CMake - set_property could not find TARGET xxx. Perhaps it has not yet been created

Question

Greetings, what I'm trying to do is to port an existing Windows application to Linux using CMake with CMakeLists, which I generated with the vcproj2cmake Script ( https://github.com/sixman9/vcproj2cmake ).

With the CMakeLists.txt and CMake I was able to successfully port a VS 2005 project to VS 2010. Now I try to port the same VS 2005 project to Linux, so that I can edit it with KDevelope.

The project itself is small and I think it would be easier to just create a new project and copy all relevant files (if that would work), the problem is, that it's not only one project but many, hence I was looking for a way to port a project in an as simple as possible way.

In Linux I was able to create a CMakeLists.txt using the vcproj2cmake script. The next step would be creating a KDevelope project using CMake. And this is where I'm stuck.

Everytime I try to run CMake I get the following error:

CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt: 196 (set_property) :
set_property could not find TARGET Test_Project. Perhaps it has not yet been
created.
Test_Project: installing /root/Desktop/Test_Project/vs8/CMakeLists. txt rebuilder (watching /root/Desktop/Test_Project/vs8/Test_Project. vcproj)
Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!
See also “/root/Desktop/Test_Project/vs8/CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log”.

I searched for a solution or an approach for quite a time now, but the only results that I get are project-specific, or at least I think they are.

Content of the CMakeLists.txt from line 196:

set_property(TARGET Test_Project PROPERTY PROJECT_LABEL "Test_Project")

v2c_rebuild_on_update(Test_Project "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/Test_Project.vcproj" ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_FILE} "vcproj2cmake.rb" ".")

include(${V2C_HOOK_POST} OPTIONAL)

Perhaps there are more efficient ways to port many projects form Windows to Linux, I'm open for any suggestion.

Answer 1

It is a bit difficult to help without having your project - since you are using a third party tool to convert a VC project you should ask the author of that tool. :D

If you have many projects which you are going to maintain, I suggest that you select one where you can create a cross platform (Windows/Linux) CMake config for which you can reuse for other projects.

Most of the config should be the same for all platforms you are building for - the difference should be which generator is used and what libraries to link in the final executable (if you are building one that is). The generator is specified when running cmake.

In my opinion you should try an out of source build with the following structure:

/$COMMON_DIR/CMakeLists.txt
/CMakeLists.txt
/src/
/build/
/build/vcX
/build/generate_vcX.bat
/build/linux
/build/generate_linux.sh 

$COMMON_DIR should contain the CMake code you expect to be common for all you projects - like a function to create a static library for a module which searches for files in /src and another function which can be used to add an executable for certain platform.

The CMakeLists.txt in the root of your project (repository, I assume) should call the functions defined in $COMMON_DIR and possibly add some project specific defines or link flags.