export — CMake 3.20.3 Documentation

# export

Export targets from the build tree for use by outside projects.

    export(EXPORT <export-name> [NAMESPACE <namespace>] [FILE <filename>])

Creates a file `<filename>` that may be included by outside projects to import targets from the current project's build tree. This is useful during cross-compiling to build utility executables that can run on the host platform in one project and then import them into another project being compiled for the target platform. If the `NAMESPACE` option is given the `<namespace>` string will be prepended to all target names written to the file.

Target installations are associated with the export `<export-name>` using the `EXPORT` option of the `install(TARGETS)` command.

The file created by this command is specific to the build tree and should never be installed. See the `install(EXPORT)` command to export targets from an installation tree.

The properties set on the generated IMPORTED targets will have the same values as the final values of the input TARGETS.

    export(TARGETS [target1 [target2 [...]]] [NAMESPACE <namespace>]
           [APPEND] FILE <filename> [EXPORT_LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES])

This signature is similar to the `EXPORT` signature, but targets are listed explicitly rather than specified as an export-name. If the APPEND option is given the generated code will be appended to the file instead of overwriting it. The EXPORT_LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES keyword, if present, causes the contents of the properties matching `(IMPORTED_)?LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES(_<CONFIG>)?` to be exported, when policy CMP0022 is NEW. If a library target is included in the export but a target to which it links is not included the behavior is unspecified.

Note

Object Libraries under `Xcode` have special handling if multiple architectures are listed in `CMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES`. In this case they will be exported as Interface Libraries with no object files available to clients. This is sufficient to satisfy transitive usage requirements of other targets that link to the object libraries in their implementation.

    export(PACKAGE <PackageName>)

Store the current build directory in the CMake user package registry for package `<PackageName>`. The `find_package()` command may consider the directory while searching for package `<PackageName>`. This helps dependent projects find and use a package from the current project's build tree without help from the user. Note that the entry in the package registry that this command creates works only in conjunction with a package configuration file (`<PackageName>Config.cmake`) that works with the build tree. In some cases, for example for packaging and for system wide installations, it is not desirable to write the user package registry.

Changed in version 3.1: If the `CMAKE_EXPORT_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY` variable is enabled, the `export(PACKAGE)` command will do nothing.

Changed in version 3.15: By default the `export(PACKAGE)` command does nothing (see policy `CMP0090`) because populating the user package registry has effects outside the source and build trees. Set the `CMAKE_EXPORT_PACKAGE_REGISTRY` variable to add build directories to the CMake user package registry.

    export(TARGETS [target1 [target2 [...]]]  [ANDROID_MK <filename>])

New in version 3.7.

This signature exports cmake built targets to the android ndk build system by creating an Android.mk file that references the prebuilt targets. The Android NDK supports the use of prebuilt libraries, both static and shared. This allows cmake to build the libraries of a project and make them available to an ndk build system complete with transitive dependencies, include flags and defines required to use the libraries. The signature takes a list of targets and puts them in the Android.mk file specified by the `<filename>` given. This signature can only be used if policy CMP0022 is NEW for all targets given. A error will be issued if that policy is set to OLD for one of the targets.