How to automatically generate C header file using CMake?

Question

I'm looking for a way to automatically generate a header file. This file is the public interface of a library and i want to "fill" some structures and stuff before compilation.

For example, in the private header I have a structure with useful fields :

typedef struct mystuff_attr_t {
  int                      _detachstate;
  mystuff_scope_t          _scope;
  cpu_set_t                _cpuset;
  size_t                   _stacksize;
  void*                    _stackaddr;
} mystuff_attr_t;

And I would like to have this structure in the public header without the fields but with the same size (currently done manually) this way :

typedef struct mystuff_attr_t {
  char _opaque[ 20 ]; 
} mystuff_attr_t;

I would like to have this automatically generated by CMake when creating the build system in order to avoid bad size struct in public interface when I change the struct in private header.

claf · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-07 08:45:02Z

10

In fact, CMake allow you to generate files (using configure_file (file.h.in file.h) ) and also to check a type size (using check_type_size ("type" header.h)) so it's easy to combine those two to have a proper public header. Here is the piece of code I use in CMakeList.txt :

# Where to search for types :
set (CMAKE_EXTRA_INCLUDE_FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/private_type.h)

# Type1 :
check_type_size ("type1_t" MY_SIZEOF_TYPE1_T)

# Generate public header :
configure_file (${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/pub_type.h.in ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/pub_type.h)

# Need to set this back to nothing :
set (CMAKE_EXTRA_INCLUDE_FILES)

And in the public header pub_type.h.in :

#define MY_SIZEOF_TYPE1_T ${MY_SIZEOF_TYPE1_T}

This works pretty good :)

answered Apr 7, 2009 at 8:45

claf

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1 Comment

Jérôme Over a year ago

You should specify that you need to add the line: include(CheckTypeSize).

Ollie Saunders · Accepted Answer · 2010-01-24 10:36:42Z

4

The Makeheaders tool (manual).

answered Jan 24, 2010 at 10:36

Ollie Saunders

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Comments

David Allan Finch · Accepted Answer · 2009-03-12 11:03:17Z

2

I would write an exe that creates the header.

for example:

#include <stdio.h>

#define PUBLIC(TYPE) \
printf( "typedef struct %s { char _opaque[ %d ]; } %s;\n", #TYPE, sizeof(TYPE), #TYPE )

int main()
  {
  // start header stuff

  PUBLIC(mystuff_attr_t);

  // end header stuff
  }

answered Mar 12, 2009 at 11:03

David Allan Finch

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2 Comments

claf Over a year ago

I already thought of that but I was wondering if a tool like cmake had some usefull module to help me doing this. By the way, I would rather write a shell script instead of an exe as long as it's for unix platforms.

David Allan Finch Over a year ago

Thanks. The advantage of using a bin is that you can get the compiler to work out the sizes for you. Using a script you will need to do it yourself and you might get it wrong.

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