#cmakeeasy

[dreamhollow4219]

Dev Thoughts: CMakeEasy

Whew boy, I feel really confident that not a lot of developers use Tumblr as far as I'm aware. I've been on the platform long enough to know that it's more likely to have a lot of artists, writers, and other creatives.

That being said, I still wanted to share my thoughts on my favorite personal project: CMakeEasy.

For people who don't know, I am currently the development lead and solo developer of CMakeEasy.

CMakeEasy is a C++ based and library-free terminal-based CMakeLists.txt generator. So you might be wondering, "DreamHollow, what the heck is a CMakeLists.txt generator? How is that useful to anyone?"

Well I started the project for my own needs, actually. I'm highly dependent on using a build-system-assistant called CMake. (Honestly I don't know what CMake is classified as, they claim it's not a build system.) But I'm the sort of person that absolutely hates having to constantly look up exact syntax, documentation, and debugging on something that should be relatively simple.

I decided to start development on CMakeEasy in September 2022. It started out with one relatively small Main file that, honestly, barely did anything at all. I dare say it was almost like the alpha version of the project because the scope was not realized.

As of my writing now in May 2023, the repo has grown reasonably large for a solo project.

Where CMakeEasy initially started off barely able to write functional lists, it has blossomed into a more comprehensive project that can write a fairly complex CMakeLists.txt file within seconds to minutes.

Unfortunately, more work still needs to be done. CMakeEasy is functional but can be confusing in terms of usage. I'm going to be overhauling the documentation, syntax, and functionality before the end of the Summer. That's the plan anyway.

The reason I am telling people about this is that I thought it would be a shame if anyone using CMake felt like they had to make the lists the old fashioned way. I promise, you don't anymore. My editor will be continually updated as much as possible to make the process easier for everyone.

Thanks for reading.