How to add icon to cmake app in windows

cmake_windows_icon.txt

1. Put app.ico in directory.

2. Create app.rc in same directory with one line:
IDI_ICON1               ICON        DISCARDABLE            "app.ico"

3. Run command (Warning: it's app.o, not app.res, how it is mentioned in other manuals!)
windres app.rc -o app.o

4. add_executable(app
  ...
  app.o
)

5. Proofit!

Amazing, the only one i tried that works.

btw excuse me @b1ek , can you elaborate more on your CMAKE_AUTORCC method?

I set(CMAKE_AUTORCC ON) in the CMakeLists.txt, and it automatically picked up the icon from one of the resource files which i forgot where i put it.

I think I put the icon into the "IDI_ICON" resource with RCC which cmake put into windres for me. Im sorry if that's not clear enough, that project is more than a few years old and i was kinda in a hurry writing it so it is quite a mess 😅

Edit: found the .rc file

Generate the object file is not a good way for cross platform, this can add the icon on Windows by my test.

Hi! I was using this method but actually discovered you can simply add the ".rc" file to the sources and it should just work...

how do i use the icon with multiple windows?

This post is incorrect. The Doc identify option /fo resname for anyone using cmake here is a snippet that generates the .RES script form RC compilation. Also make sure the resource.h file include windows.h header file .

adds a custom build step to a file. Generates the resources

add_custom_command(
TARGET LibTransactX
PRE_BUILD
DEPENDS RC
COMMAND RC /v /r ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/res/app.rc
WORKING_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/res"
COMMENT "Build step to produce the icon file"
)