# How to conditionally call either \`find\_pacakge()\` or \`find\_dependency()\`?

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-conditionally-call-either-find-pacakge-or-find-dependency/8175
**Category:** Usage
**Created:** [May 21, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-conditionally-call-either-find-pacakge-or-find-dependency/8175 "2023-05-21T14:28:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![ton](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ton](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ton)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-conditionally-call-either-find-pacakge-or-find-dependency/8175/1 "2023-05-21T14:28:49Z")

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We have a library that depends on various third-party libraries. These dependencies are generally found using `find_package` in the project’s main CMake file.

To avoid having to write these dependencies twice, in the main CMake file and the project’s -config.cmake file, I have separated these `find_package()` calls in a separate `ExternalDependencies.cmake` file that contains all `find_package()` calls. This file is installed and included both from the project’s CMake file and from the `-config.cmake` file.

Now I would like to call `find_package()` for these external dependencies when building the library itself, but in case the library is found is a dependency of some other CMake project, `find_dependency()` should be used. What is the recommended approach to determine which version of the two to use?

FWIW, this is the current approach I am using from within `ExternalDependencies.cmake`; it is quite ugly:

```auto
if(PROJECT_NAME STREQUAL "MyLib")
  macro(_find_package)
    find_package(${ARGN})
  endmacro()
else()
  include(CMakeFindDependencyMacro)

  macro(_find_package)
    find_dependency(${ARGN})
  endmacro()
endif()

_find_package(...)

```

Finally, for some of the external dependencies, find modules are not available, and we have to resort to `pkg_check_modules()`. I assume there is no `find_dependency()`-like approach for `pkg_check_modules()` to be used from config files?

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![leha-bot](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/leha-bot/32/921_2.png) [@leha-bot](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/leha-bot)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-conditionally-call-either-find-pacakge-or-find-dependency/8175/2 "2023-05-21T20:48:40Z")

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Hello, you may try to check the existence of `$CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NAME` and if it exists (and equals to your package name), then you should use `find_dependency()`, otherwise, `find_package()`.

All list of these magic variables defined in scope of your package is defined here: [https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/command/find\_package.html#id11](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/command/find_package.html#id11)

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ton](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ton](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ton)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-conditionally-call-either-find-pacakge-or-find-dependency/8175/3 "2023-05-22T12:43:36Z")

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Thanks Alex, that sounds like a good approach.