# How to have CMake resolve directories
**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209
**Category:** Usage
**Created:** [October 5, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209 "2021-10-05T14:15:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@theoremseeker](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/theoremseeker)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2021, 2:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209/1 "2021-10-05T14:15:51Z")
Currently, I have to add directories to my files in my C/C++ project both in the CMakeLists.txt and my include directives, for example:
add\_library (library1
src/dir1/file1.h
src/dir1/file1.c
)
and in file1.c itself:
#include “…/dir2/fileNeededByFile1.h”
etc.
I’d like CMake to resolve this for me automatically. I thought that the “include\_directories” would do this, but it seems to not be the case. How can I tell CMake to look into certain directories (recursively, or if not possible, not recursively) and avoid having to write the directories one by one?
---
### Author:  [@buildSystemPerson](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/buildSystemPerson)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209/2 "2021-10-05T14:56:16Z")
I’m really unclear on what you are asking for.
This article does a pretty good job explaining include directories with CMake though.
> **[Adding C++ Header Include Directories With CMake](https://matgomes.com/header-include-directories-cmake/)**
>
> Adding header include directories is straightforward with CMake. Learn how to tell the compiler where to find those pesky C++ header files with simple commands!Continue readingAdding C++ Header Include Directories With CMake
---
### Author:  [@theoremseeker](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/theoremseeker)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209/3 "2021-10-05T15:18:15Z")
Thanks for the link, I will check it.
What I want is to not have to write the directory of every file both in the add\_library add\_executable etc. commands and the include directories in the code, as I surmise that CMake likely offers me a way to solve this. That is, instead of
add\_library (library1
src/dir1/file1.h
src/dir1/file1.c
src/dir2/file2.h
src/dir2/file2.c
…
)
I’d like to be able to write:
add\_library (library1
file1.h
file1.c
file2.h
file2.c
)
and in file1.h’s directives, instead of
#include “…/src/dir3/fileNeededByFile1.h”.
I’d like to write
#include “fileNeededByFile1.h”.
I expect that there is a
command\_to\_set\_directories( library1
src/dir1/
src/dir2/
src/dir3/
}
to do that.
---
### Author:  [@buildSystemPerson](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/buildSystemPerson)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209/4 "2021-10-05T18:41:31Z")
There isn’t a CMake command that auto resolves directories the way you want.
Your best tools for adding files and include directories are `target_sources` / `target_include_directories`
I’d look at this [blog post by Craig Scott](https://crascit.com/2016/01/31/enhanced-source-file-handling-with-target_sources/) for handling your source files in a nice way which I have seen accepted in many projects that want to make their CMake code nicer.
Essentially your CMake script would end up looking like this:
```auto
# CMakeLists.txt
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
project(FOOBAR LANGUAGES C)
add_library(library)
add_subdirectory(src)
add_subdirectory(inc)
```
Overall I think that’s a nice presentation 👍
Then you have a CMakeLists.txt in src that looks like this (You can obviously do this for as many directories as you want):
```auto
# src/CMakeLists.txt
target_include_directories(library PRIVATE .)
target_sources(library PRIVATE
file1.c
file1.h
file2.c
file2.h
)
```
And potentially if you a nice library author your CMakeLists.txt in your inc directory looks like this:
```auto
# inc/CMakeLists.txt
# Notice the use of PUBLIC!
# Now when a client links against your library they automatically absorb the inc/ include directory
# Which makes their CMake code nicer since they don't need to know how your project is laid out!
target_include_directories(library PUBLIC .)
target_sources(library PRIVATE
library1.h
)
```
---
### Author:  [@theoremseeker](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/theoremseeker)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2021, 5:28am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-to-have-cmake-resolve-directories/4209/5 "2021-10-11T05:28:05Z")
That looks nice. Thank you so much.