Adding Boost as a Dependency with CMake

CMakeLists.txt

# COPYRIGHT (C) Florian Wolters 2014
#
# Author: Florian Wolters <[email protected]>

cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 2.8.12.2 FATAL_ERROR)

# Set options for this project.
set (PROJECT_NAME "hello_boost_with_cmake" CXX)
project (${PROJECT_NAME})
set (PROJECT_SOURCE_DECLARATION_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/include)
set (PROJECT_SOURCE_DEFINITION_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src)
set (MAIN_FILE ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DEFINITION_DIRECTORY}/main.cc)

# Set options used by "CMake".
set (CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/bin)

# Set options used by "FindBoost.cmake".

# Either specify BOOST_ROOT or BOOST_INCLUDEDIR and BOOST_LIBRARYDIR.
# I am using "MinGW Distro" in this example, but also a relative path, e. g.
# "vendor/boost" can be specified.
set (BOOST_ROOT "C:/MinGW")
#set (BOOST_INCLUDEDIR "C:/MinGW/include")
#set (BOOST_LIBRARYDIR "C:/MinGW/lib")
set (Boost_NO_SYSTEM_PATHS ON)
set (Boost_USE_MULTITHREADED ON)
set (Boost_USE_STATIC_LIBS ON)
set (Boost_USE_STATIC_RUNTIME OFF)
set (BOOST_ALL_DYN_LINK OFF)

# Load settings for the external project "Boost".
# The components "system" and "filesystem" from "Boost" version 1.55.0 or
# greater are required.
find_package (Boost 1.55.0 REQUIRED COMPONENTS system filesystem)
if (Boost_FOUND)
  # From the offical documentation:
  # Add include directories to the build. [...] If the SYSTEM option is given,
  # the compiler will be told the directories are meant as system include
  # directories on some platforms (signalling this setting might achieve effects
  # such as the compiler skipping warnings [...])."
  include_directories (SYSTEM ${Boost_INCLUDE_DIR})

  # From the offical documentation:
  # "Specify directories in which the linker will look for libraries. [...] Note
  # that this command is rarely necessary. Library locations returned by
  # find_package() and find_library() are absolute paths. Pass these absolute
  # library file paths directly to the target_link_libraries() command. CMake
  # will ensure the linker finds them."
  #link_directories (${Boost_LIBRARY_DIRS})
endif ()

include_directories (${PROJECT_SOURCE_DECLARATION_DIRECTORY})

# "Add an executable to the project using the specified source files."
add_executable (${PROJECT_NAME} ${MAIN_FILE})
# "Link a target to given libraries."
target_link_libraries (${PROJECT_NAME} ${Boost_LIBRARIES})