install — CMake 3.3.1 Documentation

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# install

Contents

- install
  - Introduction
  - Installing Targets
  - Installing Files
  - Installing Directories
  - Custom Installation Logic
  - Installing Exports

Specify rules to run at install time.

## Introduction

This command generates installation rules for a project. Rules specified by calls to this command within a source directory are executed in order during installation. The order across directories is not defined.

There are multiple signatures for this command. Some of them define installation options for files and targets. Options common to multiple signatures are covered here but they are valid only for signatures that specify them. The common options are:

`DESTINATION`
  Specify the directory on disk to which a file will be installed. If a full path (with a leading slash or drive letter) is given it is used directly. If a relative path is given it is interpreted relative to the value of the `CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX` variable. The prefix can be relocated at install time using the `DESTDIR` mechanism explained in the `CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX` variable documentation.
`PERMISSIONS`
  Specify permissions for installed files. Valid permissions are `OWNER_READ`, `OWNER_WRITE`, `OWNER_EXECUTE`, `GROUP_READ`, `GROUP_WRITE`, `GROUP_EXECUTE`, `WORLD_READ`, `WORLD_WRITE`, `WORLD_EXECUTE`, `SETUID`, and `SETGID`. Permissions that do not make sense on certain platforms are ignored on those platforms.
`CONFIGURATIONS`
  Specify a list of build configurations for which the install rule applies (Debug, Release, etc.).
`COMPONENT`
  Specify an installation component name with which the install rule is associated, such as “runtime” or “development”. During component-specific installation only install rules associated with the given component name will be executed. During a full installation all components are installed. If `COMPONENT` is not provided a default component “Unspecified” is created. The default component name may be controlled with the `CMAKE_INSTALL_DEFAULT_COMPONENT_NAME` variable.
`RENAME`
  Specify a name for an installed file that may be different from the original file. Renaming is allowed only when a single file is installed by the command.
`OPTIONAL`
  Specify that it is not an error if the file to be installed does not exist.

Command signatures that install files may print messages during installation. Use the `CMAKE_INSTALL_MESSAGE` variable to control which messages are printed.

## Installing Targets

    install(TARGETS targets... [EXPORT <export-name>]
            [[ARCHIVE|LIBRARY|RUNTIME|FRAMEWORK|BUNDLE|
              PRIVATE_HEADER|PUBLIC_HEADER|RESOURCE]
             [DESTINATION <dir>]
             [INCLUDES DESTINATION [<dir> ...]]
             [PERMISSIONS permissions...]
             [CONFIGURATIONS [Debug|Release|...]]
             [COMPONENT <component>]
             [OPTIONAL] [NAMELINK_ONLY|NAMELINK_SKIP]
            ] [...])

The `TARGETS` form specifies rules for installing targets from a project. There are five kinds of target files that may be installed: `ARCHIVE`, `LIBRARY`, `RUNTIME`, `FRAMEWORK`, and `BUNDLE`. Executables are treated as `RUNTIME` targets, except that those marked with the `MACOSX_BUNDLE` property are treated as `BUNDLE` targets on OS X. Static libraries are always treated as `ARCHIVE` targets. Module libraries are always treated as `LIBRARY` targets. For non-DLL platforms shared libraries are treated as `LIBRARY` targets, except that those marked with the `FRAMEWORK` property are treated as `FRAMEWORK` targets on OS X. For DLL platforms the DLL part of a shared library is treated as a `RUNTIME` target and the corresponding import library is treated as an `ARCHIVE` target. All Windows-based systems including Cygwin are DLL platforms. The `ARCHIVE`, `LIBRARY`, `RUNTIME`, and `FRAMEWORK` arguments change the type of target to which the subsequent properties apply. If none is given the installation properties apply to all target types. If only one is given then only targets of that type will be installed (which can be used to install just a DLL or just an import library). The `INCLUDES DESTINATION` specifies a list of directories which will be added to the `INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES` target property of the `<targets>` when exported by the `install(EXPORT)` command. If a relative path is specified, it is treated as relative to the `$<INSTALL_PREFIX>`.

The `PRIVATE_HEADER`, `PUBLIC_HEADER`, and `RESOURCE` arguments cause subsequent properties to be applied to installing a `FRAMEWORK` shared library target’s associated files on non-Apple platforms. Rules defined by these arguments are ignored on Apple platforms because the associated files are installed into the appropriate locations inside the framework folder. See documentation of the `PRIVATE_HEADER`, `PUBLIC_HEADER`, and `RESOURCE` target properties for details.

Either `NAMELINK_ONLY` or `NAMELINK_SKIP` may be specified as a `LIBRARY` option. On some platforms a versioned shared library has a symbolic link such as:

    lib<name>.so -> lib<name>.so.1

where `lib<name>.so.1` is the soname of the library and `lib<name>.so` is a “namelink” allowing linkers to find the library when given `-l<name>`. The `NAMELINK_ONLY` option causes installation of only the namelink when a library target is installed. The `NAMELINK_SKIP` option causes installation of library files other than the namelink when a library target is installed. When neither option is given both portions are installed. On platforms where versioned shared libraries do not have namelinks or when a library is not versioned the `NAMELINK_SKIP` option installs the library and the `NAMELINK_ONLY` option installs nothing. See the `VERSION` and `SOVERSION` target properties for details on creating versioned shared libraries.

One or more groups of properties may be specified in a single call to the `TARGETS` form of this command. A target may be installed more than once to different locations. Consider hypothetical targets `myExe`, `mySharedLib`, and `myStaticLib`. The code:

    install(TARGETS myExe mySharedLib myStaticLib
            RUNTIME DESTINATION bin
            LIBRARY DESTINATION lib
            ARCHIVE DESTINATION lib/static)
    install(TARGETS mySharedLib DESTINATION /some/full/path)

will install `myExe` to `<prefix>/bin` and `myStaticLib` to `<prefix>/lib/static`. On non-DLL platforms `mySharedLib` will be installed to `<prefix>/lib` and `/some/full/path`. On DLL platforms the `mySharedLib` DLL will be installed to `<prefix>/bin` and `/some/full/path` and its import library will be installed to `<prefix>/lib/static` and `/some/full/path`.

The `EXPORT` option associates the installed target files with an export called `<export-name>`. It must appear before any `RUNTIME`, `LIBRARY`, or `ARCHIVE` options. To actually install the export file itself, call `install(EXPORT)`, documented below.

Installing a target with the `EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL` target property set to `TRUE` has undefined behavior.

The install destination given to the target install `DESTINATION` may use “generator expressions” with the syntax `$<...>`. See the `cmake-generator-expressions(7)` manual for available expressions.

## Installing Files

    install(<FILES|PROGRAMS> files... DESTINATION <dir>
            [PERMISSIONS permissions...]
            [CONFIGURATIONS [Debug|Release|...]]
            [COMPONENT <component>]
            [RENAME <name>] [OPTIONAL])

The `FILES` form specifies rules for installing files for a project. File names given as relative paths are interpreted with respect to the current source directory. Files installed by this form are by default given permissions `OWNER_WRITE`, `OWNER_READ`, `GROUP_READ`, and `WORLD_READ` if no `PERMISSIONS` argument is given.

The `PROGRAMS` form is identical to the `FILES` form except that the default permissions for the installed file also include `OWNER_EXECUTE`, `GROUP_EXECUTE`, and `WORLD_EXECUTE`. This form is intended to install programs that are not targets, such as shell scripts. Use the `TARGETS` form to install targets built within the project.

The list of `files...` given to `FILES` or `PROGRAMS` may use “generator expressions” with the syntax `$<...>`. See the `cmake-generator-expressions(7)` manual for available expressions. However, if any item begins in a generator expression it must evaluate to a full path.

## Installing Directories

    install(DIRECTORY dirs... DESTINATION <dir>
            [FILE_PERMISSIONS permissions...]
            [DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS permissions...]
            [USE_SOURCE_PERMISSIONS] [OPTIONAL] [MESSAGE_NEVER]
            [CONFIGURATIONS [Debug|Release|...]]
            [COMPONENT <component>] [FILES_MATCHING]
            [[PATTERN <pattern> | REGEX <regex>]
             [EXCLUDE] [PERMISSIONS permissions...]] [...])

The `DIRECTORY` form installs contents of one or more directories to a given destination. The directory structure is copied verbatim to the destination. The last component of each directory name is appended to the destination directory but a trailing slash may be used to avoid this because it leaves the last component empty. Directory names given as relative paths are interpreted with respect to the current source directory. If no input directory names are given the destination directory will be created but nothing will be installed into it. The `FILE_PERMISSIONS` and `DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS` options specify permissions given to files and directories in the destination. If `USE_SOURCE_PERMISSIONS` is specified and `FILE_PERMISSIONS` is not, file permissions will be copied from the source directory structure. If no permissions are specified files will be given the default permissions specified in the `FILES` form of the command, and the directories will be given the default permissions specified in the `PROGRAMS` form of the command.

The `MESSAGE_NEVER` option disables file installation status output.

Installation of directories may be controlled with fine granularity using the `PATTERN` or `REGEX` options. These “match” options specify a globbing pattern or regular expression to match directories or files encountered within input directories. They may be used to apply certain options (see below) to a subset of the files and directories encountered. The full path to each input file or directory (with forward slashes) is matched against the expression. A `PATTERN` will match only complete file names: the portion of the full path matching the pattern must occur at the end of the file name and be preceded by a slash. A `REGEX` will match any portion of the full path but it may use `/` and `$` to simulate the `PATTERN` behavior. By default all files and directories are installed whether or not they are matched. The `FILES_MATCHING` option may be given before the first match option to disable installation of files (but not directories) not matched by any expression. For example, the code

    install(DIRECTORY src/ DESTINATION include/myproj
            FILES_MATCHING PATTERN "*.h")

will extract and install header files from a source tree.

Some options may follow a `PATTERN` or `REGEX` expression and are applied only to files or directories matching them. The `EXCLUDE` option will skip the matched file or directory. The `PERMISSIONS` option overrides the permissions setting for the matched file or directory. For example the code

    install(DIRECTORY icons scripts/ DESTINATION share/myproj
            PATTERN "CVS" EXCLUDE
            PATTERN "scripts/*"
            PERMISSIONS OWNER_EXECUTE OWNER_WRITE OWNER_READ
                        GROUP_EXECUTE GROUP_READ)

will install the `icons` directory to `share/myproj/icons` and the `scripts` directory to `share/myproj`. The icons will get default file permissions, the scripts will be given specific permissions, and any `CVS` directories will be excluded.

## Custom Installation Logic

    install([[SCRIPT <file>] [CODE <code>]]
            [COMPONENT <component>] [...])

The `SCRIPT` form will invoke the given CMake script files during installation. If the script file name is a relative path it will be interpreted with respect to the current source directory. The `CODE` form will invoke the given CMake code during installation. Code is specified as a single argument inside a double-quoted string. For example, the code

    install(CODE "MESSAGE(\"Sample install message.\")")

will print a message during installation.

## Installing Exports

    install(EXPORT <export-name> DESTINATION <dir>
            [NAMESPACE <namespace>] [FILE <name>.cmake]
            [PERMISSIONS permissions...]
            [CONFIGURATIONS [Debug|Release|...]]
            [EXPORT_LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES]
            [COMPONENT <component>])

The `EXPORT` form generates and installs a CMake file containing code to import targets from the installation tree into another project. Target installations are associated with the export `<export-name>` using the `EXPORT` option of the `install(TARGETS)` signature documented above. The `NAMESPACE` option will prepend `<namespace>` to the target names as they are written to the import file. By default the generated file will be called `<export-name>.cmake` but the `FILE` option may be used to specify a different name. The value given to the `FILE` option must be a file name with the `.cmake` extension. If a `CONFIGURATIONS` option is given then the file will only be installed when one of the named configurations is installed. Additionally, the generated import file will reference only the matching target configurations. The `EXPORT_LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES` keyword, if present, causes the contents of the properties matching `(IMPORTED_)?LINK_INTERFACE_LIBRARIES(_<CONFIG>)?` to be exported, when policy `CMP0022` is `NEW`. If a `COMPONENT` option is specified that does not match that given to the targets associated with `<export-name>` the behavior is undefined. If a library target is included in the export but a target to which it links is not included the behavior is unspecified.

The `EXPORT` form is useful to help outside projects use targets built and installed by the current project. For example, the code

    install(TARGETS myexe EXPORT myproj DESTINATION bin)
    install(EXPORT myproj NAMESPACE mp_ DESTINATION lib/myproj)

will install the executable myexe to `<prefix>/bin` and code to import it in the file `<prefix>/lib/myproj/myproj.cmake`. An outside project may load this file with the include command and reference the `myexe` executable from the installation tree using the imported target name `mp_myexe` as if the target were built in its own tree.

Note

This command supercedes the `install_targets()` command and the `PRE_INSTALL_SCRIPT` and `POST_INSTALL_SCRIPT` target properties. It also replaces the `FILES` forms of the `install_files()` and `install_programs()` commands. The processing order of these install rules relative to those generated by `install_targets()`, `install_files()`, and `install_programs()` commands is not defined.

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