I am having a problem with make 3.12 (windows) and cmake version 3.13.0-rc2 (linux). I am attempting to link boost headers privately to a static library, which is then linked by a client executable, that I do not want to depend on boost.
According to the docs, the find_package(Boost) provides a target for the header only portion of the boost library, Boost::boost. this is the target I am using, and I am linking the target privately, ie target_link_libraries(testlib PRIVATE Boost::boost) However a the client testexe which uses testlib from the install dir with find_package(testlib)and links it with target_link_libraries(testexe testlib::testlib) is causing cmake to search for a Boost dependency for the testexe. As this is linked privately, it shouldn't as far as I can see. Interestingly adding an INTERFACE IMPORTED target in testlib and using this to link, and the client no longer needs boost. find_package(Boost REQUIRED) add_library(boost INTERFACE IMPORTED) set_property(TARGET boost PROPERTY INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ${Boost_INCLUDE_DIR}) target_link_libraries(testlib PRIVATE #using the imported target instead boost #Boost::boost) this is almost identical to the lines in the Find boost source here<https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/blob/master/Modules/FindBoost.cmake#L2026-L2030>. The only difference being the target the properties are set on. I have a workaround but I would like to know what is going on. The complete source for the two test projects are availabe here<https://github.com/rmawatson/share/tree/master/cmake_boost>. This is the output from cmake with using the Boost::boost target and the INTERFACE IMPORTEDtarget, which works ###using to the provided Boost::boost target C:\Temp\cmake_boost\testlib\build>cmake ../ -DBOOST_ROOT=d:\sdk\boost\boost_1_68_0 -- Boost version: 1.68.0-- Configuring done -- Generating done -- Build files have been written to: C:/Temp/cmake_boost/testlib/build C:\Temp\cmake_boost\testexe\build>cmake ../ -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="C:\Temp\cmake_boost\testlib\build"-- Configuring done CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:6 (add_executable): Target "test" links to target "Boost::boost" but the target was not found. Perhaps a find_package() call is missing for an IMPORTED target, or an ALIAS target is missing?............-- Generating done -- Build files have been written to: C:/Temp/cmake_boost/testexe/build #When using the imported library target. C:\Temp\cmake_boost\testlib\build>cmake ../ -DBOOST_ROOT=d:\sdk\boost\boost_1_68_0 -- Boost version: 1.68.0-- Configuring done -- Generating done -- Build files have been written to: C:/Temp/cmake_boost/testlib/build C:\Temp\cmake_boost\testexe\build>cmake ../ -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="C:\Temp\cmake_boost\testlib\build"-- Configuring done -- Generating done -- Build files have been written to: C:/Temp/cmake_boost/testexe/build Thanks!
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