Override base preset

Usage
1

I was thinking of adding cache variables in the CMakeUserPreset.json file for some project specific configuration. But I don’t want to have to override all of the presets defined in my CMakePresets.json file. Instead, I’d want to extend the base preset that all other non-user presets inherit from. But I can’t do that, as it errors about there being a duplicate preset. And there seems to not be a way to define global cache variables?

Below is sort of what I mean. In the user preset, I tried with and without inherits and hidden, but none of those worked.

CMakePresets.json

{
  "version": 4,
  "configurePresets": [
    {
      "name": "all",
      "binaryDir": "some-folder",
      "hidden": true,
      "cacheVariables": {
        "CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE": "$env{VCPKG_ROOT}/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake"`,
        //...
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "ninja",
      "inherits": "all",
      "generator": "Ninja Multi-Config"
    },
    {
      "name": "vs",
      "inherits": "all",
      "generator": "Visual Studio 18 2026"
    }
  ]
}

CMakeUserPresets.json

{
  "version": 4,
  "configurePresets": [
    {
      "name": "all",
      //"inherits": "all",
      "hidden": true,
      "cacheVariables": {
        "PROJECT_1": "../project-1",
        "PROJECT_2": "../project-2"
      }
    }
  ]
}```
2

The names of all presets exists in one ‘namespace’ if you will. Therefore you can’t have a user preset with the same name as a non-user preset. Use a different name.