# Understanding documentation

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/understanding-documentation/11679
**Category:** Usage
**Tags:** os:windows
**Created:** [September 14, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/understanding-documentation/11679 "2024-09-14T00:37:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Selviniah](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Selviniah](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Selviniah)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/understanding-documentation/11679/1 "2024-09-14T00:37:56Z")

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I am trying to understand how should I read the documentation.  
My confusion arise in [here](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#genex:CONFIG)

`$<CONFIG>` generative expression is not properly explained and I should not have any idea how to understand it. In such cases I search the keyword in github or ask to AI. I wondering is this what’s expected from me? How am I supposed to understand the usage of this syntax  
`$<CONFIG:Debug>`

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### Author: ![hsattler](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/59ef9b/32.png) [@hsattler](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/hsattler)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2024, 8:43am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/understanding-documentation/11679/2 "2024-09-14T08:43:39Z")

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They are simply two different things. The first one is replaced by the configuration string, the latter is a comparison that results in a boolean.