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CheckLibraryExists: Update documentation

- Added intro code block showing how to include this module.
- Used "command" instead of "macro".
- Added rubric title for variables that affect the check command.
- Refactored note about using CheckSymbolExists as a more robust check.
This commit is contained in:
Peter Kokot
2025-05-22 19:16:48 +02:00
parent 6be0c6d26a
commit 157c97306f

View File

@@ -5,24 +5,65 @@
CheckLibraryExists
------------------
Check once if the function exists in system or specified library.
This module provides a command to check whether a C library exists.
Load this module in a CMake project with:
.. code-block:: cmake
include(CheckLibraryExists)
Commands
^^^^^^^^
This module provides the following command:
.. command:: check_library_exists
Checks once whether a specified library exists and a given C function is
available:
.. code-block:: cmake
check_library_exists(<library> <function> <location> <variable>)
Check that the library ``<library>`` exists in the given location
``<location>`` and has the specified ``<function>``. The result is stored in
an internal cache variable ``<variable>``. If ``<location>`` is empty string,
default directories are searched.
This command attempts to link a test executable that uses the specified
C ``<function>`` to verify that it is provided by either a system or
user-provided ``<library>``.
Prefer using :module:`CheckSymbolExists` or :module:`CheckSourceCompiles`
instead of this module for more robust detection if a function is available in
a library.
The arguments are:
The following variables may be set before calling this macro to modify
``<library>``
The name of the library, a full path to a library file, or an
:ref:`Imported Target <Imported Targets>`.
``<function>``
The name of a function that should be available in the system or
user-provided library ``<library>``.
``<location>``
The directory containing the library file. It is added to the link
search path during the check. If this is an empty string, only the
default library search paths are used.
``<variable>``
The name of the variable in which to store the check result. This
variable will be created as an internal cache variable.
.. note::
This command is intended for performing basic sanity checks to verify
that a library provides the expected functionality, or that the correct
library is being located. However, it only verifies that a function
symbol can be linked successfully - it does not ensure that the function
is declared in library headers, nor can it detect functions that are
inlined or defined as preprocessor macros. For more robust detection
of function availability, prefer using :module:`CheckSymbolExists` or
:module:`CheckSourceCompiles`.
.. rubric:: Variables Affecting the Check
The following variables may be set before calling this command to modify
the way the check is run:
.. include:: /module/include/CMAKE_REQUIRED_FLAGS.rst
@@ -40,12 +81,8 @@ the way the check is run:
Examples
^^^^^^^^
This module can be useful for performing so-called sanity checks to verify that
the specified library provides the expected functionality and is indeed the
correct one being located.
For example, to check if the ``curl`` library exists in the default paths and
has the ``curl_easy_perform`` function:
Checking if the ``curl`` library exists in the default paths and has the
``curl_easy_perform()`` function:
.. code-block:: cmake
@@ -60,8 +97,8 @@ function:
include(CheckLibraryExists)
check_library_exists(curl curl_easy_perform "/opt/curl/lib" HAVE_LIBRARY_CURL)
Also :ref:`IMPORTED library <add_library imported libraries>` (for example,
from the ``find_package()`` call) can be used:
Also :ref:`Imported Targets` (for example, from the ``find_package()`` call)
can be used:
.. code-block:: cmake
@@ -73,6 +110,11 @@ from the ``find_package()`` call) can be used:
include(CheckLibraryExists)
check_library_exists(CURL::libcurl curl_easy_perform "" HAVE_LIBRARY_CURL)
endif()
See Also
^^^^^^^^
* The :module:`CheckSymbolExists` module to check whether a C symbol exists.
#]=======================================================================]
include_guard(GLOBAL)