CMake 3.25 Release Notes — CMake 4.2.6 Documentation

# CMake 3.25 Release Notes

Changes made since CMake 3.24 include the following.

## New Features

### Presets

- The `cmake-presets(7)` schema version has been bumped to `6`.

- The `cmake-presets(7)` format now supports a `packagePresets` field to specify presets for `cpack --preset`.

- The `cmake-presets(7)` format now supports a `workflowPresets` field to specify presets for `cmake --workflow`.

- The `cmake-presets(7)` format now supports an `outputJUnitFile` field to specify JUnit output in test presets.

### Languages

- C++26 compiler modes may now be specified via the `CXX_STANDARD`, `CUDA_STANDARD`, `HIP_STANDARD`, or `OBJCXX_STANDARD` target properties.

- `CUDA` language support now includes device link-time optimization when using `nvcc`. The `CMAKE_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION` variable and the associated `INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION` target property will activate device LTO.

### Command-Line

- A `cmake --workflow --preset` mode was added to drive sequences of configure, build, test, and package operations through a single command.

- The `cmake -E capabilities` command gained a new `tls` field that tells whether or not TLS is enabled.

- The `cmake -E env` command-line tool gained a `--modify` flag to support `ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION` operations.

- The `cmake --debug-trycompile` option now prints log messages reporting the directory in which each try-compile check is done.

### Compilers

- Support for the Tasking compiler toolsets (SmartCode, TriCore, Standalone: ARM, MCS, 8051) was added with compiler id `Tasking`. See the `CMAKE_TASKING_TOOLSET` variable.

### Commands

- The `add_subdirectory()` command gained a `SYSTEM` option to enable the `SYSTEM` directory property in the subdirectory.

- The `block()` and `endblock()` commands were added to manage specific scopes (policy or variable) for a contained block of commands.

- The `cmake_language()` command gained a new `GET_MESSAGE_LOG_LEVEL` sub-command. It can be used to query the current message logging level.

- The `find_file()`, `find_path()`, `find_library()`, and `find_program()` commands gained a `VALIDATOR` option to specify a function to be called for each candidate item to validate it.

- The `find_package()` command now considers paths of the form `<prefix>/<name>*/(cmake|CMake)/<name>*/` when searching for package configuration files.

- The `return()` command gained a `PROPAGATE` option to propagate variables to the scope to which control returns. See policy `CMP0140`.

- The `try_compile()` and `try_run()` commands gained new signatures that more consistently use keyword dispatch and do not require a binary directory to be specified. Additionally, these signatures use a unique directory for each invocation, which allows multiple outputs to be preserved when using `cmake --debug-trycompile`.

- The `try_compile()` and `try_run()` commands gained the option `NO_CACHE` to store results in normal variables.

- The `try_run()` command gained `RUN_OUTPUT_STDOUT_VARIABLE` and `RUN_OUTPUT_STDERR_VARIABLE` options to capture stdout and stderr separately from the output of the compiled program.

### Variables

- The `BSD` and `CMAKE_HOST_BSD` variables are now set to a string value when the target or host system is BSD, respectively.

- The `LINUX` and `CMAKE_HOST_LINUX` variables are now set to true when the target or host system is Linux, respectively.

- The `CMAKE_MSVC_DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT` variable and `MSVC_DEBUG_INFORMATION_FORMAT` target property were introduced to select the debug information format for compilers targeting the MSVC ABI. See policy `CMP0141`.

- The `CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_API_VALIDATION` variable and corresponding `XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_API_VALIDATION` target property were added to tell the `Xcode` generator what to put in the scheme's `Metal: API Validation` setting.

- The `CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_SHADER_VALIDATION` variable and corresponding `XCODE_SCHEME_ENABLE_GPU_SHADER_VALIDATION` target property were added to tell the `Xcode` generator what to put in the scheme's `Metal: Shader Validation` setting.

- The `CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_MODE` variable and corresponding `XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_MODE` target property were added to tell the `Xcode` generator what to put in the scheme's "Launch" mode setting.

- The `CMAKE_XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_CONFIGURATION` variable and corresponding `XCODE_SCHEME_LAUNCH_CONFIGURATION` target property were added to tell the `Xcode` generator what configuration to put in the scheme's Launch action.

### Properties

- The `<LANG>_COMPILER_LAUNCHER` target property now supports `generator expressions`.

- The `EXPORT_NO_SYSTEM` target property was added to specify that `install(EXPORT)` and `export()` commands will generate na imported target with `SYSTEM` property `OFF`.

- The `SYSTEM` target property was added to specify whether a target should be treated as a system library (i.e. its include directories are automatically `SYSTEM` when compiling consumers). If not set, the default is the previous behavior: on for imported targets and off for other targets.

- The `SYSTEM` directory property was added to initialize the `SYSTEM` target property for targets created in that directory.

### Modules

- The `FetchContent` module's `FetchContent_Declare()` command gained a `SYSTEM` option which sets the `SYSTEM` directory property on subdirectories created by `FetchContent_MakeAvailable()`.

- The `FindCUDAToolkit` module now provides a target for nvtx3 for CUDA 10.0+, which supersedes nvToolsExt. A deprecation warning is emitted when using `nvToolsExt` if the project requires CMake 3.25 and CUDA 10.0+ is used.

- The `FindDoxygen` module's version handling has been improved:

  - Multiple candidate installations will now be considered, if needed, to satisfy version constraints. Previously, only the first one encountered would be considered.

  - Version ranges are supported.

  - Variations in the version format reported by Doxygen are now tolerated (e.g. a trailing git commit hash).

- The `FindOpenAL` module now provides an imported target.

- The `FindOpenSP` module was added to find the OpenSP library.

- The `FindVulkan` module gained support for new components:

  `dxc`

    DirectX Shader Compiler.

  `volk`

    Volk open-source vulkan meta-loader.

### CPack

- The `CPack Archive Generator` gained a new `CPACK_ARCHIVE_FILE_EXTENSION` variable to control the package file name extension.

- The `CPack NSIS Generator` gained two new variables `CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_PRE_ARGUMENTS` and `CPACK_NSIS_EXECUTABLE_POST_ARGUMENTS` to provide arguments to the nsis executable invocation.

- The `CPack` module gained the `CPACK_READELF_EXECUTABLE`, `CPACK_OBJCOPY_EXECUTABLE`, and `CPACK_OBJDUMP_EXECUTABLE` variables to control the locations of binutils used by `cpack(1)`.

## Deprecated and Removed Features

- The `IMPORTED_NO_SYSTEM` target property has been deprecated in favor of `SYSTEM` and `EXPORT_NO_SYSTEM`.

- The `Visual Studio 10 2010` generator has been removed.

- The `Visual Studio 11 2012` generator is now deprecated and will be removed in a future version of CMake.

## Other Changes

- The `SSL_CERT_FILE` and `SSL_CERT_DIR` environment variables can now be used to override where to find certificate authorities for TLS/SSL operations.

- If `<LANG>_CLANG_TIDY` includes a `-p` argument, the full compiler command line is no longer appended after `--`.

- The `Xcode` generator no longer adds the per-config suffix `$(CONFIGURATION)$(EFFECTIVE_PLATFORM_NAME)` to library search paths. See policy `CMP0142`.

## Updates

Changes made since CMake 3.25.0 include the following.

### 3.25.1

- On Windows, when targeting the MSVC ABI, the `find_library()` command no longer accepts `.a` file names. This behavior was added in CMake 3.25.0, but has been reverted due finding GNU-ABI libraries in cases we did not previously.

### 3.25.2

- CUDA language level 20 (corresponding to C++20) is now supported with NVCC 12.0 and above.

- On Windows, the `icpx` compiler now provided by Intel oneAPI 2023.0 and above is no longer selected because its GNU-like command-line is not yet supported by CMake.

### 3.25.3

- This version made no changes to documented features or interfaces. Some implementation updates were made to support ecosystem changes and/or fix regressions.