CMake configuration specific library name when using multi-config generators

Running cmake -G "Visual Studio 15 2017 Win64" on

cmake -G "Visual Studio 15 2017 Win64"

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
project(test CXX)
add_library(MyLib SHARED foo.cpp)
install(TARGETS MyLib DESTINATION $ENV{TEMP})


generates a project with several configurations (Release, Debug, ...) which can then be built with Visual Studio.

Release

Debug

The problem: When installing the library (i.e. building the generated project named INSTALL), a Debug build will happily overwrite a Release build and vice versa.

INSTALL

Debug

Release

I am looking for a means to create a different library name for each configuration, e.g. a MyLib for the release build and MyLibd for a debug build.

MyLib

MyLibd

What I have tried: When using a single-config generator, I would have queried CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE and provided a different name for the library for each configuration. However "Visual Studio 15 2017 Win64" is a multi-config generator and thus I cannot apply such a technique.

CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE

"Visual Studio 15 2017 Win64"

I have read about generator expressions but all examples show only generator expressions applied to input arguments, such as input files or directories. And indeed, something like

add_library(MyLib$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:d> SHARED foo.cpp)


will only produce nasty CMake error messages and does not yield the desired effect of having the library name depend on the configuration.

I could of course create a custom command which renames the file while installing, but in my understanding of CMake having "batteries included", there must be a simpler way. Generator expressions looked very promising, but it seems that doesn't work the way I have tried.

Question: How can I make the name of the library depend on the configuration?

2 Answers
2

You may assign DEBUG_POSTFIX property of the library target for have different postfix for debug builds.

Or you may do that for all targets by assigning CMAKE_DEBUG_POSTFIX variable:

set(CMAKE_DEBUG_POSTFIX "d")
#... Create a library after the setting the postfix.
add_library(MyLib SHARED foo.cpp)


set(CMAKE_CONFIG_POSTFIX "d")

set_target_properties(MyLib PROPERTIES DEBUG_POSTFIX "d")

CMAKE_<CONFIG>_POSTFIX

set(CMAKE_DEBUG_POSTFIX "d")

@Tsyvarev's hint on setting a property of the library target led to yet another solution: there is a target property OUTPUT_NAME and this does allow the use of generator expressions.

So, one can write

set_target_properties(MyLib PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME "MyLib$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:d>")


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