CMake 3.30.0-rc3 is ready for testing

Announcements
1

I am proud to announce the third CMake 3.30 release candidate.
https://cmake.org/download/

Documentation is available at:
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.30

Release notes appear below and are also published at
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.30/release/3.30.html

Release milestone is available at:
release milestone

Some of the most significant changes in CMake 3.30 are:

  • “cmake-presets(7)” files now support schema version “9”. “include”
    fields now expand all macros except “$env{}” and preset-specific
    macros, i.e., those derived from the fields inside a preset’s
    definition.

  • The “Compile Features” functionality now implements support for the
    “cxx_std_26” and “cuda_std_26” meta-features to indicate that the
    compiler mode must be at least C++26. These meta-features were first
    documented by CMake 3.25, but were not fully implemented.

  • The “CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_LATEST” variable was added to describe
    the latest “<LANG>” language standard CMake supports for the
    selected compiler.

  • The “CMAKE_TLS_VERSION” variable and “CMAKE_TLS_VERSION” environment
    variable were added to specify a default minimum TLS version for
    connections to “https://” URLs by the “file(DOWNLOAD)” and
    “file(UPLOAD)” commands.

  • The “GENERATED” source file property is now visible in all
    directories. See policy “CMP0163”. Policy “CMP0118”'s
    documentation has been revised to describe its actual effects.

  • The “FindPython”, “FindPython2”, and “FindPython3” modules, on
    Windows, now offer better support for the Python debug variant.

  • The “TARGET_PROPERTY” generator expression learned to evaluate
    custom transitive properties defined by new
    “TRANSITIVE_COMPILE_PROPERTIES” and “TRANSITIVE_LINK_PROPERTIES”
    target properties.

  • The “CPack WIX Generator” gained support for WiX Toolset v4. See the
    “CPACK_WIX_VERSION” variable.

  • The “FindBoost” module has been removed by policy “CMP0167”. Port
    projects to upstream Boost’s “BoostConfig.cmake” package
    configuration file, for which “find_package(Boost)” now searches.

  • The precompiled Windows “.msi” installers provided on cmake.org,
    when performing a fresh installation, now modify the system-wide
    “PATH” by default.

CMake 3.30 Release Notes

Changes made since CMake 3.29 include the following.

New Features

Presets

  • “cmake-presets(7)” files now support schema version “9”. “include”
    fields now expand all macros except “$env{}” and preset-specific
    macros, i.e., those derived from the fields inside a preset’s
    definition.

File-Based API

  • The “cmake-file-api(7)” “cmakeFiles” version 1 object’s “version”
    field has been updated to 1.1. It gained a “globsDependent” field
    to report “file(GLOB)” calls using “CONFIGURE_DEPENDS”.

Generators

  • Visual Studio Generators now add “UseDebugLibraries” indicators to
    “.vcxproj” files to denote which configurations are debug
    configurations. See policy “CMP0162”.

Languages

  • The “Compile Features” functionality now implements support for the
    “cxx_std_26” and “cuda_std_26” meta-features to indicate that the
    compiler mode must be at least C++26. These meta-features were first
    documented by CMake 3.25, but were not fully implemented.

Commands

  • The “add_library()” command, on platforms that do not support shared
    libraries, now rejects creation of shared libraries instead of
    automatically converting them to static libraries. See policy
    “CMP0164”.

  • The “enable_language()” command now fails with an error if it is
    called before the first “project()” call. See policy “CMP0165”.

  • The “file(DOWNLOAD)” and “file(UPLOAD)” commands gained a
    “TLS_VERSION <min>” option to specify the minimum TLS version for
    connections to “https://” URLs.

Variables

  • The “CMAKE_<LANG>_STANDARD_LATEST” variable was added to describe
    the latest “<LANG>” language standard CMake supports for the
    selected compiler.

  • The “CMAKE_TLS_VERIFY” environment variable was added as a fallback
    to the existing “CMAKE_TLS_VERIFY” variable. It specifies whether
    to verify the server certificate for “https://” URLs by default.

  • The “CMAKE_TLS_VERSION” variable and “CMAKE_TLS_VERSION” environment
    variable were added to specify a default minimum TLS version for
    connections to “https://” URLs by the “file(DOWNLOAD)” and
    “file(UPLOAD)” commands.

  • The “CMAKE_VS_USE_DEBUG_LIBRARIES” variable and corresponding
    “VS_USE_DEBUG_LIBRARIES” target property were added to explicitly
    control “UseDebugLibraries” indicators in “.vcxproj” files.

Properties

  • The “GENERATED” source file property is now visible in all
    directories. See policy “CMP0163”. Policy “CMP0118”'s
    documentation has been revised to describe its actual effects.

  • The “PROPAGATE_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES_TO_TRY_COMPILE” global property
    can be used to propagate “CMAKE_PROJECT_TOP_LEVEL_INCLUDES” into
    “try_compile()” calls that use the whole-project signature. This is
    primarily intended as a way for dependency providers to be enabled
    in such “try_compile()” calls.

  • A “VS_FILTER_PROPS” target property was added to tell Visual Studio
    Generators to use a custom MSBuild filter “.props” file.

Modules

  • The “ExternalProject” module’s “ExternalProject_Add()” command
    gained a “TLS_VERSION <min>” option, and support for the
    “CMAKE_TLS_VERSION” variable and “CMAKE_TLS_VERSION” environment
    variable, to specify the minimum TLS version for connections to
    “https://” URLs.

  • The “FindBacktrace” module now provides an imported target.

  • The “FindBLAS” and “FindLAPACK” modules gained support for
    “libblastrampoline”.

  • The “FindCUDAToolkit” module now provides a target for “libnvfatbin”
    and “libnvfatbin_static”, if found.

  • The “FindCUDAToolkit” module now searches the “CMAKE_CUDA_COMPILER”
    variable and the “CUDACXX” environment variable even when the “CUDA”
    language isn’t enabled.

  • The “FindOpenMP” module gained an “OpenMP_RUNTIME_MSVC” option to
    control the OpenMP runtime used with MSVC.

  • The “FindPython” and “FindPython3” modules gained support for the
    free threaded Python version.

  • The “FindPython”, “FindPython2”, and “FindPython3” modules, on
    Windows, now offer better support for the Python debug variant:

    • new variables:

      • “Python_EXECUTABLE_DEBUG”

      • “Python_INTERPRETER”

      • “Python_DEBUG_POSTFIX”

    • new targets:

      • “Python::InterpreterDebug”

      • “Python::InterpreterMultiConfig”

    The “python_add_library()” command now manages the “DEBUG_POSTFIX”
    target property based on the value of the “Python_DEBUG_POSTFIX”
    variable.

Generator Expressions

  • The “<LANG>COMPILER_FRONTEND_VARIANT" family of generator
    expressions were added to access the value of the associated
    "CMAKE    <LANG>_COMPILER_FRONTEND_VARIANT” variables.

  • Link features, as used with the “LINK_LIBRARY” generator expression,
    gained the ability to have properties that describe their behavior
    by specifying the “CMAKE_LINK_LIBRARY_<FEATURE>PROPERTIES" or
    "CMAKE    <LANG>LINK_LIBRARY<FEATURE>_PROPERTIES” variables.

  • The “QUOTE” generator expression was added to evaluate to “”".

  • The “TARGET_PROPERTY” generator expression learned to evaluate
    custom transitive properties defined by new
    “TRANSITIVE_COMPILE_PROPERTIES” and “TRANSITIVE_LINK_PROPERTIES”
    target properties.

  • The “TARGET_PROPERTY” generator expression now evaluates target
    properties “INTERFACE_LINK_OPTIONS”, “INTERFACE_LINK_DIRECTORIES”,
    and “INTERFACE_LINK_DEPENDS” correctly by following private
    dependencies of static libraries. See policy “CMP0166”.

CTest

  • The “ctest_submit()” command and “ctest -T Submit” step gained
    “TLSVersion” and “TLSVerify” options to control negotiation with
    “https://” URLs. See the “CTEST_TLS_VERSION” and “CTEST_TLS_VERIFY”
    variables.

CPack

  • The “CPack Inno Setup Generator” is now available on non-Windows
    hosts.

  • The “CPack NuGet Generator” can now generate dependency groups for
    framework-specific dependencies. The “CPACK_NUGET_PACKAGE_TFMS”
    variable was added to specify a list of target framework monikers
    (TFMs) for which groups should be generated.

  • The “CPack WIX Generator” gained support for WiX Toolset v4. See the
    “CPACK_WIX_VERSION” variable.

Deprecated and Removed Features

  • The “FindBoost” module has been removed by policy “CMP0167”. Port
    projects to upstream Boost’s “BoostConfig.cmake” package
    configuration file, for which “find_package(Boost)” now searches.

  • Calling “FetchContent_Populate()” with just the name of a dependency
    is now deprecated. Projects should call
    “FetchContent_MakeAvailable()” instead. See policy “CMP0169”.
    Calling “FetchContent_Populate()” with full population details
    rather than just a dependency name remains fully supported.

  • The “Visual Studio 9 2008” generator has been removed.

Other Changes

  • The precompiled Windows “.msi” installers provided on cmake.org,
    when performing a fresh installation, now modify the system-wide
    “PATH” by default. When replacing an existing installation of 3.30
    or later, the “PATH” modification preference is preserved by
    default.

  • The official “.zip” source archive provided on cmake.org now uses LF
    newlines, instead of CRLF newlines, for consistency with modern
    conventions.

  • The durations printed after “Configuring done” and “Generating done”
    messages now reflect time spent in generator-specific steps, and in
    a code model evaluation step at the beginning of generation that was
    not previously captured. Printed durations may appear longer than
    in previous versions of CMake, but are more accurate.

  • “FetchContent” now prefers to populate content directly rather than
    using a separate sub-build. This may significantly improve configure
    times on some systems (Windows especially, but also on macOS when
    using the Xcode generator). “cmake --fresh” also forces the
    download, update, and patch steps of directly populated dependencies
    to be re-executed. Policy “CMP0168” provides backward compatibility
    for those projects that still rely on using a sub-build for content
    population.

  • When “FETCHCONTENT_FULLY_DISCONNECTED” is set to true,
    “FetchContent_MakeAvailable()” and the single-argument form of
    “FetchContent_Populate()” require that the dependency’s source
    directory has already been populated. CMake 3.29 and earlier did not
    check this requirement, but it is now enforced, subject to policy
    “CMP0170”.

Changes made since CMake 3.30.0-rc2:

Brad King (4):

  • Tests: Update expected results for Xcode 16
  • ctest: Fix spurious build failures with CTEST_USE_LAUNCHERS on Windows
  • VS: Quote custom command arguments containing semicolons
  • CMake 3.30.0-rc3

Craig Scott (2):

  • Help: Fix nuget example with unwanted comment and bad use of rst link
  • Help: Minor grammar and formatting cleanup