Using cmake to compile a non-cmake project

Question

I have a project that uses cmake to be configured and compiled, but this project depends on an external source tree that uses the traditional configure/make/make install procedure. Is it possible to tell CMake that, before compiling the main project, configure (with some specific parameters), make and make install on the external source tree should be called first?

Answer 1

I had the exact same question when coming across this one.

(In my case, wanting to properly add libncurses and libcaca, which are both Autoconf based, as dependecies (and git submodules), to my CMake based project.)

So just to have an answer set to the question, based off of mike.did's comment ;

CMake's ExternalProject module definitely seems to be the proper solution.

(also see:)

• Compile other external libraries (without CMakeLists.txt) with CMake
• Cleanest way to depend on a make-based C library in my CMake C++ project