How Can CMake Organize Compiled Files into a Separate 'bin' Directory?

Organizing CMake Output into a Separate 'bin' Directory

When working with multi-module projects that utilize a plugin architecture, it's often desirable to keep the compiled files separate from the source code. CMake, a powerful build system generator, can be configured to output compiled files to a designated 'bin' directory.

To achieve this, the CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY variable can be employed. By setting this variable, you can specify the directory where executable and plugin files will be saved. For example, in the root CMakeLists.txt file, the following settings can be added:

set(CMAKE_ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib)
set(CMAKE_LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib)
set(CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/bin)

This configuration instructs CMake to save archives and libraries in a 'lib' directory within the binary directory, while executables and dynamic libraries are placed in the 'bin' directory.

Alternatively, you can set the output directories on a per-target basis using set_target_properties():

set_target_properties( targets...
    PROPERTIES
    ARCHIVE_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib"
    LIBRARY_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lib"
    RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/bin"
)

By employing either approach, you can effectively separate the compiled output from the source code, ensuring a cleaner and more organized project structure.

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