Cmake Pdf !!better!!: Minimal

set(VERSION "1.2.3") set(CONFIG_TEX $CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR/version.tex) file(GENERATE OUTPUT $CONFIG_TEX CONTENT "\\newcommand\\docversion$VERSION")

: Using DEPENDS , CMake only re-compiles the PDF if the .tex file has changed, saving time on large projects. minimal cmake pdf

: The script that instructs CMake on how to build the project. document.tex : Your LaTeX source file. Minimal CMakeLists.txt Example set(VERSION "1

However, achieving minimalism requires discipline. It requires the knowledge of what to leave out. This is where the "PDF" metaphor holds power—it implies a curated selection of best practices. It means knowing that target_link_libraries with PRIVATE and PUBLIC visibility modifiers is superior to include_directories for every subdirectory. It means understanding that modern CMake is about targets, not variables. The "Minimal CMake" is not about lacking features; it is about utilizing the right features to express intent with the fewest words possible. Minimal CMakeLists

Many projects use heavy tools like Doxygen + sphinx or complex add_custom_command chains with intermediate outputs. A approach rejects that for small-to-medium docs:

find_package(LATEX QUIET) if(NOT LATEX_FOUND) message(STATUS "PDF generation disabled (pdflatex not found)") else() # ... add_custom_command and add_custom_target as above endif()