# Documentation on CTEST\_RESOURCE\_SPEC\_FILE is incomplete

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/documentation-on-ctest-resource-spec-file-is-incomplete/1450
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [June 27, 2020, 12:08pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/documentation-on-ctest-resource-spec-file-is-incomplete/1450 "2020-06-27T12:08:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/craig.scott/32/20_2.png) [@craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/craig.scott)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2020, 12:08pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/documentation-on-ctest-resource-spec-file-is-incomplete/1450/1 "2020-06-27T12:08:14Z")

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A new `CTEST_RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE` variable is being added in CMake 3.18. The current docs don’t adequately specify how this variable relates to the other two ways of controlling the resource spec file:

- Providing a `ctest --resource-spec-file` command line option.
- Passing a `RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE` argument to the `ctest_test()` command.

Even looking at the code, it isn’t clear to me how the `CTEST_RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE` is supposed to interact with those two methods. Which one applies when, if more than one method is given? I thought `CTEST_RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE` was essentially just providing a default for the `RESOURCE_SPEC_FILE` option to the `ctest_test()` command, but I also see it mentioned at the handler level (i.e. in `cmCTestTestHandler`). We should clarify the docs around this new variable for the 3.18 release.

CC: @kyle.edwards

**Edit:** In hindsight, this probably should have been created as an issue in CMake’s gitlab, but I started out thinking this was going to be asking for my own clarification only and would probably be more of a discussion. 😉

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### Author: ![craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/craig.scott/32/20_2.png) [@craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/craig.scott)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2020, 11:36am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/documentation-on-ctest-resource-spec-file-is-incomplete/1450/2 "2020-07-05T11:36:48Z")

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Let’s move discussion to gitlab, see this issue:

[https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/issues/20914](https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/issues/20914)