# Linux copying dependencies using file(GET\_RUNTIME\_DEPENDENCIES..)

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946
**Category:** Code
**Tags:** os:linux, gen:makefiles
**Created:** [April 6, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946 "2020-04-06T21:47:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Lerner)
#### Post date: [April 6, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/1 "2020-04-06T21:47:11Z")

</div>

Hi there, I’m trying to make a simple OpenCV Linux application but it works only on OpenCV installed OS, so I wan’t to copy all of it’s dependencies into build folder via cmake to make it also work on the other computers as well without installing opencv on them.  
So  
I have red this topic:  
[**Copying dependent DLLs to executable directory?**](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/copying-dependent-dlls-to-executable-directory/852)  
But I can’t use “file(GET\_RUNTIME\_DEPENDENCIES…)” command in my try.  
Could you please show me the changes to make to achieve copying all required libs into build folder.

my Project tree:

```auto
my_project/CMakeLists.txt
my_project/DisplayImage.cpp
my_project/build/

```

`my_project/CMakeLists.txt`:

```cmake
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)
set (CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
project( DisplayImage )
find_package( OpenCV REQUIRED )
include_directories( ${OpenCV_INCLUDE_DIRS} )
add_executable( DisplayImage DisplayImage.cpp )
target_link_libraries( DisplayImage ${OpenCV_LIBS} )

```

`my_project/DisplayImage.cpp`:

```auto
#include <stdio.h>
#include <opencv2/opencv.hpp>
using namespace cv;
int main(int argc, char** argv )
{
    if ( argc != 2 )
    {
        printf("usage: DisplayImage.out <Image_Path>\n");
        return -1;
    }
    Mat image;
    image = imread( argv[1], 1 );
    if ( !image.data )
    {
        printf("No image data \n");
        return -1;
    }
    namedWindow("Display Image", WINDOW_AUTOSIZE );
    imshow("Display Image", image);
    waitKey(0);
    return 0;
}

```

`my_project/build/`: empty

many thanks

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2020, 11:15am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/2 "2020-04-07T11:15:07Z")

</div>

You need to, after the executable is built, run a CMake script which does `file(GET_RUNTIME_DEPENDENCIES)` on the executable. This gets you a list of paths to libraries needed by the executable which can then be filtered before doing `configure_file(${src} ${dest} COPY_ONLY)` into your build tree.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Lerner)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2020, 2:49am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/3 "2020-04-08T02:49:15Z")

</div>

Thank you,  
So should I create a new CMakelLists.txt file on build directory ?  
How can I use `file(GET_RUNTIME_DEPENDENCIES)` and  
`configure_file(${src} ${dest} COPY_ONLY)`  
lines to perform that the created executable “DisplayImage” gets all of its dependencies copied into build?  
Could You please write the CMakelLists.txt script, that you’ve mentioned before, for this example.  
I’m totally beginner and I can learn mostly from working examples, I’ll be pleased for your answers.  
And how can I link the executable “DisplayImage” with copied ones instead of which are under /usr/lib and its subdirectories ?

Please help me,  
Thanks a lot 😇

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2020, 3:08am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/4 "2020-04-08T03:08:38Z")

</div>

I can’t guarantee this is fully working, but it’s a sketch:

```cmake
file(GET_RUNTIME_DEPENDENCIES
  EXECUTABLES "${exe_path}"
  RESOLVED_DEPENDENCIES_VAR found_deps
  UNRESOLVED_DEPENDENCIES_VAR unfound_deps)
if (unfound_deps)
  # not all required libraries found, probably error
endif ()

foreach (found_dep IN LISTS found_deps)
  # Determine if the dep library should be copied.
  if (dep_not_wanted)
    continue()
  endif ()
  configure_file("${found_dep}" "${dest_libdir}" COPY_ONLY)
endforeach ()

file(TOUCH "${tagfile}")

```

```cmake
add_custom_command(
  OUTPUT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/tagfile"
  COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}"
          "-Dexe=$<TARGET_FILE:myexe>"
          "-Ddest_libdir=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib"
          "-Dtagfile=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/tagfile"
          -P "${path_to_above_file}"
  DEPENDS
    "$<TARGET_FILE:myexe>"
    "${path_to_above_file}"
  DOC "Copying dependencies for myexe")

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Lerner)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/5 "2020-04-08T03:41:06Z")

</div>

I have found one line terminal command to get all dependecies:  
ldd | grep “=\> /” | awk ‘{print $3}’ | xargs -I ‘{}’ cp -v ‘{}’

But this only copies into a specified folder, after that we must set some environment variables on the target pc. But I want that the dependencies are located on a subfolder of executables location so that where ever I put the main folder it still finds its libraries without searching env variables.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Lerner)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/6 "2020-04-08T03:50:54Z")

</div>

Much obliged for your answer,  
I’ve created a CMakelists.txt file in another folder out of project and just copied the executable “DisplayImage” in it and copied your answer into the CMakelists.txt, changed string ‘myexe’ with ‘DisplayImage’ and also I changed ‘${exe\_path}’ to ‘./DisplayImage’  
but since my CMake Version is 3.5, some commands couldn’t work well.  
I’ll try it later.  
Thank you very much:)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2020, 12:24pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/7 "2020-04-08T12:24:28Z")

</div>

> [@Lerner](#):
>
> But I want that the dependencies are located on a subfolder of executables location so that where ever I put the main folder it still finds its libraries without searching env variables.

For Linux, use and RPATH setting of `$ORIGIN/rel/path/to/libdir` should make that work.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lerner](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Lerner)
#### Post date: [April 9, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/linux-copying-dependencies-using-file-get-runtime-dependencies/946/8 "2020-04-09T14:10:03Z")

</div>

Thanks, finally I could have done it.  
by just changing the CMakeListst.txt:

```
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.9)
set (CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 11)
set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH $ORIGIN $ORIGIN/lib)
set(INSTALL_RPATH_USE_LINK_PATH true)
project( DisplayImage )
find_package( OpenCV REQUIRED )
include_directories( ${OpenCV_INCLUDE_DIRS} )
add_executable( DisplayImage DisplayImage.cpp )
target_link_libraries( DisplayImage ${OpenCV_LIBS} )
install(TARGETS DisplayImage
        RUNTIME
                DESTINATION "./"
        LIBRARY
                DESTINATION "./lib"
        ARCHIVE 
                DESTINATION "./archive"
)

set(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX "./install" )

```

I’m grateful 😇