CMake: Automatic Boost download and build if not found

Question

I would like to have a failsafe setup in my project. I don't really want to mess around with installing boost and the other libs every time we are setting stuff up.

So it would be awesome, that if a required Boost version is not found, cmake downloads and compiles boost and uses that version for the project.

Is there an easy possibility?

I found this in the maid-safe project. But I am not that experienced with cmake and have no clue how to use it.

Answer 1

You could use this find module I created.

1. Download the FindBoost.cmake file.
2. Save it somewhere within your project; for example, in a directory named cmake.
3. Add the aforementioned directory to CMAKE_MODULE_PATH. Here's one way of accomplishing this: list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake).
4. Set BOOST_REQUESTED_VERSION. For example, set(BOOST_REQUESTED_VERSION 1.61).
5. Use the module like you would do with any other find module. For instance: find_package(Boost COMPONENTS system program_options)

If Boost is not installed in your system it will be downloaded and compiled on-the-fly, at build time (i.e., when you run make). If it is installed in your system, nothing will be downloaded.

(Optional) You can change BOOST_ROOT_DIR to the root directory of the location where boost is installed in your system. This is useful if it is installed in a non-standard location.