CPACK-GENERATORS(7) CMake CPACK-GENERATORS(7)
NAME
cpack-generators - CPack Generator Reference
GENERATORS
CPack Archive Generator
CPack generator for packaging files into an archive, which can have any
of the following formats:
• 7Z - 7zip - (.7z)
• TBZ2 (.tar.bz2)
• TGZ (.tar.gz)
• TXZ (.tar.xz)
• TZ (.tar.Z)
• TZST (.tar.zst)
• ZIP (.zip)
New in version 3.1: 7Z and TXZ formats support.
New in version 3.16: TZST format support.
When this generator is called from CPackSourceConfig.cmake (or through
the package_source target), then the generated archive will contain all
files in the project directory, except those specified in
CPACK_SOURCE_IGNORE_FILES. The following is one example of packaging
all source files of a project:
set(CPACK_SOURCE_GENERATOR "TGZ")
set(CPACK_SOURCE_IGNORE_FILES
\\.git/
build/
".*~$"
)
set(CPACK_VERBATIM_VARIABLES YES)
include(CPack)
When this generator is called from CPackConfig.cmake (or through the
package target), then the generated archive will contain all files that
have been installed via CMake's install() command (and the deprecated
commands install_files(), install_programs(), and install_targets()).
Variables specific to CPack Archive generator
CPACK_ARCHIVE_FILE_NAME
CPACK_ARCHIVE_<component>_FILE_NAME
Package file name without extension. The extension is determined
from the archive format (see list above) and automatically ap-
pended to the file name. Note that <component> is all uppercase
in the variable name.
The default is <CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>[-<component>], with
spaces replaced by '-'.
New in version 3.9: Per-component CPACK_ARCHIVE_<compo-
nent>_FILE_NAME variables.
CPACK_ARCHIVE_FILE_EXTENSION
New in version 3.25.
Package file extension. Default values are given in the list
above.
CPACK_ARCHIVE_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging. If enabled (ON), then the archive
generator creates multiple packages. The default is OFF, which
means that a single package containing files of all components
is generated.
Variables used by CPack Archive generator
These variables are used by the Archive generator, but are also avail-
able to CPack generators which are essentially archives at their core.
These include:
• CPack Cygwin Generator
• CPack FreeBSD Generator
CPACK_ARCHIVE_THREADS
New in version 3.18.
The number of threads to use when performing the compression. If
set to 0, the number of available cores on the machine will be
used instead. The default is 1 which limits compression to a
single thread. Note that not all compression modes support
threading in all environments. Currently, only the XZ compres-
sion may support it.
See also the CPACK_THREADS variable.
New in version 3.21: Official CMake binaries available on
cmake.org now ship with a liblzma that supports parallel com-
pression. Older versions did not.
CPack Bundle Generator
CPack Bundle generator (macOS) specific options
Variables specific to CPack Bundle generator
Installers built on macOS using the Bundle generator use the aforemen-
tioned DragNDrop (CPACK_DMG_xxx) variables, plus the following Bun-
dle-specific parameters (CPACK_BUNDLE_xxx).
CPACK_BUNDLE_NAME
The name of the generated bundle. This appears in the macOS
Finder as the bundle name. Required.
CPACK_BUNDLE_PLIST
Path to an macOS Property List (.plist) file that will be used
for the generated bundle. This assumes that the caller has gen-
erated or specified their own Info.plist file. Required.
CPACK_BUNDLE_ICON
Path to an macOS icon file that will be used as the icon for the
generated bundle. This is the icon that appears in the macOS
Finder for the bundle, and in the macOS dock when the bundle is
opened. Required.
CPACK_BUNDLE_STARTUP_COMMAND
Path to a startup script. This is a path to an executable or
script that will be run whenever an end-user double-clicks the
generated bundle in the macOS Finder. Optional.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_CERT_APP
New in version 3.2.
The name of your Apple supplied code signing certificate for the
application. The name usually takes the form Developer ID Ap-
plication: [Name] or 3rd Party Mac Developer Application:
[Name]. If this variable is not set the application will not be
signed.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_ENTITLEMENTS
New in version 3.2.
The name of the Property List (.plist) file that contains your
Apple entitlements for sandboxing your application. This file is
required for submission to the macOS App Store.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_CODESIGN_FILES
New in version 3.2.
A list of additional files that you wish to be signed. You do
not need to list the main application folder, or the main exe-
cutable. You should list any frameworks and plugins that are in-
cluded in your app bundle.
CPACK_BUNDLE_APPLE_CODESIGN_PARAMETER
New in version 3.3.
Additional parameter that will passed to codesign. Default
value: --deep -f
CPACK_COMMAND_CODESIGN
New in version 3.2.
Path to the codesign(1) command used to sign applications with
an Apple cert. This variable can be used to override the auto-
matically detected command (or specify its location if the
auto-detection fails to find it).
CPack Cygwin Generator
Cygwin CPack generator (Cygwin).
Variables affecting the CPack Cygwin generator
• New in version 3.18: CPACK_ARCHIVE_THREADS
Variables specific to CPack Cygwin generator
The following variable is specific to installers build on and/or for
Cygwin:
CPACK_CYGWIN_PATCH_NUMBER
The Cygwin patch number. FIXME: This documentation is incom-
plete.
CPACK_CYGWIN_PATCH_FILE
The Cygwin patch file. FIXME: This documentation is incomplete.
CPACK_CYGWIN_BUILD_SCRIPT
The Cygwin build script. FIXME: This documentation is incom-
plete.
CPack DEB Generator
The built in (binary) CPack DEB generator (Unix only)
Variables specific to CPack Debian (DEB) generator
The CPack DEB generator may be used to create DEB package using CPack.
The CPack DEB generator is a CPack generator thus it uses the CPACK_XXX
variables used by CPack.
The CPack DEB generator should work on any Linux host but it will pro-
duce better deb package when Debian specific tools dpkg-xxx are usable
on the build system.
The CPack DEB generator has specific features which are controlled by
the specifics CPACK_DEBIAN_XXX variables.
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_XXXX variables may be used in order to have
component specific values. Note however that <COMPONENT> refers to the
grouping name written in upper case. It may be either a component name
or a component GROUP name.
Here are some CPack DEB generator wiki resources that are here for his-
toric reasons and are no longer maintained but may still prove useful:
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/Configuration
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/PackageGenerators#deb-unix-only
List of CPack DEB generator specific variables:
CPACK_DEB_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging for CPackDEB
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
If enabled (ON) multiple packages are generated. By default a
single package containing files of all components is generated.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_NAME
Set Package control field (variable is automatically transformed
to lower case).
• Mandatory : YES
• Default :
• CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_NAME suffixed with -<COMPONENT> for
component-based installations.
New in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_NAME variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-source
CPACK_DEBIAN_FILE_NAME
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_FILE_NAME
New in version 3.6.
Package file name.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : <CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>[-<component>].deb
This may be set to DEB-DEFAULT to allow the CPack DEB generator
to generate package file name by itself in deb format:
<PackageName>_<VersionNumber>-<DebianRevisionNumber>_<DebianArchitecture>.deb
Alternatively provided package file name must end with either
.deb or .ipk suffix.
New in version 3.10: .ipk suffix used by OPKG packaging system.
NOTE:
Preferred setting of this variable is DEB-DEFAULT but for
backward compatibility with the CPack DEB generator in CMake
prior to version 3.6 this feature is disabled by default.
NOTE:
By using non default filenames duplicate names may occur. Du-
plicate files get overwritten and it is up to the packager to
set the variables in a manner that will prevent such errors.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_EPOCH
New in version 3.10.
The Debian package epoch
• Mandatory : No
• Default : -
Optional number that should be incremented when changing ver-
sioning schemas or fixing mistakes in the version numbers of
older packages.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_VERSION
The Debian package version
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION
This variable may contain only alphanumerics (A-Za-z0-9) and the
characters . + - ~ (full stop, plus, hyphen, tilde) and should
start with a digit. If CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RELEASE is not set
then hyphens are not allowed.
NOTE:
For backward compatibility with CMake 3.9 and lower a failed
test of this variable's content is not a hard error when both
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RELEASE and CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_EPOCH
variables are not set. An author warning is reported instead.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RELEASE
New in version 3.6.
The Debian package release - Debian revision number.
• Mandatory : No
• Default : -
This is the numbering of the DEB package itself, i.e. the ver-
sion of the packaging and not the version of the content (see
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_VERSION). One may change the default value
if the previous packaging was buggy and/or you want to put here
a fancy Linux distro specific numbering.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
The Debian package architecture
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : Output of dpkg --print-architecture (or i386 if
dpkg is not found)
New in version 3.6: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_ARCHITECTURE variables.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS
Sets the Debian dependencies of this package.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_DEPENDS variables.
NOTE:
If CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS or more specifically
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS is set for this
component, the discovered dependencies will be appended to
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS instead of
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS. If
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_DEPENDS is an empty string,
only the automatically discovered dependencies will be set
for this component.
Example:
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS "libc6 (>= 2.3.1-6), libc6 (< 2.4)")
CPACK_DEBIAN_ENABLE_COMPONENT_DEPENDS
New in version 3.6.
Sets inter-component dependencies if listed with
CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DEPENDS variables.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_MAINTAINER
The Debian package maintainer
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_CONTACT
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_DESCRIPTION
The Debian package description
• Mandatory : YES
• Default :
• CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_DESCRIPTION (component based in-
stallers only) if set, or CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
if set, or
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION (component based in-
stallers only) if set, or CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION if set,
or
• content of the file specified in
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE if set
If after that description is not set,
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY going to be used if set. Oth-
erwise, CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY will be added as the
first line of description as defined in Debian Policy Manual.
New in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DE-
SCRIPTION variables.
New in version 3.16: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_DE-
SCRIPTION variables.
New in version 3.16: The CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE vari-
able.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SECTION
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SECTION
Set Section control field e.g. admin, devel, doc, ...
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "devel"
New in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_SECTION variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections
CPACK_DEBIAN_ARCHIVE_TYPE
New in version 3.7.
Deprecated since version 3.14.
The archive format used for creating the Debian package.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "gnutar"
Possible value is:
• gnutar
NOTE:
This variable previously defaulted to the paxr value, but
dpkg has never supported that tar format. For backwards com-
patibility the paxr value will be mapped to gnutar and a dep-
recation message will be emitted.
CPACK_DEBIAN_COMPRESSION_TYPE
New in version 3.1.
The compression used for creating the Debian package.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "gzip"
Possible values are:
lzma Lempel–Ziv–Markov chain algorithm
xz XZ Utils compression
bzip2 bzip2 Burrows–Wheeler algorithm
gzip GNU Gzip compression
zstd New in version 3.22.
Zstandard compression
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PRIORITY
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PRIORITY
Set Priority control field e.g. required, important, standard,
optional, extra
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "optional"
New in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_PRIORITY variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-priorities
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE
The URL of the web site for this package, preferably (when ap-
plicable) the site from which the original source can be ob-
tained and any additional upstream documentation or information
may be found.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
New in version 3.12: The CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
NOTE:
The content of this field is a simple URL without any sur-
rounding characters such as <>.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS
May be set to ON in order to use dpkg-shlibdeps to generate bet-
ter package dependency list.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS if set or
• OFF
NOTE:
You may need set CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH to an appropriate value
if you use this feature, because if you don't dpkg-shlibdeps
may fail to find your own shared libs. See
https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cmake/RPATH-handling
NOTE:
You can also set CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS_PRIVATE_DIRS
to an appropriate value if you use this feature, in order to
please dpkg-shlibdeps. However, you should only do this for
private shared libraries that could not get resolved other-
wise.
New in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_SHLIBDEPS variables.
New in version 3.6: Correct handling of $ORIGIN in
CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SHLIBDEPS_PRIVATE_DIRS
New in version 3.20.
May be set to a list of directories that will be given to
dpkg-shlibdeps via its -l option. These will be searched by
dpkg-shlibdeps in order to find private shared library dependen-
cies.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
NOTE:
You should prefer to set CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH to an appropri-
ate value if you use dpkg-shlibdeps. The current option is
really only needed for private shared library dependencies.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEBUG
May be set when invoking cpack in order to trace debug informa-
tion during the CPack DEB generator run.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS
Sets the Pre-Depends field of the Debian package. Like Depends,
except that it also forces dpkg to complete installation of the
packages named before even starting the installation of the
package which declares the pre-dependency.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PREDEPENDS for component-based instal-
lations.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_PREDEPENDS variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ENHANCES
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_ENHANCES
Sets the Enhances field of the Debian package. Similar to
Suggests but works in the opposite direction: declares that a
package can enhance the functionality of another package.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ENHANCES for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_ENHANCES variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_BREAKS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_BREAKS
Sets the Breaks field of the Debian package. When a binary
package (P) declares that it breaks other packages (B), dpkg
will not allow the package (P) which declares Breaks be unpacked
unless the packages that will be broken (B) are deconfigured
first. As long as the package (P) is configured, the previously
deconfigured packages (B) cannot be reconfigured again.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_BREAKS for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_BREAKS variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-breaks
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
Sets the Conflicts field of the Debian package. When one binary
package declares a conflict with another using a Conflicts
field, dpkg will not allow them to be unpacked on the system at
the same time.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_CONFLICTS variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-conflicts
NOTE:
This is a stronger restriction than Breaks, which prevents
the broken package from being configured while the breaking
package is in the "Unpacked" state but allows both packages
to be unpacked at the same time.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
Sets the Provides field of the Debian package. A virtual pack-
age is one which appears in the Provides control field of an-
other package.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_PROVIDES for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_PROVIDES variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-virtual
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_REPLACES
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_REPLACES
Sets the Replaces field of the Debian package. Packages can de-
clare in their control file that they should overwrite files in
certain other packages, or completely replace other packages.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_REPLACES for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_REPLACES variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS
Sets the Recommends field of the Debian package. Allows pack-
ages to declare a strong, but not absolute, dependency on other
packages.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_RECOMMENDS for component-based instal-
lations.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_RECOMMENDS variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
Sets the Suggests field of the Debian package. Allows packages
to declare a suggested package install grouping.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS for component-based installa-
tions.
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_SUGGESTS variables.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_GENERATE_SHLIBS
New in version 3.6.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
Allows to generate shlibs control file automatically. Compati-
bility is defined by CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_GENERATE_SHLIBS_POLICY
variable value.
NOTE:
Libraries are only considered if they have both library name
and version set. This can be done by setting SOVERSION prop-
erty with set_target_properties() command.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_GENERATE_SHLIBS_POLICY
New in version 3.6.
Compatibility policy for auto-generated shlibs control file.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : "="
Defines compatibility policy for auto-generated shlibs control
file. Possible values: "=", ">="
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#s-sharedlibs-shlibdeps
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA
This variable allow advanced user to add custom script to the
control.tar.gz. Typical usage is for conffiles, postinst,
postrm, prerm.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
Usage:
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_EXTRA
"${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/prerm;${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/postrm")
New in version 3.4: Per-component CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACK-
AGE_CONTROL_EXTRA variables.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_STRICT_PERMISSION
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_CONTROL_STRICT_PERMISSION
New in version 3.4.
This variable indicates if the Debian policy on control files
should be strictly followed.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : FALSE
Usage:
set(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_CONTROL_STRICT_PERMISSION TRUE)
This overrides the permissions on the original files, following
the rules set by Debian policy
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-files.html#s-permissions-owners
NOTE:
The original permissions of the files will be used in the fi-
nal package unless this variable is set to TRUE. In particu-
lar, the scripts should have the proper executable flag prior
to the generation of the package.
CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SOURCE
CPACK_DEBIAN_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_SOURCE
New in version 3.5.
Sets the Source field of the binary Debian package. When the
binary package name is not the same as the source package name
(in particular when several components/binaries are generated
from one source) the source from which the binary has been gen-
erated should be indicated with the field Source.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default :
• An empty string for non-component based installations
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_SOURCE for component-based installa-
tions.
See
https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-source
NOTE:
This value is not interpreted. It is possible to pass an op-
tional revision number of the referenced source package as
well.
Packaging of debug information
New in version 3.13.
Dbgsym packages contain debug symbols for debugging packaged binaries.
Dbgsym packaging has its own set of variables:
CPACK_DEBIAN_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
CPACK_DEBIAN_<component>_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
Enable generation of dbgsym .ddeb package(s).
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
NOTE:
Setting this also strips the ELF files in the generated non-dbgsym
package, which results in debuginfo only being available in the
dbgsym package.
NOTE:
Binaries must contain debug symbols before packaging so use either
Debug or RelWithDebInfo for CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE variable value.
Additionally, if CPACK_STRIP_FILES is set, the files will be
stripped before they get to the DEB generator, so will not contain
debug symbols and a dbgsym package will not get built. Do not use
with CPACK_STRIP_FILES.
Building Debian packages on Windows
New in version 3.10.
To communicate UNIX file permissions from the install stage to the
CPack DEB generator the "cmake_mode_t" NTFS alternate data stream (ADT)
is used.
When a filesystem without ADT support is used only owner read/write
permissions can be preserved.
Reproducible packages
New in version 3.13.
The environment variable SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH may be set to a UNIX time-
stamp, defined as the number of seconds, excluding leap seconds, since
01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 UTC. If set, the CPack DEB generator will use its
value for timestamps in the package.
CPack DragNDrop Generator
The DragNDrop CPack generator (macOS) creates a DMG image.
Variables specific to CPack DragNDrop generator
The following variables are specific to the DragNDrop installers built
on macOS:
CPACK_DMG_VOLUME_NAME
The volume name of the generated disk image. Defaults to
CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME.
CPACK_DMG_FORMAT
The disk image format. Common values are UDRO (UDIF read-only),
UDZO (UDIF zlib-compressed) or UDBZ (UDIF bzip2-compressed). Re-
fer to hdiutil(1) for more information on other available for-
mats. Defaults to UDZO.
CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE
Path to a custom .DS_Store file. This .DS_Store file can be used
to specify the Finder window position/geometry and layout (such
as hidden toolbars, placement of the icons etc.). This file has
to be generated by the Finder (either manually or through Apple-
Script) using a normal folder from which the .DS_Store file can
then be extracted.
CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE_SETUP_SCRIPT
New in version 3.5.
Path to a custom AppleScript file. This AppleScript is used to
generate a .DS_Store file which specifies the Finder window po-
sition/geometry and layout (such as hidden toolbars, placement
of the icons etc.). By specifying a custom AppleScript there is
no need to use CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE, as the .DS_Store that is gen-
erated by the AppleScript will be packaged.
CPACK_DMG_BACKGROUND_IMAGE
Path to an image file to be used as the background. This file
will be copied to .background/background.<ext>, where <ext> is
the original image file extension. The background image is in-
stalled into the image before CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE_SETUP_SCRIPT is
executed or CPACK_DMG_DS_STORE is installed. By default no
background image is set.
CPACK_DMG_DISABLE_APPLICATIONS_SYMLINK
New in version 3.6.
Default behavior is to include a symlink to /Applications in the
DMG. Set this option to ON to avoid adding the symlink.
CPACK_DMG_SLA_USE_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE
New in version 3.23.
Control whether CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE, if set to a non-de-
fault value, is used as the license agreement provided when
mounting the DMG. If CPACK_DMG_SLA_USE_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE is
not set, cpack(1) defaults to off.
In a CMake project that uses the CPack module to generate CPack-
Config.cmake, CPACK_DMG_SLA_USE_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE must be
explicitly enabled by the project to activate the SLA. See pol-
icy CMP0133.
NOTE:
This option was added in response to macOS 12.0's deprecation
of the hdiutil udifrez command to make its use optional.
CPack 3.22 and below always use CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE,
if set to a non-default value, as the DMG license.
CPACK_DMG_SLA_DIR
New in version 3.5.
Directory where license and menu files for different languages
are stored. Setting this causes CPack to look for a <lan-
guage>.menu.txt and <language>.license.txt or <language>.li-
cense.rtf file for every language defined in CPACK_DMG_SLA_LAN-
GUAGES. If both this variable and CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE
are set, CPack will only look for the menu files and use the
same license file for all languages. If both <language>.li-
cense.txt and <language>.license.rtf exist, the .txt file will
be used.
New in version 3.17: RTF support.
CPACK_DMG_SLA_LANGUAGES
New in version 3.5.
Languages for which a license agreement is provided when mount-
ing the generated DMG. A menu file consists of 9 lines of text.
The first line is is the name of the language itself, uppercase,
in English (e.g. German). The other lines are translations of
the following strings:
• Agree
• Disagree
• Print
• Save...
• You agree to the terms of the License Agreement when you click
the "Agree" button.
• Software License Agreement
• This text cannot be saved. The disk may be full or locked, or
the file may be locked.
• Unable to print. Make sure you have selected a printer.
For every language in this list, CPack will try to find files
<language>.menu.txt and <language>.license.txt in the directory
specified by the CPACK_DMG_SLA_DIR variable.
CPACK_DMG_<component>_FILE_NAME
New in version 3.17.
File name when packaging <component> as its own DMG (CPACK_COM-
PONENTS_GROUPING set to IGNORE).
• Default: CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME-<component>
CPACK_DMG_FILESYSTEM
New in version 3.21.
The filesystem format. Common values are APFS and HFS+. See man
hdiutil for a full list of supported formats. Defaults to HFS+.
CPACK_COMMAND_HDIUTIL
Path to the hdiutil(1) command used to operate on disk image
files on macOS. This variable can be used to override the auto-
matically detected command (or specify its location if the
auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_COMMAND_SETFILE
Path to the SetFile(1) command used to set extended attributes
on files and directories on macOS. This variable can be used to
override the automatically detected command (or specify its lo-
cation if the auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_COMMAND_REZ
Path to the Rez(1) command used to compile resources on macOS.
This variable can be used to override the automatically detected
command (or specify its location if the auto-detection fails to
find it).
CPack External Generator
New in version 3.13.
CPack provides many generators to create packages for a variety of
platforms and packaging systems. The intention is for CMake/CPack to be
a complete end-to-end solution for building and packaging a software
project. However, it may not always be possible to use CPack for the
entire packaging process, due to either technical limitations or poli-
cies that require the use of certain tools. For this reason, CPack pro-
vides the "External" generator, which allows external packaging soft-
ware to take advantage of some of the functionality provided by CPack,
such as component installation and the dependency graph.
Integration with External Packaging Tools
The CPack External generator generates a .json file containing the
CPack internal metadata, which gives external software information on
how to package the software. External packaging software may itself in-
voke CPack, consume the generated metadata, install and package files
as required.
Alternatively CPack can invoke an external packaging software through
an optional custom CMake script in CPACK_EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_SCRIPT in-
stead.
Staging of installation files may also optionally be taken care of by
the generator when enabled through the CPACK_EXTERNAL_ENABLE_STAGING
variable.
JSON Format
The JSON metadata file contains a list of CPack components and compo-
nent groups, the various options passed to cpack_add_component() and
cpack_add_component_group(), the dependencies between the components
and component groups, and various other options passed to CPack.
The JSON's root object will always provide two fields: formatVersionMa-
jor and formatVersionMinor, which are always integers that describe the
output format of the generator. Backwards-compatible changes to the
output format (for example, adding a new field that didn't exist be-
fore) cause the minor version to be incremented, and backwards-incom-
patible changes (for example, deleting a field or changing its meaning)
cause the major version to be incremented and the minor version reset
to 0. The format version is always of the format major.minor. In other
words, it always has exactly two parts, separated by a period.
You can request one or more specific versions of the output format as
described below with CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS. The output for-
mat will have a major version that exactly matches the requested major
version, and a minor version that is greater than or equal to the re-
quested minor version. If no version is requested with
CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS, the latest known major version is
used by default. Currently, the only supported format is 1.0, which is
described below.
Version 1.0
In addition to the standard format fields, format version 1.0 provides
the following fields in the root:
components
The components field is an object with component names as the
keys and objects describing the components as the values. The
component objects have the following fields:
name The name of the component. This is always the same as the
key in the components object.
displayName
The value of the DISPLAY_NAME field passed to
cpack_add_component().
description
The value of the DESCRIPTION field passed to
cpack_add_component().
isHidden
True if HIDDEN was passed to cpack_add_component(), false
if it was not.
isRequired
True if REQUIRED was passed to cpack_add_component(),
false if it was not.
isDisabledByDefault
True if DISABLED was passed to cpack_add_component(),
false if it was not.
group Only present if GROUP was passed to
cpack_add_component(). If so, this field is a string
value containing the component's group.
dependencies
An array of components the component depends on. This
contains the values in the DEPENDS argument passed to
cpack_add_component(). If no DEPENDS argument was passed,
this is an empty list.
installationTypes
An array of installation types the component is part of.
This contains the values in the INSTALL_TYPES argument
passed to cpack_add_component(). If no INSTALL_TYPES ar-
gument was passed, this is an empty list.
isDownloaded
True if DOWNLOADED was passed to cpack_add_component(),
false if it was not.
archiveFile
The name of the archive file passed with the ARCHIVE_FILE
argument to cpack_add_component(). If no ARCHIVE_FILE ar-
gument was passed, this is an empty string.
componentGroups
The componentGroups field is an object with component group
names as the keys and objects describing the component groups as
the values. The component group objects have the following
fields:
name The name of the component group. This is always the same
as the key in the componentGroups object.
displayName
The value of the DISPLAY_NAME field passed to
cpack_add_component_group().
description
The value of the DESCRIPTION field passed to
cpack_add_component_group().
parentGroup
Only present if PARENT_GROUP was passed to
cpack_add_component_group(). If so, this field is a
string value containing the component group's parent
group.
isExpandedByDefault
True if EXPANDED was passed to
cpack_add_component_group(), false if it was not.
isBold True if BOLD_TITLE was passed to
cpack_add_component_group(), false if it was not.
components
An array of names of components that are direct members
of the group (components that have this group as their
GROUP). Components of subgroups are not included.
subgroups
An array of names of component groups that are subgroups
of the group (groups that have this group as their PAR-
ENT_GROUP).
installationTypes
The installationTypes field is an object with installation type
names as the keys and objects describing the installation types
as the values. The installation type objects have the following
fields:
name The name of the installation type. This is always the
same as the key in the installationTypes object.
displayName
The value of the DISPLAY_NAME field passed to
cpack_add_install_type().
index The integer index of the installation type in the list.
projects
The projects field is an array of objects describing CMake
projects which comprise the CPack project. The values in this
field are derived from CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS. In most
cases, this will be only a single project. The project objects
have the following fields:
projectName
The project name passed to CPACK_INSTALL_CMAKE_PROJECTS.
component
The name of the component or component set which com-
prises the project.
directory
The build directory of the CMake project. This is the di-
rectory which contains the cmake_install.cmake script.
subDirectory
The subdirectory to install the project into inside the
CPack package.
packageName
The package name given in CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME. Only present if
this option is set.
packageVersion
The package version given in CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION. Only present
if this option is set.
packageDescriptionFile
The package description file given in
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE. Only present if this option is
set.
packageDescriptionSummary
The package description summary given in
CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY. Only present if this option
is set.
buildConfig
The build configuration given to CPack with the cpack -C option.
Only present if this option is set.
defaultDirectoryPermissions
The default directory permissions given in
CPACK_INSTALL_DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS. Only present if
this option is set.
setDestdir
True if CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is true, false if it is not.
packagingInstallPrefix
The install prefix given in CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX. Only
present if CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is true.
stripFiles
True if CPACK_STRIP_FILES is true, false if it is not.
warnOnAbsoluteInstallDestination
True if CPACK_WARN_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION is true,
false if it is not.
errorOnAbsoluteInstallDestination
True if CPACK_ERROR_ON_ABSOLUTE_INSTALL_DESTINATION is true,
false if it is not.
Variables specific to CPack External generator
CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS
This variable is used to request a specific version of the CPack
External generator. It is a list of major.minor values, sepa-
rated by semicolons.
If this variable is set to a non-empty value, the CPack External
generator will iterate through each item in the list to search
for a version that it knows how to generate. Requested versions
should be listed in order of descending preference by the client
software, as the first matching version in the list will be gen-
erated.
The generator knows how to generate the version if it has a ver-
sioned generator whose major version exactly matches the re-
quested major version, and whose minor version is greater than
or equal to the requested minor version. For example, if
CPACK_EXTERNAL_REQUESTED_VERSIONS contains 1.0, and the CPack
External generator knows how to generate 1.1, it will generate
1.1. If the generator doesn't know how to generate a version in
the list, it skips the version and looks at the next one. If it
doesn't know how to generate any of the requested versions, an
error is thrown.
If this variable is not set, or is empty, the CPack External
generator will generate the highest major and minor version that
it knows how to generate.
If an invalid version is encountered in CPACK_EXTERNAL_RE-
QUESTED_VERSIONS (one that doesn't match major.minor, where ma-
jor and minor are integers), it is ignored.
CPACK_EXTERNAL_ENABLE_STAGING
This variable can be set to true to enable optional installation
into a temporary staging area which can then be picked up and
packaged by an external packaging tool. The top level directory
used by CPack for the current packaging task is contained in
CPACK_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY. It is automatically cleaned up on
each run before packaging is initiated and can be used for cus-
tom temporary files required by the external packaging tool. It
also contains the staging area CPACK_TEMPORARY_DIRECTORY into
which CPack performs the installation when staging is enabled.
CPACK_EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_SCRIPT
This variable can optionally specify the full path to a CMake
script file to be run as part of the CPack invocation. It is
invoked after (optional) staging took place and may run an ex-
ternal packaging tool. The script has access to the variables
defined by the CPack config file.
CPACK_EXTERNAL_BUILT_PACKAGES
New in version 3.19.
The CPACK_EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_SCRIPT script may set this list vari-
able to the full paths of generated package files. CPack will
copy these files from the staging directory back to the top
build directory and possibly produce checksum files if the
CPACK_PACKAGE_CHECKSUM is set.
CPack FreeBSD Generator
New in version 3.10.
The built in (binary) CPack FreeBSD (pkg) generator (Unix only)
Variables affecting the CPack FreeBSD (pkg) generator
• New in version 3.18: CPACK_ARCHIVE_THREADS
Variables specific to CPack FreeBSD (pkg) generator
The CPack FreeBSD generator may be used to create pkg(8) packages --
these may be used on FreeBSD, DragonflyBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, but also
on Linux or OSX, depending on the installed package-management tools --
using CPack.
The CPack FreeBSD generator is a CPack generator and uses the CPACK_XXX
variables used by CPack. It tries to re-use packaging information that
may already be specified for Debian packages for the CPack DEB Genera-
tor. It also tries to re-use RPM packaging information when Debian does
not specify.
The CPack FreeBSD generator should work on any host with libpkg in-
stalled. The packages it produces are specific to the host architecture
and ABI.
The CPack FreeBSD generator sets package-metadata through CPACK_FREE-
BSD_XXX variables. The CPack FreeBSD generator, unlike the CPack Deb
generator, does not specially support componentized packages; a single
package is created from all the software artifacts created through
CMake.
All of the variables can be set specifically for FreeBSD packaging in
the CPackConfig file or in CMakeLists.txt, but most of them have de-
faults that use general settings (e.g. CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME) or De-
bian-specific variables when those make sense (e.g. the homepage of an
upstream project is usually unchanged by the flavor of packaging). When
there is no Debian information to fall back on, but the RPM packaging
has it, fall back to the RPM information (e.g. package license).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_NAME
Sets the package name (in the package manifest, but also affects
the output filename).
• Mandatory: YES
• Default:
• CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME (this is always set by CPack itself,
based on CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_COMMENT
Sets the package comment. This is the short description dis-
played by pkg(8) in standard "pkg info" output.
• Mandatory: YES
• Default:
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY (this is always set by
CPack itself, if nothing else sets it explicitly).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
Sets the package description. This is the long description of
the package, given by "pkg info" with a specific package as ar-
gument.
• Mandatory: YES
• Default:
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION (this may be set already
for Debian packaging, so it is used as a fallback).
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY (this is always set by
CPack itself, if nothing else sets it explicitly).
• PROJECT_DESCRIPTION (this can be set with the DESCRIPTION
parameter for project()).
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_WWW
The URL of the web site for this package, preferably (when ap-
plicable) the site from which the original source can be ob-
tained and any additional upstream documentation or information
may be found.
• Mandatory: YES
• Default:
• CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL, or if that is not set,
• CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE (this may be set already for
Debian packaging, so it is used as a fallback).
New in version 3.12: The CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_LICENSE
The license, or licenses, which apply to this software package.
This must be one or more license-identifiers that pkg recognizes
as acceptable license identifiers (e.g. "GPLv2").
• Mandatory: YES
• Default:
• CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_LICENSE
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_LICENSE_LOGIC
This variable is only of importance if there is more than one
license. The default is "single", which is only applicable to a
single license. Other acceptable values are determined by pkg
-- those are "dual" or "multi" -- meaning choice (OR) or simul-
taneous (AND) application of the licenses.
• Mandatory: NO
• Default: single
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_MAINTAINER
The FreeBSD maintainer (e.g. kde@freebsd.org) of this package.
• Mandatory: YES
• Default: none
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_ORIGIN
The origin (ports label) of this package; for packages built by
CPack outside of the ports system this is of less importance.
The default puts the package somewhere under misc/, as a stop-
gap.
• Mandatory: YES
• Default: misc/<package name>
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_CATEGORIES
The ports categories where this package lives (if it were to be
built from ports). If none is set a single category is deter-
mined based on the package origin.
• Mandatory: YES
• Default: derived from ORIGIN
CPACK_FREEBSD_PACKAGE_DEPS
A list of package origins that should be added as package depen-
dencies. These are in the form <category>/<packagename>, e.g.
x11/libkonq. No version information needs to be provided (this
is not included in the manifest).
• Mandatory: NO
• Default: empty
CPack IFW Generator
New in version 3.1.
Configure and run the Qt Installer Framework to generate a Qt in-
staller.
Overview
This cpack generator generates configuration and meta information for
the Qt Installer Framework (QtIFW), and runs QtIFW tools to generate a
Qt installer.
QtIFW provides tools and utilities to create installers for the plat-
forms supported by Qt: Linux, Microsoft Windows, and macOS.
To make use of this generator, QtIFW needs to be installed. The
CPackIFW module looks for the location of the QtIFW command-line utili-
ties, and defines several commands to control the behavior of this gen-
erator. See Hints for Finding QtIFW.
Variables
You can use the following variables to change the behavior of the CPack
IFW generator.
Debug
CPACK_IFW_VERBOSE
New in version 3.3.
Set to ON to enable addition debug output. By default is OFF.
Package
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_TITLE
Name of the installer as displayed on the title bar. If not
specified, it defaults to CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_PUBLISHER
Publisher of the software (as shown in the Windows Control
Panel). If not specified, it defaults to CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR.
CPACK_IFW_PRODUCT_URL
URL to a page that contains product information on your web
site.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_ICON
Filename for a custom installer icon. It must be an absolute
path. This should be a .icns file on macOS and a .ico file on
Windows. It is ignored on other platforms.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WINDOW_ICON
Filename for a custom window icon in PNG format for the In-
staller application. It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_LOGO
Filename for a logo image in PNG format, used as QWizard::Lo-
goPixmap. It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WATERMARK
New in version 3.8.
Filename for a watermark image in PNG format, used as QWiz-
ard::WatermarkPixmap. It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_BANNER
New in version 3.8.
Filename for a banner image in PNG format, used as QWizard::Ban-
nerPixmap. It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_BACKGROUND
New in version 3.8.
Filename for a background image in PNG format, used as QWiz-
ard::BackgroundPixmap (only used by MacStyle). It must be an ab-
solute path.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_STYLE
New in version 3.8.
Wizard style to be used (Modern, Mac, Aero or Classic).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_DEFAULT_WIDTH
New in version 3.8.
Default width of the wizard in pixels. Setting a banner image
will override this.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_DEFAULT_HEIGHT
New in version 3.8.
Default height of the wizard in pixels. Setting a watermark im-
age will override this.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_WIZARD_SHOW_PAGE_LIST
New in version 3.20.
Set to OFF if the widget listing installer pages on the left
side of the wizard should not be shown.
It is ON by default, but will only have an effect if using QtIFW
4.0 or later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_TITLE_COLOR
New in version 3.8.
Color of the titles and subtitles (takes an HTML color code,
such as #88FF33).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_STYLE_SHEET
New in version 3.15.
Filename for a stylesheet. It must be an absolute path.
CPACK_IFW_TARGET_DIRECTORY
Default target directory for installation. If
CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY is set, this defaults to @Appli-
cationsDir@/${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}. If that variable
isn't set either, the default used is @RootDir@/usr/local. Pre-
defined variables of the form @...@ are expanded by the QtIFW
scripting engine.
CPACK_IFW_ADMIN_TARGET_DIRECTORY
Default target directory for installation with administrator
rights.
You can use predefined variables.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_REMOVE_TARGET_DIR
New in version 3.11.
Set to OFF if the target directory should not be deleted when
uninstalling.
Is ON by default
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_GROUP
The group, which will be used to configure the root package.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_NAME
The root package name, which will be used if the configuration
group is not specified.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_START_MENU_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.3.
Name of the default program group for the product in the Windows
Start menu. If not specified, it defaults to
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_NAME.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_MAINTENANCE_TOOL_NAME
New in version 3.3.
Filename of the generated maintenance tool. The platform-spe-
cific executable file extension will be appended.
If not specified, QtIFW provides a default name (maintenance-
tool).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_MAINTENANCE_TOOL_INI_FILE
New in version 3.3.
Filename for the configuration of the generated maintenance
tool.
If not specified, QtIFW uses a default file name (maintenance-
tool.ini).
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_ALLOW_NON_ASCII_CHARACTERS
New in version 3.3.
Set to ON if the installation path can contain non-ASCII charac-
ters. Only supported for QtIFW 2.0 and later. Older QtIFW ver-
sions will always allow non-ASCII characters.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_ALLOW_SPACE_IN_PATH
New in version 3.3.
Set to OFF if the installation path cannot contain space charac-
ters.
Is ON for QtIFW less 2.0 tools.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_DISABLE_COMMAND_LINE_INTERFACE
New in version 3.23.
Set to ON if command line interface features should be disabled.
It is OFF by default and will only have an effect if using QtIFW
4.0 or later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_CONTROL_SCRIPT
New in version 3.3.
Filename for a custom installer control script.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RESOURCES
New in version 3.7.
List of additional resources (.qrc files) to include in the in-
staller binary. They should be specified as absolute paths and
no two resource files can have the same file name.
You can use the cpack_ifw_add_package_resources() command to re-
solve relative paths.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_FILE_EXTENSION
New in version 3.10.
The target binary extension.
On Linux, the name of the target binary is automatically ex-
tended with .run, if you do not specify the extension.
On Windows, the target is created as an application with the ex-
tension .exe, which is automatically added, if not supplied.
On Mac, the target is created as an DMG disk image with the ex-
tension .dmg, which is automatically added, if not supplied.
CPACK_IFW_REPOSITORIES_ALL
The list of remote repositories.
The default value of this variable is computed by CPack and con-
tains all repositories added with cpack_ifw_add_repository() or
updated with cpack_ifw_update_repository().
CPACK_IFW_DOWNLOAD_ALL
If this is ON, all components will be downloaded. If not set,
the behavior is determined by whether
cpack_configure_downloads() has been called with the ALL option
or not.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_PRODUCT_IMAGES
New in version 3.23.
A list of images to be shown on the PerformInstallationPage.
These must be absolute paths and the images must be in PNG for-
mat.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM
New in version 3.23.
Command executed after the installer is finished, if the user
accepts the action. Provide the full path to the application, as
found when installed. This typically means the path should be-
gin with the QtIFW predefined variable @TargetDir@.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.23.
List of arguments passed to the program specified in
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM_DESCRIPTION
New in version 3.23.
Text shown next to the check box for running the program after
the installation. If CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_RUN_PROGRAM is set but no
description is provided, QtIFW will use a default message like
Run <Name> now.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.0.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGE_SIGNING_IDENTITY
New in version 3.23.
Allows specifying a code signing identity to be used for signing
the generated app bundle. Only available on macOS, ignored on
other platforms.
CPACK_IFW_ARCHIVE_FORMAT
New in version 3.23.
Set the format used when packaging new component data archives.
If you omit this option, the 7z format will be used as a de-
fault. Supported formats:
• 7z
• zip
• tar.gz
• tar.bz2
• tar.xz
NOTE:
If the Qt Installer Framework tools were built without
libarchive support, only 7z format is supported.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.2.0 and later.
CPACK_IFW_ARCHIVE_COMPRESSION
New in version 3.23.
Archive compression level. The allowable values are:
• 0 (No compression)
• 1 (Fastest compression)
• 3 (Fast compression)
• 5 (Normal compression)
• 7 (Maximum compression)
• 9 (Ultra compression)
If this variable is not set, QtIFW will use a default compres-
sion level, which will typically be 5 (Normal compression).
NOTE:
Some formats do not support all the possible values. For ex-
ample zip compression only supports values from 1 to 7.
This feature is available for QtIFW 4.2.0 and later.
Components
CPACK_IFW_RESOLVE_DUPLICATE_NAMES
Resolve duplicate names when installing components with groups.
CPACK_IFW_PACKAGES_DIRECTORIES
Additional prepared packages directories that will be used to
resolve dependent components.
CPACK_IFW_REPOSITORIES_DIRECTORIES
New in version 3.10.
Additional prepared repository directories that will be used to
resolve and repack dependent components.
This feature is available for QtIFW 3.1 and later.
QtIFW Tools
CPACK_IFW_FRAMEWORK_VERSION
New in version 3.3.
The version of the QtIFW tools that will be used. This variable
is set by the CPackIFW module.
The following variables provide the locations of the QtIFW command-line
tools as discovered by the CPackIFW module. These variables are
cached, and may be configured if needed.
CPACK_IFW_ARCHIVEGEN_EXECUTABLE
New in version 3.19.
The path to archivegen.
CPACK_IFW_BINARYCREATOR_EXECUTABLE
The path to binarycreator.
CPACK_IFW_REPOGEN_EXECUTABLE
The path to repogen.
CPACK_IFW_INSTALLERBASE_EXECUTABLE
The path to installerbase.
CPACK_IFW_DEVTOOL_EXECUTABLE
The path to devtool.
Hints for Finding QtIFW
Generally, the CPack IFW generator automatically finds QtIFW tools.
The following (in order of precedence) can also be set to augment the
locations normally searched by find_program():
CPACK_IFW_ROOT
New in version 3.9.
CMake variable
CPACK_IFW_ROOT
New in version 3.9.
Environment variable
QTIFWDIR
CMake variable
QTIFWDIR
Environment variable
NOTE:
The specified path should not contain bin at the end (for example:
D:\\DevTools\\QtIFW2.0.5).
Other Settings
Online installer
By default, this generator generates an offline installer. This means
that all packaged files are fully contained in the installer exe-
cutable.
In contrast, an online installer will download some or all components
from a remote server.
The DOWNLOADED option in the cpack_add_component() command specifies
that a component is to be downloaded. Alternatively, the ALL option in
the cpack_configure_downloads() command specifies that all components
are to be be downloaded.
The cpack_ifw_add_repository() command and the CPACK_IFW_DOWNLOAD_ALL
variable allow for more specific configuration.
When there are online components, CPack will write them to archive
files. The help page of the CPackComponent module, especially the sec-
tion on the cpack_configure_downloads() function, explains how to make
these files accessible from a download URL.
Internationalization
New in version 3.9.
Some variables and command arguments support internationalization via
CMake script. This is an optional feature.
Installers created by QtIFW tools have built-in support for interna-
tionalization and many phrases are localized to many languages, but
this does not apply to the description of your components and groups.
Localization of the description of your components and groups is useful
for users of your installers.
A localized variable or argument can contain a single default value,
and after that a set of pairs with the name of the locale and the lo-
calized value.
For example:
set(LOCALIZABLE_VARIABLE "Default value"
en "English value"
en_US "American value"
en_GB "Great Britain value"
)
See Also
Qt Installer Framework Manual:
• Index page: https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/index.html
• Component Scripting:
https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/scripting.html
• Predefined Variables:
https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/scripting.html#predefined-variables
• Promoting Updates:
https://doc.qt.io/qtinstallerframework/ifw-updates.html
Download Qt Installer Framework for your platform from Qt site:
https://download.qt.io/official_releases/qt-installer-framework
CPack NSIS Generator
CPack Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) generator specific op-
tions.
Changed in version 3.22: The NSIS generator requires NSIS 3.03 or
newer.
Variables specific to CPack NSIS generator
The following variables are specific to the graphical installers built
on Windows Nullsoft Scriptable Install System.
CPACK_NSIS_INSTALL_ROOT
The default installation directory presented to the end user by
the NSIS installer is under this root dir. The full directory
presented to the end user is: ${CPACK_NSIS_IN-
STALL_ROOT}/${CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY}
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_ICON
An icon filename. The name of a *.ico file used as the main
icon for the generated install program.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_UNIICON
An icon filename. The name of a *.ico file used as the main
icon for the generated uninstall program.
CPACK_NSIS_INSTALLER_MUI_ICON_CODE
undocumented.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_WELCOMEFINISHPAGE_BITMAP
New in version 3.5.
The filename of a bitmap to use as the NSIS MUI_WELCOMEFINISH-
PAGE_BITMAP.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_UNWELCOMEFINISHPAGE_BITMAP
New in version 3.5.
The filename of a bitmap to use as the NSIS MUI_UNWELCOMEFINISH-
PAGE_BITMAP.
CPACK_NSIS_EXTRA_PREINSTALL_COMMANDS
Extra NSIS commands that will be added to the beginning of the
install Section, before your install tree is available on the
target system.
CPACK_NSIS_EXTRA_INSTALL_COMMANDS
Extra NSIS commands that will be added to the end of the install
Section, after your install tree is available on the target sys-
tem.
CPACK_NSIS_EXTRA_UNINSTALL_COMMANDS
Extra NSIS commands that will be added to the uninstall Section,
before your install tree is removed from the target system.
CPACK_NSIS_COMPRESSOR
The arguments that will be passed to the NSIS SetCompressor com-
mand.
CPACK_NSIS_ENABLE_UNINSTALL_BEFORE_INSTALL
Ask about uninstalling previous versions first. If this is set
to ON, then an installer will look for previous installed ver-
sions and if one is found, ask the user whether to uninstall it
before proceeding with the install.
CPACK_NSIS_MODIFY_PATH
Modify PATH toggle. If this is set to ON, then an extra page
will appear in the installer that will allow the user to choose
whether the program directory should be added to the system PATH
variable.
CPACK_NSIS_DISPLAY_NAME
The display name string that appears in the Windows Apps & fea-
tures in Control Panel
CPACK_NSIS_PACKAGE_NAME
The title displayed at the top of the installer.
CPACK_NSIS_INSTALLED_ICON_NAME
A path to the executable that contains the installer icon.
CPACK_NSIS_HELP_LINK
URL to a web site providing assistance in installing your appli-
cation.
CPACK_NSIS_URL_INFO_ABOUT
URL to a web site providing more information about your applica-
tion.
CPACK_NSIS_CONTACT
Contact information for questions and comments about the instal-
lation process.
CPACK_NSIS_<compName>_INSTALL_DIRECTORY
New in version 3.7.
Custom install directory for the specified component <compName>
instead of $INSTDIR.
CPACK_NSIS_CREATE_ICONS_EXTRA
Additional NSIS commands for creating Start Menu shortcuts.
CPACK_NSIS_DELETE_ICONS_EXTRA
Additional NSIS commands to uninstall Start Menu shortcuts.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLES_DIRECTORY
Creating NSIS Start Menu links assumes that they are in bin un-
less this variable is set. For example, you would set this to
exec if your executables are in an exec directory.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_FINISHPAGE_RUN
Specify an executable to add an option to run on the finish page
of the NSIS installer.
CPACK_NSIS_MENU_LINKS
Specify links in [application] menu. This should contain a list
of pair link link name. The link may be a URL or a path relative
to installation prefix. Like:
set(CPACK_NSIS_MENU_LINKS
"doc/cmake-@CMake_VERSION_MAJOR@.@CMake_VERSION_MINOR@/cmake.html"
"CMake Help" "https://cmake.org" "CMake Web Site")
CPACK_NSIS_UNINSTALL_NAME
New in version 3.17.
Specify the name of the program to uninstall the version. De-
fault is Uninstall.
CPACK_NSIS_WELCOME_TITLE
New in version 3.17.
The title to display on the top of the page for the welcome
page.
CPACK_NSIS_WELCOME_TITLE_3LINES
New in version 3.17.
Display the title in the welcome page on 3 lines instead of 2.
CPACK_NSIS_FINISH_TITLE
New in version 3.17.
The title to display on the top of the page for the finish page.
CPACK_NSIS_FINISH_TITLE_3LINES
New in version 3.17.
Display the title in the finish page on 3 lines instead of 2.
CPACK_NSIS_MUI_HEADERIMAGE
New in version 3.17.
The image to display on the header of installers pages.
CPACK_NSIS_MANIFEST_DPI_AWARE
New in version 3.18.
If set, declares that the installer is DPI-aware.
CPACK_NSIS_BRANDING_TEXT
New in version 3.20.
If set, updates the text at the bottom of the install window.
To set the string to blank, use a space (" ").
CPACK_NSIS_BRANDING_TEXT_TRIM_POSITION
New in version 3.20.
If set, trim down the size of the control to the size of the
branding text string. Allowed values for this variable are
LEFT, CENTER or RIGHT. If not specified, the default behavior
is LEFT.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE
New in version 3.21.
If set, specify the name of the NSIS executable. Default is mak-
ensis.
CPACK_NSIS_IGNORE_LICENSE_PAGE
New in version 3.22.
If set, do not display the page containing the license during
installation.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.25.
This variable is a semicolon-separated list of arguments to
prepend to the nsis script to run. If the arguments do not
start with a / or a -, it will add one automatically to the cor-
responding arguments. The command that will be run is:
makensis.exe <preArgs>... "nsisFileName.nsi" <postArgs>...
where <preArgs>... is constructed from CPACK_NSIS_EXE-
CUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS and <postArgs>... is constructed from
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS.
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS
New in version 3.25.
This variable is a semicolon-separated list of arguments to ap-
pend to the nsis script to run. If the arguments do not start
with a / or a -, it will add one automatically to the corre-
sponding arguments. The command that will be run is:
makensis.exe <preArgs>... "nsisFileName.nsi" <postArgs>...
where <preArgs>... is constructed from CPACK_NSIS_EXE-
CUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS and <postArgs>... is constructed from
CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS.
CPack NuGet Generator
New in version 3.12.
When build a NuGet package there is no direct way to control an output
filename due a lack of the corresponding CLI option of NuGet, so there
is no CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME variable. To form the output file-
name NuGet uses the package name and the version according to its
built-in rules.
Also, be aware that including a top level directory (CPACK_IN-
CLUDE_TOPLEVEL_DIRECTORY) is ignored by this generator.
Variables specific to CPack NuGet generator
The CPack NuGet generator may be used to create NuGet packages using
CPack. The CPack NuGet generator is a CPack generator thus it uses the
CPACK_XXX variables used by CPack.
The CPack NuGet generator has specific features which are controlled by
the specifics CPACK_NUGET_XXX variables. In the "one per group" mode
(see CPACK_COMPONENTS_GROUPING), <compName> placeholder in the vari-
ables below would contain a group name (uppercased and turned into a
"C" identifier).
List of CPack NuGet generator specific variables:
CPACK_NUGET_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging for CPack NuGet generator
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_NAME
The NUGET package name. CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_NAME is used as the
package id on nuget.org
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_VERSION
The NuGet package version.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
A long description of the package for UI display.
• Mandatory : YES
•
Default :
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION,
• CPACK_COMPONENT_GROUP_<groupName>_DESCRIPTION,
• CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_AUTHORS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_AUTHORS
A comma-separated list of packages authors, matching the profile
names on nuget.org. These are displayed in the NuGet Gallery on
nuget.org and are used to cross-reference packages by the same
authors.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TITLE
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_TITLE
A human-friendly title of the package, typically used in UI dis-
plays as on nuget.org and the Package Manager in Visual Studio.
If not specified, the package ID is used.
• Mandatory : NO
•
Default :
• CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DISPLAY_NAME,
• CPACK_COMPONENT_GROUP_<groupName>_DISPLAY_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_OWNERS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_OWNERS
A comma-separated list of the package creators using profile
names on nuget.org. This is often the same list as in authors,
and is ignored when uploading the package to nuget.org.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL
An URL for the package's home page, often shown in UI displays
as well as nuget.org.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_HOMEPAGE_URL
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSEURL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LICENSEURL
Deprecated since version 3.20: Use a local license file (-
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME) or a SPDX license identi-
fier (CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION) instead.
An URL for the package's license, often shown in UI displays as
well as on nuget.org.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION
New in version 3.20.
A Software Package Data Exchange SPDX license identifier such as
MIT, BSD-3-Clause, or LGPL-3.0-or-later. In the case of a choice
of licenses or more complex restrictions, compound license ex-
pressions may be formed using boolean operators, for example MIT
OR BSD-3-Clause. See the SPDX specification for guidance on
forming complex license expressions.
If CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME is specified,
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION is ignored.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME
The package's license file in .txt or .md format.
If CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_FILE_NAME is specified,
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LICENSE_EXPRESSION is ignored.
New in version 3.20.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_ICONURL
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_ICONURL
Deprecated since version 3.20: Use a local icon file (-
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_ICON) instead.
An URL for a 64x64 image with transparency background to use as
the icon for the package in UI display.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_REQUIRE_LICENSE_ACCEPTANCE
When set to a true value, the user will be prompted to accept
the license before installing the package.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_ICON
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_ICON
New in version 3.20.
The filename of a 64x64 image with transparency background to
use as the icon for the package in UI display.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
A short description of the package for UI display. If omitted, a
truncated version of description is used.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_RELEASE_NOTES
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_RELEASE_NOTES
A description of the changes made in this release of the pack-
age, often used in UI like the Updates tab of the Visual Studio
Package Manager in place of the package description.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_COPYRIGHT
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_COPYRIGHT
Copyright details for the package.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_LANGUAGE
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_LANGUAGE
New in version 3.20.
Locale specifier for the package, for example en_CA.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TAGS
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_TAGS
A space-delimited list of tags and keywords that describe the
package and aid discoverability of packages through search and
filtering.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES
A list of package dependencies.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<dependency>_VERSION
CPACK_NUGET_<compName>_PACKAGE_DEPENDENCIES_<dependency>_VERSION
A version specification for the particular dependency, where
<dependency> is an item of the dependency list (see above)
transformed with MAKE_C_IDENTIFIER function of string() command.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_DEBUG
Enable debug messages while executing CPack NuGet generator.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
CPack PackageMaker Generator
Removed. This once generated PackageMaker installers, but the genera-
tor has been removed since CMake 3.24. Xcode no longer distributes the
PackageMaker tools. Use the CPack productbuild Generator instead.
CPack productbuild Generator
New in version 3.7.
productbuild CPack generator (macOS).
Variables specific to CPack productbuild generator
The following variable is specific to installers built on Mac macOS us-
ing ProductBuild:
CPACK_COMMAND_PRODUCTBUILD
Path to the productbuild(1) command used to generate a product
archive for the macOS Installer or Mac App Store. This variable
can be used to override the automatically detected command (or
specify its location if the auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_IDENTIFIER
New in version 3.23.
Set the unique (non-localized) product identifier to be associ-
ated with the product (i.e., com.kitware.cmake). Any component
product names will be appended to this value.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_IDENTITY_NAME
New in version 3.8.
Adds a digital signature to the resulting package.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_KEYCHAIN_PATH
New in version 3.8.
Specify a specific keychain to search for the signing identity.
CPACK_COMMAND_PKGBUILD
Path to the pkgbuild(1) command used to generate an macOS compo-
nent package on macOS. This variable can be used to override
the automatically detected command (or specify its location if
the auto-detection fails to find it).
CPACK_PKGBUILD_IDENTITY_NAME
New in version 3.8.
Adds a digital signature to the resulting package.
CPACK_PKGBUILD_KEYCHAIN_PATH
New in version 3.8.
Specify a specific keychain to search for the signing identity.
CPACK_PREFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT
Full path to a file that will be used as the preinstall script
for the named <COMP> component's package, where <COMP> is the
uppercased component name. No preinstall script is added if
this variable is not defined for a given component.
CPACK_POSTFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT
Full path to a file that will be used as the postinstall script
for the named <COMP> component's package, where <COMP> is the
uppercased component name. No postinstall script is added if
this variable is not defined for a given component.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_RESOURCES_DIR
New in version 3.9.
If specified the productbuild generator copies files from this
directory (including subdirectories) to the Resources directory.
This is done before the CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME,
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README, and CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE
files are copied.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS
New in version 3.23.
This option enables more granular control over where the product
may be installed. When it is set to true, a domains element of
the following form will be added to the productbuild Distribu-
tion XML:
<domains enable_anywhere="true" enable_currentUserHome="false" enable_localSystem="true"/>
The default values are as shown above, but can be overridden
with CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ANYWHERE,
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_USER, and
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ROOT.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ANYWHERE
New in version 3.23.
May be used to override the enable_anywhere attribute in the do-
mains element of the Distribution XML. When set to true, the
product can be installed at the root of any volume, including
non-system volumes.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS must be set to true for this variable
to have any effect.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_USER
New in version 3.23.
May be used to override the enable_currentUserHome attribute in
the domains element of the Distribution XML. When set to true,
the product can be installed into the current user's home direc-
tory. Note that when installing into the user's home directory,
the following additional requirements will apply:
• The installer may not write outside the user's home directory.
• The install will be performed as the current user rather than
as root. This may have ramifications for
CPACK_PREFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT and
CPACK_POSTFLIGHT_<COMP>_SCRIPT.
• Administrative privileges will not be needed to perform the
install.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS must be set to true for this variable
to have any effect.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS_ROOT
New in version 3.23.
May be used to override the enable_localSystem attribute in the
domains element of the Distribution XML. When set to true, the
product can be installed in the root directory. This should nor-
mally be set to true unless the product should only be installed
to the user's home directory.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_DOMAINS must be set to true for this variable
to have any effect.
Background Image
New in version 3.17.
This group of variables controls the background image of the generated
installer.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND
Adds a background to Distribution XML if specified. The value
contains the path to image in Resources directory.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_ALIGNMENT
Adds an alignment attribute to the background in Distribution
XML. Refer to Apple documentation for valid values.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_SCALING
Adds a scaling attribute to the background in Distribution XML.
Refer to Apple documentation for valid values.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_MIME_TYPE
Adds a mime-type attribute to the background in Distribution
XML. The option contains MIME type of an image.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_UTI
Adds an uti attribute to the background in Distribution XML.
The option contains UTI type of an image.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA
Adds a background for the Dark Aqua theme to Distribution XML if
specified. The value contains the path to image in Resources di-
rectory.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_ALIGNMENT
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_ALIGNMENT option,
but for the dark theme.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_SCALING
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_SCALING option,
but for the dark theme.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_MIME_TYPE
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_MIME_TYPE option,
but for the dark theme.
CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_DARKAQUA_UTI
Does the same as CPACK_PRODUCTBUILD_BACKGROUND_UTI option, but
for the dark theme.
Distribution XML Template
CPack uses a template file to generate the distribution.dist file used
internally by this package generator. Ordinarily, CMake provides the
template file, but projects may supply their own by placing a file
called CPack.distribution.dist.in in one of the directories listed in
the CMAKE_MODULE_PATH variable. CPack will then pick up the project's
template file instead of using its own.
The distribution.dist file is generated by performing substitutions
similar to the configure_file() command. Any variable set when CPack
runs will be available for substitution using the usual @...@ form. The
following variables are also set internally and made available for sub-
stitution:
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE_NOPATH
Same as CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE except without the path.
The named file will be available in the same directory as the
generated distribution.dist file.
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README_NOPATH
Same as CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_README except without the path. The
named file will be available in the same directory as the gener-
ated distribution.dist file.
CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME_NOPATH
Same as CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_WELCOME except without the path.
The named file will be available in the same directory as the
generated distribution.dist file.
CPACK_APPLE_PKG_INSTALLER_CONTENT
New in version 3.23.
This contains all the XML elements that specify installer-wide
options (including domain details), default backgrounds and the
choices outline.
CPACK_PACKAGEMAKER_CHOICES
Deprecated since version 3.23.
This contains only the XML elements that specify the default
backgrounds and the choices outline. It does not include the in-
staller-wide options or any domain details. Use CPACK_AP-
PLE_PKG_INSTALLER_CONTENT instead.
CPack RPM Generator
The built in (binary) CPack RPM generator (Unix only)
Variables specific to CPack RPM generator
The CPack RPM generator may be used to create RPM packages using CPack.
The CPack RPM generator is a CPack generator thus it uses the CPACK_XXX
variables used by CPack.
The CPack RPM generator has specific features which are controlled by
the specifics CPACK_RPM_XXX variables.
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_XXXX variables may be used in order to have com-
ponent specific values. Note however that <COMPONENT> refers to the
grouping name written in upper case. It may be either a component name
or a component GROUP name. Usually those variables correspond to RPM
spec file entities. One may find information about spec files here
https://rpm.org/documentation
Changed in version 3.6: <COMPONENT> part of variables is preferred to
be in upper case (e.g. if component is named foo then use
CPACK_RPM_FOO_XXXX variable name format) as is with other CPACK_<COMPO-
NENT>_XXXX variables. For the purposes of back compatibility
(CMake/CPack version 3.5 and lower) support for same cased component
(e.g. fOo would be used as CPACK_RPM_fOo_XXXX) is still supported for
variables defined in older versions of CMake/CPack but is not guaran-
teed for variables that will be added in the future. For the sake of
back compatibility same cased component variables also override upper
cased versions where both are present.
Here are some CPack RPM generator wiki resources that are here for his-
toric reasons and are no longer maintained but may still prove useful:
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/Configuration
• https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/-/wikis/doc/cpack/PackageGenerators#rpm-unix-only
List of CPack RPM generator specific variables:
CPACK_RPM_COMPONENT_INSTALL
Enable component packaging for CPack RPM generator
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
If enabled (ON) multiple packages are generated. By default a
single package containing files of all components is generated.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SUMMARY
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_SUMMARY
The RPM package summary.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_SUMMARY
New in version 3.2: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACK-
AGE_SUMMARY variables.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_NAME
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_NAME
The RPM package name.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
New in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACK-
AGE_NAME variables.
CPACK_RPM_FILE_NAME
CPACK_RPM_<component>_FILE_NAME
New in version 3.6.
Package file name.
• Mandatory : YES
•
Default
<CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>[-<component>].rpm with spaces
replaced by '-'
This may be set to RPM-DEFAULT to allow rpmbuild tool to gener-
ate package file name by itself. Alternatively provided package
file name must end with .rpm suffix.
NOTE:
By using user provided spec file, rpm macro extensions such
as for generating debuginfo packages or by simply using mul-
tiple components more than one rpm file may be generated, ei-
ther from a single spec file or from multiple spec files
(each component execution produces its own spec file). In
such cases duplicate file names may occur as a result of this
variable setting or spec file content structure. Duplicate
files get overwritten and it is up to the packager to set the
variables in a manner that will prevent such errors.
CPACK_RPM_MAIN_COMPONENT
New in version 3.8.
Main component that is packaged without component suffix.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
This variable can be set to any component or group name so that
component or group rpm package is generated without component
suffix in filename and package name.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_EPOCH
New in version 3.10.
The RPM package epoch
• Mandatory : No
• Default : -
Optional number that should be incremented when changing ver-
sioning schemas or fixing mistakes in the version numbers of
older packages.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_VERSION
The RPM package version.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE
The RPM package architecture.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : Native architecture output by uname -m
This may be set to noarch if you know you are building a noarch
package.
New in version 3.3: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACK-
AGE_ARCHITECTURE variables.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE
The RPM package release.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : 1
This is the numbering of the RPM package itself, i.e. the ver-
sion of the packaging and not the version of the content (see
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_VERSION). One may change the default value if
the previous packaging was buggy and/or you want to put here a
fancy Linux distro specific numbering.
NOTE:
This is the string that goes into the RPM Release: field. Some dis-
tros (e.g. Fedora, CentOS) require 1%{?dist} format and not just a
number. %{?dist} part can be added by setting
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE_DIST.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELEASE_DIST
New in version 3.6.
The dist tag that is added RPM Release: field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
This is the reported %{dist} tag from the current distribution
or empty %{dist} if RPM macro is not set. If this variable is
set then RPM Release: field value is set to ${CPACK_RPM_PACK-
AGE_RELEASE}%{?dist}.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_LICENSE
The RPM package license policy.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "unknown"
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_GROUP
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_GROUP
The RPM package group.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "unknown"
New in version 3.5: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACK-
AGE_GROUP variables.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_VENDOR
The RPM package vendor.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_VENDOR if set or "unknown"
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_URL
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_URL
The projects URL.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL
New in version 3.12: The CMAKE_PROJECT_HOMEPAGE_URL variable.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION
RPM package description.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION (component
based installers only) if set, CPACK_PACKAGE_DESCRIPTION_FILE
if set or "no package description available"
New in version 3.2: Per-component CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACK-
AGE_DESCRIPTION variables.
CPACK_RPM_COMPRESSION_TYPE
RPM compression type.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to override RPM compression type to be used to build
the RPM. For example some Linux distribution now default to lzma
or xz compression whereas older cannot use such RPM. Using this
one can enforce compression type to be used.
Possible values are:
• lzma
• xz
• bzip2
• gzip
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOREQ
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_AUTOREQ
RPM spec autoreq field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to enable (1, yes) or disable (0, no) automatic
shared libraries dependency detection. Dependencies are added to
requires list.
NOTE:
By default automatic dependency detection is enabled by rpm
generator.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOPROV
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_AUTOPROV
RPM spec autoprov field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to enable (1, yes) or disable (0, no) automatic
listing of shared libraries that are provided by the package.
Shared libraries are added to provides list.
NOTE:
By default automatic provides detection is enabled by rpm
generator.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOREQPROV
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_AUTOREQPROV
RPM spec autoreqprov field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
Variable enables/disables autoreq and autoprov at the same time.
See CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOREQ and CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_AUTOPROV for
more details.
NOTE:
By default automatic detection feature is enabled by rpm.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES
RPM spec requires field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM dependencies (requires). Note that you
must enclose the complete requires string between quotes, for
example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES "python >= 2.5.0, cmake >= 2.8")
The required package list of an RPM file could be printed with:
rpm -qp --requires file.rpm
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS
RPM spec conflicts field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set negative RPM dependencies (conflicts). Note
that you must enclose the complete requires string between
quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_CONFLICTS "libxml2")
The conflicting package list of an RPM file could be printed
with:
rpm -qp --conflicts file.rpm
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PRE
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PRE
New in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(pre) field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM preinstall dependencies (requires(pre)).
Note that you must enclose the complete requires string between
quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PRE "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POST
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POST
New in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(post) field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM postinstall dependencies (re-
quires(post)). Note that you must enclose the complete requires
string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POST "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POSTUN
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POSTUN
New in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(postun) field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM postuninstall dependencies (requires(pos-
tun)). Note that you must enclose the complete requires string
between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_POSTUN "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PREUN
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PREUN
New in version 3.2.
RPM spec requires(preun) field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM preuninstall dependencies (re-
quires(preun)). Note that you must enclose the complete requires
string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_REQUIRES_PREUN "shadow-utils, initscripts")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_SUGGESTS
RPM spec suggest field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set weak RPM dependencies (suggests). If rpmbuild
doesn't support the Suggests tag, CPack will emit a warning and
ignore this variable. Note that you must enclose the complete
requires string between quotes.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_PROVIDES
RPM spec provides field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM dependencies (provides). The provided
package list of an RPM file could be printed with:
rpm -qp --provides file.rpm
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_OBSOLETES
CPACK_RPM_<component>_PACKAGE_OBSOLETES
RPM spec obsoletes field.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set RPM packages that are obsoleted by this one.
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_RELOCATABLE
build a relocatable RPM.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGE_RELOCATABLE
If this variable is set to TRUE or ON, the CPack RPM generator
will try to build a relocatable RPM package. A relocatable RPM
may be installed using:
rpm --prefix or --relocate
in order to install it at an alternate place see rpm(8). Note
that currently this may fail if CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is set to ON.
If CPACK_SET_DESTDIR is set then you will get a warning message
but if there is file installed with absolute path you'll get un-
expected behavior.
CPACK_RPM_SPEC_INSTALL_POST
Deprecated - use CPACK_RPM_SPEC_MORE_DEFINE instead.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
• Deprecated: YES
May be used to override the __spec_install_post section within
the generated spec file. This affects the install step during
package creation, not during package installation. For adding
operations to be performed during package installation, use
CPACK_RPM_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE instead.
CPACK_RPM_SPEC_MORE_DEFINE
RPM extended spec definitions lines.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to add any %define lines to the generated spec file.
An example of its use is to prevent stripping of executables
(but note that this may also disable other default post install
processing):
set(CPACK_RPM_SPEC_MORE_DEFINE "%define __spec_install_post /bin/true")
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_DEBUG
Toggle CPack RPM generator debug output.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be set when invoking cpack in order to trace debug informa-
tion during CPack RPM run. For example you may launch CPack like
this:
cpack -D CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_DEBUG=1 -G RPM
CPACK_RPM_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE
CPACK_RPM_<componentName>_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE
A user provided spec file.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be set by the user in order to specify a USER binary spec
file to be used by the CPack RPM generator instead of generating
the file. The specified file will be processed by config-
ure_file( @ONLY).
CPACK_RPM_GENERATE_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE_TEMPLATE
Spec file template.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
If set CPack will generate a template for USER specified binary
spec file and stop with an error. For example launch CPack like
this:
cpack -D CPACK_RPM_GENERATE_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE_TEMPLATE=1 -G RPM
The user may then use this file in order to hand-craft is own
binary spec file which may be used with
CPACK_RPM_USER_BINARY_SPECFILE.
CPACK_RPM_PRE_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_PRE_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_PRE_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE
Path to file containing pre install/uninstall/transaction
script.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to embed a pre installation/uninstallation/transac-
tion script in the spec file. The referred script file (or
both) will be read and directly put after the %pre or %preun
section If CPACK_RPM_COMPONENT_INSTALL is set to ON the in-
stall/uninstall/transaction script for each component can be
overridden with CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PRE_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE,
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PRE_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE, and
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PRE_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE One may verify which
scriptlet has been included with:
rpm -qp --scripts package.rpm
New in version 3.18: The CPACK_RPM_PRE_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE vari-
able.
CPACK_RPM_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_POST_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE
CPACK_RPM_POST_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE
Path to file containing post install/uninstall/transaction
script.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to embed a post installation/uninstallation/transac-
tion script in the spec file. The referred script file (or
both) will be read and directly put after the %post or %postun
section. If CPACK_RPM_COMPONENT_INSTALL is set to ON the in-
stall/uninstall/transaction script for each component can be
overridden with CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE,
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_POST_UNINSTALL_SCRIPT_FILE, and
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_POST_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE One may verify
which scriptlet has been included with:
rpm -qp --scripts package.rpm
New in version 3.18: The CPACK_RPM_POST_TRANS_SCRIPT_FILE vari-
able.
CPACK_RPM_USER_FILELIST
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_USER_FILELIST
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to explicitly specify %(<directive>) file line in
the spec file. Like %config(noreplace) or any other directive
that be found in the %files section. Since the CPack RPM genera-
tor is generating the list of files (and directories) the user
specified files of the CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_USER_FILELIST list
will be removed from the generated list. If referring to direc-
tories do not add a trailing slash.
New in version 3.8: You can have multiple directives per line,
as in %attr(600,root,root) %config(noreplace).
CPACK_RPM_CHANGELOG_FILE
RPM changelog file.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to embed a changelog in the spec file. The referred
file will be read and directly put after the %changelog section.
CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST
list of path to be excluded.
• Mandatory : NO
•
Default
/etc /etc/init.d /usr /usr/bin /usr/include /usr/lib
/usr/libx32 /usr/lib64 /usr/share /usr/share/aclocal
/usr/share/doc
May be used to exclude path (directories or files) from the
auto-generated list of paths discovered by CPack RPM. The de-
fault value contains a reasonable set of values if the variable
is not defined by the user. If the variable is defined by the
user then the CPack RPM generator will NOT any of the default
path. If you want to add some path to the default list then you
can use CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST_ADDITION variable.
New in version 3.10: Added /usr/share/aclocal to the default
list of excludes.
CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST_ADDITION
additional list of path to be excluded.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to add more exclude path (directories or files) from
the initial default list of excluded paths. See
CPACK_RPM_EXCLUDE_FROM_AUTO_FILELIST.
CPACK_RPM_RELOCATION_PATHS
New in version 3.2.
Packages relocation paths list.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to specify more than one relocation path per relo-
catable RPM. Variable contains a list of relocation paths that
if relative are prefixed by the value of
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX or by the value of
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX if the component version is not
provided. Variable is not component based as its content can be
used to set a different path prefix for e.g. binary dir and doc-
umentation dir at the same time. Only prefixes that are re-
quired by a certain component are added to that component - com-
ponent must contain at least one file/directory/symbolic link
with CPACK_RPM_RELOCATION_PATHS prefix for a certain relocation
path to be added. Package will not contain any relocation paths
if there are no files/directories/symbolic links on any of the
provided prefix locations. Packages that either do not contain
any relocation paths or contain files/directories/symbolic links
that are outside relocation paths print out an AUTHOR_WARNING
that RPM will be partially relocatable.
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX
New in version 3.2.
Per component relocation path install prefix.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX
May be used to set per component CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX
for relocatable RPM packages.
CPACK_RPM_NO_INSTALL_PREFIX_RELOCATION
CPACK_RPM_NO_<COMPONENT>_INSTALL_PREFIX_RELOCATION
New in version 3.3.
Removal of default install prefix from relocation paths list.
• Mandatory : NO
•
Default
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX or CPACK_RPM_<COMPO-
NENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX are treated as one of relocation
paths
May be used to remove CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX and
CPACK_RPM_<COMPONENT>_PACKAGE_PREFIX from relocatable RPM prefix
paths.
CPACK_RPM_ADDITIONAL_MAN_DIRS
New in version 3.3.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set additional man dirs that could potentially be
compressed by brp-compress RPM macro. Variable content must be a
list of regular expressions that point to directories containing
man files or to man files directly. Note that in order to com-
press man pages a path must also be present in brp-compress RPM
script and that brp-compress script must be added to RPM config-
uration by the operating system.
Regular expressions that are added by default were taken from
brp-compress RPM macro:
• /usr/man/man.*
• /usr/man/.*/man.*
• /usr/info.*
• /usr/share/man/man.*
• /usr/share/man/.*/man.*
• /usr/share/info.*
• /usr/kerberos/man.*
• /usr/X11R6/man/man.*
• /usr/lib/perl5/man/man.*
• /usr/share/doc/.*/man/man.*
• /usr/lib/.*/man/man.*
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_USER
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_USER
New in version 3.6.
default user ownership of RPM content
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : root
Value should be user name and not UID. Note that <compName>
must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_GROUP
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_GROUP
New in version 3.6.
default group ownership of RPM content
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : root
Value should be group name and not GID. Note that <compName>
must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_FILE_PERMISSIONS
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_FILE_PERMISSIONS
New in version 3.6.
default permissions used for packaged files
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : - (system default)
Accepted values are lists with PERMISSIONS. Valid permissions
are:
• OWNER_READ
• OWNER_WRITE
• OWNER_EXECUTE
• GROUP_READ
• GROUP_WRITE
• GROUP_EXECUTE
• WORLD_READ
• WORLD_WRITE
• WORLD_EXECUTE
Note that <compName> must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_DIR_PERMISSIONS
CPACK_RPM_<compName>_DEFAULT_DIR_PERMISSIONS
New in version 3.6.
default permissions used for packaged directories
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : - (system default)
Accepted values are lists with PERMISSIONS. Valid permissions
are the same as for CPACK_RPM_DEFAULT_FILE_PERMISSIONS. Note
that <compName> must be in upper-case.
CPACK_RPM_INSTALL_WITH_EXEC
New in version 3.11.
force execute permissions on programs and shared libraries
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : - (system default)
Force set owner, group and world execute permissions on programs
and shared libraries. This can be used for creating valid rpm
packages on systems such as Debian where shared libraries do not
have execute permissions set.
NOTE:
Programs and shared libraries without execute permissions are ig-
nored during separation of debug symbols from the binary for debug-
info packages.
Packaging of Symbolic Links
New in version 3.3.
The CPack RPM generator supports packaging of symbolic links:
execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
-E create_symlink <relative_path_location> <symlink_name>)
install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/<symlink_name>
DESTINATION <symlink_location> COMPONENT libraries)
Symbolic links will be optimized (paths will be shortened if possible)
before being added to the package or if multiple relocation paths are
detected, a post install symlink relocation script will be generated.
Symbolic links may point to locations that are not packaged by the same
package (either a different component or even not packaged at all) but
those locations will be treated as if they were a part of the package
while determining if symlink should be either created or present in a
post install script - depending on relocation paths.
Changed in version 3.6: Symbolic links that point to locations outside
packaging path produce a warning and are treated as non relocatable
permanent symbolic links. Previous versions of CMake produced an error
in this case.
Currently there are a few limitations though:
• For component based packaging component interdependency is not
checked when processing symbolic links. Symbolic links pointing to
content of a different component are treated the same way as if
pointing to location that will not be packaged.
• Symbolic links pointing to a location through one or more intermedi-
ate symbolic links will not be handled differently - if the interme-
diate symbolic link(s) is also on a relocatable path, relocating it
during package installation may cause initial symbolic link to point
to an invalid location.
Packaging of debug information
New in version 3.7.
Debuginfo packages contain debug symbols and sources for debugging
packaged binaries.
Debuginfo RPM packaging has its own set of variables:
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
CPACK_RPM_<component>_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE
Enable generation of debuginfo RPM package(s).
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
NOTE:
Binaries must contain debug symbols before packaging so use either
Debug or RelWithDebInfo for CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE variable value.
Additionally, if CPACK_STRIP_FILES is set, the files will be
stripped before they get to the RPM generator, so will not contain
debug symbols and a debuginfo package will not get built. Do not use
with CPACK_STRIP_FILES.
NOTE:
Packages generated from packages without binary files, with binary
files but without execute permissions or without debug symbols will
cause packaging termination.
CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS
Provides locations of root directories of source files from
which binaries were built.
• Mandatory : YES if CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE is set
• Default : -
NOTE:
For CMake project CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS is set by default to point
to CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR and CMAKE_BINARY_DIR paths.
NOTE:
Sources with path prefixes that do not fall under any location pro-
vided with CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS will not be present in debuginfo
package.
CPACK_RPM_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX
CPACK_RPM_<component>_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX
Prefix of location where sources will be placed during package
installation.
• Mandatory : YES if CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE is set
•
Default
"/usr/src/debug/<CPACK_PACKAGE_FILE_NAME>" and for com-
ponent packaging "/usr/src/debug/<CPACK_PACK-
AGE_FILE_NAME>-<component>"
NOTE:
Each source path prefix is additionally suffixed by src_<index>
where index is index of the path used from CPACK_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS
variable. This produces <CPACK_RPM_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PRE-
FIX>/src_<index> replacement path. Limitation is that replaced path
part must be shorter or of equal length than the length of its re-
placement. If that is not the case either
CPACK_RPM_BUILD_SOURCE_DIRS_PREFIX variable has to be set to a
shorter path or source directories must be placed on a longer path.
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_EXCLUDE_DIRS
Directories containing sources that should be excluded from de-
buginfo packages.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : "/usr /usr/src /usr/src/debug"
Listed paths are owned by other RPM packages and should there-
fore not be deleted on debuginfo package uninstallation.
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_EXCLUDE_DIRS_ADDITION
Paths that should be appended to
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_EXCLUDE_DIRS for exclusion.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_SINGLE_PACKAGE
New in version 3.8.
Create a single debuginfo package even if components packaging
is set.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
When this variable is enabled it produces a single debuginfo
package even if component packaging is enabled.
When using this feature in combination with components packaging
and there is more than one component this variable requires
CPACK_RPM_MAIN_COMPONENT to be set.
NOTE:
If none of the CPACK_RPM_<component>_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE variables is
set then CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_PACKAGE is automatically set to ON when
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_SINGLE_PACKAGE is set.
CPACK_RPM_DEBUGINFO_FILE_NAME
CPACK_RPM_<component>_DEBUGINFO_FILE_NAME
New in version 3.9.
Debuginfo package file name.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : rpmbuild tool generated package file name
Alternatively provided debuginfo package file name must end with
.rpm suffix and should differ from file names of other generated
packages.
Variable may contain @cpack_component@ placeholder which will be
replaced by component name if component packaging is enabled
otherwise it deletes the placeholder.
Setting the variable to RPM-DEFAULT may be used to explicitly
set filename generation to default.
NOTE:
CPACK_RPM_FILE_NAME also supports rpmbuild tool generated package
file name - disabled by default but can be enabled by setting the
variable to RPM-DEFAULT.
Packaging of sources (SRPM)
New in version 3.7.
SRPM packaging is enabled by setting CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SOURCES variable
while usually using CPACK_INSTALLED_DIRECTORIES variable to provide di-
rectory containing CMakeLists.txt and source files.
For CMake projects SRPM package would be produced by executing:
cpack -G RPM --config ./CPackSourceConfig.cmake
NOTE:
Produced SRPM package is expected to be built with cmake(1) exe-
cutable and packaged with cpack(1) executable so CMakeLists.txt has
to be located in root source directory and must be able to generate
binary rpm packages by executing cpack -G command. The two executa-
bles as well as rpmbuild must also be present when generating binary
rpm packages from the produced SRPM package.
Once the SRPM package is generated it can be used to generate binary
packages by creating a directory structure for rpm generation and exe-
cuting rpmbuild tool:
mkdir -p build_dir/{BUILD,BUILDROOT,RPMS,SOURCES,SPECS,SRPMS}
rpmbuild --define "_topdir <path_to_build_dir>" --rebuild <SRPM_file_name>
Generated packages will be located in build_dir/RPMS directory or its
sub directories.
NOTE:
SRPM package internally uses CPack/RPM generator to generate binary
packages so CMakeScripts.txt can decide during the SRPM to binary
rpm generation step what content the package(s) should have as well
as how they should be packaged (monolithic or components). CMake can
decide this for e.g. by reading environment variables set by the
package manager before starting the process of generating binary rpm
packages. This way a single SRPM package can be used to produce dif-
ferent binary rpm packages on different platforms depending on the
platform's packaging rules.
Source RPM packaging has its own set of variables:
CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SOURCES
Should the content be packaged as a source rpm (default is bi-
nary rpm).
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : OFF
NOTE:
For cmake projects CPACK_RPM_PACKAGE_SOURCES variable is set to OFF
in CPackConfig.cmake and ON in CPackSourceConfig.cmake generated
files.
CPACK_RPM_SOURCE_PKG_BUILD_PARAMS
Additional command-line parameters provided to cmake(1) exe-
cutable.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
CPACK_RPM_SOURCE_PKG_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX
Packaging install prefix that would be provided in
CPACK_PACKAGING_INSTALL_PREFIX variable for producing binary RPM
packages.
• Mandatory : YES
• Default : "/"
CPACK_RPM_BUILDREQUIRES
List of source rpm build dependencies.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to set source RPM build dependencies (Buil-
dRequires). Note that you must enclose the complete build re-
quirements string between quotes, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_BUILDREQUIRES "python >= 2.5.0, cmake >= 2.8")
CPACK_RPM_REQUIRES_EXCLUDE_FROM
New in version 3.22.
• Mandatory : NO
• Default : -
May be used to keep the dependency generator from scanning spe-
cific files or directories for dependencies. Note that you can
use a regular expression that matches all of the directories or
files, for example:
set(CPACK_RPM_REQUIRES_EXCLUDE_FROM "bin/libqsqloci.*\\.so.*")
CPack WIX Generator
CPack WIX generator specific options
New in version 3.7: Support CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DISABLED vari-
able.
Variables specific to CPack WIX generator
The following variables are specific to the installers built on Windows
using WiX.
CPACK_WIX_UPGRADE_GUID
Upgrade GUID (Product/@UpgradeCode)
Will be automatically generated unless explicitly provided.
It should be explicitly set to a constant generated globally
unique identifier (GUID) to allow your installers to replace ex-
isting installations that use the same GUID.
You may for example explicitly set this variable in your CMake-
Lists.txt to the value that has been generated per default. You
should not use GUIDs that you did not generate yourself or which
may belong to other projects.
A GUID shall have the following fixed length syntax:
XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
(each X represents an uppercase hexadecimal digit)
CPACK_WIX_PRODUCT_GUID
Product GUID (Product/@Id)
Will be automatically generated unless explicitly provided.
If explicitly provided this will set the Product Id of your in-
staller.
The installer will abort if it detects a pre-existing installa-
tion that uses the same GUID.
The GUID shall use the syntax described for CPACK_WIX_UP-
GRADE_GUID.
CPACK_WIX_LICENSE_RTF
RTF License File
If CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE has an .rtf extension it is used
as-is.
If CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE has an .txt extension it is im-
plicitly converted to RTF by the WIX Generator. The expected
encoding of the .txt file is UTF-8.
With CPACK_WIX_LICENSE_RTF you can override the license file
used by the WIX Generator in case CPACK_RESOURCE_FILE_LICENSE is
in an unsupported format or the .txt -> .rtf conversion does not
work as expected.
CPACK_WIX_PRODUCT_ICON
The Icon shown next to the program name in Add/Remove programs.
If set, this icon is used in place of the default icon.
CPACK_WIX_UI_REF
This variable allows you to override the Id of the <UIRef> ele-
ment in the WiX template.
The default is WixUI_InstallDir in case no CPack components have
been defined and WixUI_FeatureTree otherwise.
CPACK_WIX_UI_BANNER
The bitmap will appear at the top of all installer pages other
than the welcome and completion dialogs.
If set, this image will replace the default banner image.
This image must be 493 by 58 pixels.
CPACK_WIX_UI_DIALOG
Background bitmap used on the welcome and completion dialogs.
If this variable is set, the installer will replace the default
dialog image.
This image must be 493 by 312 pixels.
CPACK_WIX_PROGRAM_MENU_FOLDER
Start menu folder name for launcher.
If this variable is not set, it will be initialized with
CPACK_PACKAGE_NAME
New in version 3.16: If this variable is set to ., then applica-
tion shortcuts will be created directly in the start menu and
the uninstaller shortcut will be omitted.
CPACK_WIX_CULTURES
Language(s) of the installer
Languages are compiled into the WixUI extension library. To use
them, simply provide the name of the culture. If you specify
more than one culture identifier in a comma or semicolon delim-
ited list, the first one that is found will be used. You can
find a list of supported languages at:
https://wixtoolset.org//documentation/manual/v3/wixui/wixui_localization.html
CPACK_WIX_TEMPLATE
Template file for WiX generation
If this variable is set, the specified template will be used to
generate the WiX wxs file. This should be used if further cus-
tomization of the output is required.
If this variable is not set, the default MSI template included
with CMake will be used.
CPACK_WIX_PATCH_FILE
Optional list of XML files with fragments to be inserted into
generated WiX sources.
New in version 3.5: Support listing multiple patch files.
This optional variable can be used to specify an XML file that
the WIX generator will use to inject fragments into its gener-
ated source files.
Patch files understood by the CPack WIX generator roughly follow
this RELAX NG compact schema:
start = CPackWiXPatch
CPackWiXPatch = element CPackWiXPatch { CPackWiXFragment* }
CPackWiXFragment = element CPackWiXFragment
{
attribute Id { string },
fragmentContent*
}
fragmentContent = element * - CPackWiXFragment
{
(attribute * { text } | text | fragmentContent)*
}
Currently fragments can be injected into most Component, File,
Directory and Feature elements.
New in version 3.3: The following additional special Ids can be
used:
• #PRODUCT for the <Product> element.
• #PRODUCTFEATURE for the root <Feature> element.
New in version 3.7: Support patching arbitrary <Feature> ele-
ments.
New in version 3.9: Allow setting additional attributes.
The following example illustrates how this works.
Given that the WIX generator creates the following XML element:
<Component Id="CM_CP_applications.bin.my_libapp.exe" Guid="*"/>
The following XML patch file may be used to inject an Environ-
ment element into it:
<CPackWiXPatch>
<CPackWiXFragment Id="CM_CP_applications.bin.my_libapp.exe">
<Environment Id="MyEnvironment" Action="set"
Name="MyVariableName" Value="MyVariableValue"/>
</CPackWiXFragment>
</CPackWiXPatch>
CPACK_WIX_EXTRA_SOURCES
Extra WiX source files
This variable provides an optional list of extra WiX source
files (.wxs) that should be compiled and linked. The full path
to source files is required.
CPACK_WIX_EXTRA_OBJECTS
Extra WiX object files or libraries
This variable provides an optional list of extra WiX object
(.wixobj) and/or WiX library (.wixlib) files. The full path to
objects and libraries is required.
CPACK_WIX_EXTENSIONS
This variable provides a list of additional extensions for the
WiX tools light and candle.
CPACK_WIX_<TOOL>_EXTENSIONS
This is the tool specific version of CPACK_WIX_EXTENSIONS.
<TOOL> can be either LIGHT or CANDLE.
CPACK_WIX_<TOOL>_EXTRA_FLAGS
This list variable allows you to pass additional flags to the
WiX tool <TOOL>.
Use it at your own risk. Future versions of CPack may generate
flags which may be in conflict with your own flags.
<TOOL> can be either LIGHT or CANDLE.
CPACK_WIX_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
If this variable is set the generated installer will create an
entry in the windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Soft-
ware\Kitware\CMake\Packages\<PackageName> The value for <Packa-
geName> is provided by this variable.
Assuming you also install a CMake configuration file this will
allow other CMake projects to find your package with the
find_package() command.
CPACK_WIX_PROPERTY_<PROPERTY>
New in version 3.1.
This variable can be used to provide a value for the Windows In-
staller property <PROPERTY>
The following list contains some example properties that can be
used to customize information under "Programs and Features"
(also known as "Add or Remove Programs")
• ARPCOMMENTS - Comments
• ARPHELPLINK - Help and support information URL
• ARPURLINFOABOUT - General information URL
• ARPURLUPDATEINFO - Update information URL
• ARPHELPTELEPHONE - Help and support telephone number
• ARPSIZE - Size (in kilobytes) of the application
CPACK_WIX_ROOT_FEATURE_TITLE
New in version 3.7.
Sets the name of the root install feature in the WIX installer.
Same as CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DISPLAY_NAME for components.
CPACK_WIX_ROOT_FEATURE_DESCRIPTION
New in version 3.7.
Sets the description of the root install feature in the WIX in-
staller. Same as CPACK_COMPONENT_<compName>_DESCRIPTION for com-
ponents.
CPACK_WIX_SKIP_PROGRAM_FOLDER
New in version 3.7.
If this variable is set to true, the default install location of
the generated package will be CPACK_PACKAGE_INSTALL_DIRECTORY
directly. The install location will not be located relatively
below ProgramFiles or ProgramFiles64.
NOTE:
Installers created with this feature do not take differ-
ences between the system on which the installer is cre-
ated and the system on which the installer might be used
into account.
It is therefore possible that the installer e.g. might
try to install onto a drive that is unavailable or unin-
tended or a path that does not follow the localization or
convention of the system on which the installation is
performed.
CPACK_WIX_ROOT_FOLDER_ID
New in version 3.9.
This variable allows specification of a custom root folder ID.
The generator specific <64> token can be used for folder IDs
that come in 32-bit and 64-bit variants. In 32-bit builds the
token will expand empty while in 64-bit builds it will expand to
64.
When unset generated installers will default installing to Pro-
gramFiles<64>Folder.
CPACK_WIX_ROOT
This variable can optionally be set to the root directory of a
custom WiX Toolset installation.
When unspecified CPack will try to locate a WiX Toolset instal-
lation via the WIX environment variable instead.
CPACK_WIX_CUSTOM_XMLNS
New in version 3.19.
This variable provides a list of custom namespace declarations
that are necessary for using WiX extensions. Each declaration
should be in the form name=url, where name is the plain name-
space without the usual xmlns: prefix and url is an unquoted
namespace url. A list of commonly known WiX schemata can be
found here: https://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/xsd/
CPACK_WIX_SKIP_WIX_UI_EXTENSION
New in version 3.23.
If this variable is set then the inclusion of WixUIExtensions is
skipped, i.e. the -ext "WixUIExtension" command line is not in-
cluded during the execution of the WiX light tool.
CPACK_WIX_ARCHITECTURE
New in version 3.24.
This variable can be optionally set to specify the target archi-
tecture of the installer. May for example be set to x64 or
arm64.
When unspecified, CPack will default to x64 or x86.
COPYRIGHT
2000-2022 Kitware, Inc. and Contributors
3.25.1 November 30, 2022 CPACK-GENERATORS(7)
Generated by dwww version 1.15 on Tue Jun 25 20:40:57 CEST 2024.