.
inheritConfigureEnvironment
An optional boolean that defaults to true. If true, the environment
variables from the associated configure preset are inherited after all
inherited test preset environments, but before environment variables
explicitly specified in this test preset.
configuration
An optional string. Equivalent to passing
:option:--build-config <ctest --build-config> on the command line.
overwriteConfigurationFile
An optional array of configuration options to overwrite options
specified in the CTest configuration file. Equivalent to passing
:option:--overwrite <ctest --overwrite> for each value in the array.
The array values support macro expansion.
.. _CMakePresets output:
output
An optional object specifying output options. The object may contain the
following fields.
shortProgress
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--progress <ctest --progress> on the command line.
verbosity
An optional string specifying verbosity level. Must be one of the
following:
``default``
Equivalent to passing no verbosity flags on the command line.
``verbose``
Equivalent to passing :option:`--verbose <ctest --verbose>` on
the command line.
``extra``
Equivalent to passing :option:`--extra-verbose <ctest --extra-verbose>`
on the command line.
debug
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--debug <ctest --debug> on the command line.
outputOnFailure
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--output-on-failure <ctest --output-on-failure> on the command
line.
quiet
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--quiet <ctest --quiet> on the command line.
outputLogFile
An optional string specifying a path to a log file. Equivalent to
passing :option:--output-log <ctest --output-log> on the command line.
This field supports macro expansion.
.. _CMakePresets outputJUnitFile:
outputJUnitFile
An optional string specifying a path to a JUnit file. Equivalent to
passing :option:--output-junit <ctest --output-junit> on the command line.
This field supports macro expansion. This is allowed in preset files
specifying version 6 or above.
labelSummary
An optional bool. If false, equivalent to passing
:option:--no-label-summary <ctest --no-label-summary> on the command
line.
subprojectSummary
An optional bool. If false, equivalent to passing
:option:--no-subproject-summary <ctest --no-subproject-summary>
on the command line.
maxPassedTestOutputSize
An optional integer specifying the maximum output for passed tests in
bytes. Equivalent to passing
:option:--test-output-size-passed <ctest --test-output-size-passed>
on the command line.
maxFailedTestOutputSize
An optional integer specifying the maximum output for failed tests in
bytes. Equivalent to passing
:option:--test-output-size-failed <ctest --test-output-size-failed>
on the command line.
.. _CMakePresets testOutputTruncation:
testOutputTruncation
An optional string specifying the test output truncation mode. Equivalent
to passing
:option:--test-output-truncation <ctest --test-output-truncation> on
the command line. This is allowed in preset files specifying version
5 or above.
maxTestNameWidth
An optional integer specifying the maximum width of a test name to
output. Equivalent to passing :option:--max-width <ctest --max-width>
on the command line.
filter
An optional object specifying how to filter the tests to run. The object
may contain the following fields.
include
An optional object specifying which tests to include. The object may
contain the following fields.
``name``
An optional string specifying a regex for test names. Equivalent to
passing :option:`--tests-regex <ctest --tests-regex>` on the command
line. This field supports macro expansion. CMake regex syntax is
described under :ref:`string(REGEX) <Regex Specification>`.
``label``
An optional string specifying a regex for test labels. Equivalent to
passing :option:`--label-regex <ctest --label-regex>` on the command
line. This field supports macro expansion.
``useUnion``
An optional bool. Equivalent to passing :option:`--union <ctest --union>`
on the command line.
``index``
An optional object specifying tests to include by test index. The
object may contain the following fields. Can also be an optional
string specifying a file with the command line syntax for
:option:`--tests-information <ctest --tests-information>`.
If specified as a string, this field supports macro expansion.
``start``
An optional integer specifying a test index to start testing at.
``end``
An optional integer specifying a test index to stop testing at.
``stride``
An optional integer specifying the increment.
``specificTests``
An optional array of integers specifying specific test indices to
run.
exclude
An optional object specifying which tests to exclude. The object may
contain the following fields.
``name``
An optional string specifying a regex for test names. Equivalent to
passing :option:`--exclude-regex <ctest --exclude-regex>` on the
command line. This field supports macro expansion.
``label``
An optional string specifying a regex for test labels. Equivalent to
passing :option:`--label-exclude <ctest --label-exclude>` on the
command line. This field supports macro expansion.
``fixtures``
An optional object specifying which fixtures to exclude from adding
tests. The object may contain the following fields.
``any``
An optional string specifying a regex for text fixtures to exclude
from adding any tests. Equivalent to
:option:`--fixture-exclude-any <ctest --fixture-exclude-any>` on
the command line. This field supports macro expansion.
``setup``
An optional string specifying a regex for text fixtures to exclude
from adding setup tests. Equivalent to
:option:`--fixture-exclude-setup <ctest --fixture-exclude-setup>`
on the command line. This field supports macro expansion.
``cleanup``
An optional string specifying a regex for text fixtures to exclude
from adding cleanup tests. Equivalent to
:option:`--fixture-exclude-cleanup <ctest --fixture-exclude-cleanup>`
on the command line. This field supports macro expansion.
execution
An optional object specifying options for test execution. The object may
contain the following fields.
stopOnFailure
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--stop-on-failure <ctest --stop-on-failure> on the command
line.
enableFailover
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing :option:-F <ctest -F>
on the command line.
.. _CMakePresets test jobs:
jobs
An optional integer. Equivalent to passing
:option:--parallel <ctest --parallel> on the command line. If the value
is 0, it is equivalent to unbounded parallelism.
In preset files specifying version ``11`` or above, this field can also be
a string, in which case it must be empty, and is equivalent to passing
``--parallel`` with ``<jobs>`` omitted.
.. versionchanged:: 4.3
This field does not accept negative integer values, regardless of the
version in the preset file.
resourceSpecFile
An optional string. Equivalent to passing
:option:--resource-spec-file <ctest --resource-spec-file> on
the command line. This field supports macro expansion.
testLoad
An optional integer. Equivalent to passing
:option:--test-load <ctest --test-load> on the command line.
showOnly
An optional string. Equivalent to passing
:option:--show-only <ctest --show-only> on the
command line. The string must be one of the following values:
``human``
``json-v1``
repeat
An optional object specifying how to repeat tests. Equivalent to
passing :option:--repeat <ctest --repeat> on the command line.
The object must have the following fields.
``mode``
A required string. Must be one of the following values:
``until-fail``
``until-pass``
``after-timeout``
``count``
A required integer.
interactiveDebugging
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--interactive-debug-mode 1 <ctest --interactive-debug-mode>
on the command line. If false, equivalent to passing
:option:--interactive-debug-mode 0 <ctest --interactive-debug-mode>
on the command line.
scheduleRandom
An optional bool. If true, equivalent to passing
:option:--schedule-random <ctest --schedule-random> on the command
line.
timeout
An optional integer. Equivalent to passing
:option:--timeout <ctest --timeout> on the command line.
noTestsAction
An optional string specifying the behavior if no tests are found. Must
be one of the following values:
``default``
Equivalent to not passing any value on the command line.
``error``
Equivalent to passing :option:`--no-tests=error <ctest --no-tests>`
on the command line.
``ignore``
Equivalent to passing :option:`--no-tests=ignore <ctest --no-tests>`
on the command line.
Package Preset ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Package presets may be used in schema version 6 or above. Each entry of
the packagePresets array is a JSON object that may contain the following
fields:
name
A required string representing the machine-friendly name of the preset.
This identifier is used in the :option:cpack --preset option.
There must not be two package presets in the union of CMakePresets.json
and CMakeUserPresets.json in the same directory with the same name.
However, a package preset may have the same name as a configure, build,
test, or workflow preset.
hidden
An optional boolean specifying whether or not a preset should be hidden.
If a preset is hidden, it cannot be used in the
:option:--preset <cpack --preset> argument
and does not have to have a valid configurePreset, even from
inheritance. hidden presets are intended to be used as a base for
other presets to inherit via the inherits field.
inherits
An optional array of strings representing the names of presets to inherit
from. This field can also be a string, which is equivalent to an array
containing one string.
The preset will inherit all of the fields from the
inherits presets by default (except name, hidden,
inherits, description, and displayName), but can override
them as desired. If multiple inherits presets provide conflicting
values for the same field, the earlier preset in the inherits array
will be preferred.
A preset can only inherit from another preset that is defined in the
same file or in one of the files it includes (directly or indirectly).
Presets in CMakePresets.json may not inherit from presets in
CMakeUserPresets.json.
condition
An optional Condition_ object.
vendor
An optional map containing vendor-specific information. CMake does not
interpret the contents of this field except to verify that it is a map
if it does exist. However, it should follow the same conventions as the
root-level vendor field. If vendors use their own per-preset
vendor field, they should implement inheritance in a sensible manner
when appropriate.
displayName
An optional string with a human-friendly name of the preset.
description
An optional string with a human-friendly description of the preset.
environment
An optional map of environment variables. The key is the variable name
(which may not be an empty string), and the value is either null or
a string representing the value of the variable. Each variable is set
regardless of whether or not a value was given to it by the process's
environment.
This field supports macro expansion_, and environment variables in this map
may reference each other, and may be listed in any order, as long as such
references do not cause a cycle (for example, if ENV_1 is
$env{ENV_2}, ENV_2 may not be $env{ENV_1}). $penv{NAME}
allows one to prepend or append values to existing environment variables by
accessing only values from the parent environment.
Environment variables are inherited through the inherits field, and
the preset's environment will be the union of its own environment
and the environment from all its parents. If multiple presets in
this union define the same variable, the standard rules of inherits
are applied. Setting a variable to null causes it to not be set,
even if a value was inherited from another preset.
configurePreset
An optional string specifying the name of a configure preset to
associate with this package preset. If configurePreset is not
specified, it must be inherited from the inherits preset (unless this
preset is hidden). The build directory is inferred from the configure
preset, so packaging will run in the same binaryDir that the
configuration did and build did.
inheritConfigureEnvironment
An optional boolean that defaults to true. If true, the environment
variables from the associated configure preset are inherited after all
inherited package preset environments, but before environment variables
explicitly specified in this package preset.
generators
An optional array of strings representing generators for CPack to use.
configurations
An optional array of strings representing build configurations for CPack to
package.
variables
An optional map of variables to pass to CPack, equivalent to
:option:-D <cpack -D> arguments. Each key is the name of a variable, and
the value is the string to assign to that variable.
configFile
An optional string representing the config file for CPack to use.
output
An optional object specifying output options. Valid keys are:
debug
An optional boolean specifying whether or not to print debug information.
A value of true is equivalent to passing
:option:--debug <cpack --debug> on the command line.
verbose
An optional boolean specifying whether or not to print verbosely. A value
of true is equivalent to passing :option:--verbose <cpack --verbose>
on the command line.
packageName
An optional string representing the package name.
.. note::
Due to problems with the implementation, this field does not affect the
name of the final package file produced. Other aspects of the package
may use the value though, leading to inconsistencies.
A future CMake release may address this problem, but until then, it is
recommended that this field not be used.
packageVersion
An optional string representing the package version.
.. note::
Due to problems with the implementation, this field does not affect the
name of the final package file produced. Other aspects of the package
may use the value though, leading to inconsistencies.
A future CMake release may address this problem, but until then, it is
recommended that this field not be used.
packageDirectory
An optional string representing the directory in which to place the package.
vendorName
An optional string representing the vendor name.
.. _Workflow Preset:
Workflow Preset ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Workflow presets may be used in schema version 6 or above. Each entry of
the workflowPresets array is a JSON object that may contain the following
fields:
name
A required string representing the machine-friendly name of the preset.
This identifier is used in the
:option:cmake --workflow --preset <cmake--workflow --preset> option. There
must not be two workflow presets in the union of CMakePresets.json and
CMakeUserPresets.json in the same directory with the same name. However,
a workflow preset may have the same name as a configure, build, test, or
package preset.
vendor
An optional map containing vendor-specific information. CMake does not
interpret the contents of this field except to verify that it is a map
if it does exist. However, it should follow the same conventions as the
root-level vendor field.
displayName
An optional string with a human-friendly name of the preset.
description
An optional string with a human-friendly description of the preset.
steps
A required array of objects describing the steps of the workflow. The first
step must be a configure preset, and all subsequent steps must be
non-configure presets whose configurePreset field matches the starting
configure preset. Each object may contain the following fields:
type
A required string. The first step must be configure. Subsequent steps
must be either build, test, or package.
name
A required string representing the name of the configure, build, test, or
package preset to run as this workflow step.
Condition ^^^^^^^^^
The condition field of a preset, allowed in preset files specifying version
3 or above, is used to determine whether or not the preset is enabled. For
example, this can be used to disable a preset on platforms other than Windows.
condition may be either a boolean, null, or an object. If it is a
boolean, the boolean indicates whether the preset is enabled or disabled. If it
is null, the preset is enabled, but the null condition is not inherited
by any presets that may inherit from the preset. Sub-conditions (for example in
a not, anyOf, or allOf condition) may not be null. If it is an
object, it has the following fields:
type
A required string with one of the following values:
"const"
Indicates that the condition is constant. This is equivalent to using a
boolean in place of the object. The condition object will have the
following additional fields:
``value``
A required boolean which provides a constant value for the condition's
evaluation.
"equals"
"notEquals"
Indicates that the condition compares two strings to see if they are equal
(or not equal). The condition object will have the following additional
fields:
``lhs``
First string to compare. This field supports macro expansion.
``rhs``
Second string to compare. This field supports macro expansion.
"inList"
"notInList"
Indicates that the condition searches for a string in a list of strings.
The condition object will have the following additional fields:
``string``
A required string to search for. This field supports macro expansion.
``list``
A required array of strings to search. This field supports macro
expansion, and uses short-circuit evaluation.
"matches"
"notMatches"
Indicates that the condition searches for a regular expression in a string.
The condition object will have the following additional fields:
``string``
A required string to search. This field supports macro expansion.
``regex``
A required regular expression to search for. This field supports macro
expansion.
"anyOf"
"allOf"
Indicates that the condition is an aggregation of zero or more nested
conditions. The condition object will have the following additional fields:
``conditions``
A required array of condition objects. These conditions use short-circuit
evaluation.
"not"
Indicates that the condition is an inversion of another condition. The
condition object will have the following additional fields:
``condition``
A required condition object.
Macro Expansion ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
As mentioned above, some fields support macro expansion. Macros are
recognized in the form $<macro-namespace>{<macro-name>}. All macros are
evaluated in the context of the preset being used, even if the macro is in a
field that was inherited from another preset. For example, if the Base
preset sets variable PRESET_NAME to ${presetName}, and the
Derived preset inherits from Base, PRESET_NAME will be set to
Derived.
It is an error to not put a closing brace at the end of a macro name. For
example, ${sourceDir is invalid. A dollar sign ($) followed by
anything other than a left curly brace ({) with a possible namespace is
interpreted as a literal dollar sign.
Recognized macros include:
${sourceDir}
Path to the project source directory (i.e. the same as
:variable:CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR).
${sourceParentDir}
Path to the project source directory's parent directory.
${sourceDirName}
The last filename component of ${sourceDir}. For example, if
${sourceDir} is /path/to/source, this would be source.
${presetName}
Name specified in the preset's name field.
This is a preset-specific macro.
${generator}
Generator specified in the preset's generator field. For build and
test presets, this will evaluate to the generator specified by
configurePreset.
This is a preset-specific macro.
.. _CMakePresets hostSystemName:
${hostSystemName}
The name of the host operating system. Contains the same value as
:variable:CMAKE_HOST_SYSTEM_NAME. This is allowed in preset files
specifying version 3 or above.
.. _CMakePresets fileDir:
${fileDir}
Path to the directory containing the preset file which contains the macro.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 4 or above.
${dollar}
A literal dollar sign ($).
.. _CMakePresets pathListSep:
${pathListSep}
Native character for separating lists of paths, such as : or ;.
For example, by setting PATH to
/path/to/ninja/bin${pathListSep}$env{PATH}, ${pathListSep} will
expand to the underlying operating system's character used for
concatenation in PATH.
This is allowed in preset files specifying version 5 or above.
$env{<variable-name>}
Environment variable with name <variable-name>. The variable name may
not be an empty string. If the variable is defined in the environment
field, that value is used instead of the value from the parent environment.
If the environment variable is not defined, this evaluates as an empty
string.
Note that while Windows environment variable names are case-insensitive, variable names within a preset are still case-sensitive. This may lead to unexpected results when using inconsistent casing. For best results, keep the casing of environment variable names consistent.
$penv{<variable-name>}
Similar to $env{<variable-name>}, except that the value only comes from
the parent environment, and never from the environment field. This
allows one to prepend or append values to existing environment variables.
For example, setting PATH to /path/to/ninja/bin:$penv{PATH} will
prepend /path/to/ninja/bin to the PATH environment variable. This
is needed because $env{<variable-name>} does not allow circular
references.
$vendor{<macro-name>}
An extension point for vendors to insert their own macros. CMake will not
be able to use presets which have a $vendor{<macro-name>} macro, and
effectively ignores such presets. However, it will still be able to use
other presets from the same file.
CMake does not make any attempt to interpret $vendor{<macro-name>}
macros. However, to avoid name collisions, IDE vendors should prefix
<macro-name> with a very short (preferably <= 4 characters) vendor
identifier prefix, followed by a ., followed by the macro name. For
example, the Example IDE could have $vendor{xide.ideInstallDir}.
The JSON schema of CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json
follows a version scheme where new versions are added and allowed in newer
versions of CMake.
A list of the supported versions along with the version of CMake in which they were added and a summary of the new features and changes is given below.
1
.. versionadded:: 3.19
The initial version supports `Configure Presets <Configure Preset_>`_
and `Macro Expansion`_.
2
.. versionadded:: 3.20
* `Build Presets <Build Preset_>`_ were added.
* `Test Presets <Test Preset_>`_ were added.
3
.. versionadded:: 3.21
* The `Condition`_ object was added for `Configure <Configure Preset_>`_,
`Build <Build Preset_>`_, and `Test Presets <Test Preset_>`_.
* Changes to `Configure Presets <Configure Preset_>`_
* The `installDir <CMakePresets installDir_>`_ field was added.
* The `toolchainFile <CMakePresets toolchainFile_>`_ field was added.
* The `binaryDir <CMakePresets binaryDir_>`_ field is now optional.
* The `generator <CMakePresets generator_>`_ field is now optional.
* Changes to `Macro Expansion`_
* The `${hostSystemName} <CMakePresets hostSystemName_>`_ macro was
added.
4
.. versionadded:: 3.23
* `Includes`_ were added to support including other JSON files in
``CMakePresets.json`` and ``CMakeUserPresets.json``.
* Changes to `Build Presets <Build Preset_>`_
* The
`resolvePackageReferences <CMakePresets resolvePackageReferences_>`_
field was added.
* Changes to `Macro Expansion`_
* The `${fileDir} <CMakePresets fileDir_>`_ macro was added.
5
.. versionadded:: 3.24
* Changes to `Test Presets <Test Preset_>`_
* The `testOutputTruncation <CMakePresets testOutputTruncation_>`_
field was added to the `output <CMakePresets output_>`_ object.
* Changes to `Macro Expansion`_
* The `${pathListSep} <CMakePresets pathListSep_>`_ macro was added.
6
.. versionadded:: 3.25
* `Package Presets <Package Preset_>`_ were added.
* `Workflow Presets <Workflow Preset_>`_ were added.
* Changes to `Test Presets <Test Preset_>`_
* The `outputJUnitFile <CMakePresets outputJUnitFile_>`_ field was added
to the `output <CMakePresets output_>`_ object.
7
.. versionadded:: 3.27
* Changes to `Configure Presets <Configure Preset_>`_
* The `trace <CMakePresets trace_>`_ field was added.
* Changes to `Includes`_
* The ``include`` field now supports ``$penv{}`` `macro expansion`_.
8
.. versionadded:: 3.28
* The `$schema <CMakePresets schema_>`_ field was added to the root object.
9
.. versionadded:: 3.30
* Changes to `Includes`_
* The ``include`` field now supports other types of `macro expansion`_.
10
.. versionadded:: 3.31
* The optional ``$comment`` field was added to support documentation
throughout ``CMakePresets.json`` and ``CMakeUserPresets.json``.
* Changes to `Configure Presets <Configure Preset_>`_:
* The `graphviz <CMakePresets graphviz_>`_ field was added.
11
.. versionadded:: 4.3
* Changes to `Test Presets <Test Preset_>`_
* The `jobs <CMakePresets test jobs_>`_ field now accepts an empty string
representing :option:`--parallel <ctest --parallel>` with ``<jobs>``
omitted.
:download:This file </manual/presets/schema.json> provides a machine-readable
JSON schema for the CMakePresets.json format.