Professional C++ Project Packaging Using CMake and CPack

Building C++ software is only half the battle; distributing it reliably across different operating systems requires careful planning and robust tooling. This course guides you through mastering CMake and its packaging counterpart, CPack, enabling you to transform raw source code into professional, installable software ready for deployment or integration into larger projects. What you'll learn: * Understand the modern CMake workflow, focusing on target properties and generator expressions for configuration management. * Configure projects for reliable installation using the standard `install()` command and manage component installation. * Apply CTest concepts to incorporate basic unit testing verification into your automated build process. * Design effective CPack configurations to generate popular package types, including compressed archives, DEB, and RPM formats. * Learn best practices for exporting CMake configuration files so other projects can easily find and link against your compiled libraries. We begin by establishing modern CMake fundamentals, then move into defining clear installation rules for executables and libraries, concluding with practical steps for generating various distribution packages using CPack. This text-only course is designed for C++ developers who are new to packaging and distribution. Basic familiarity with C++ and command-line tools is helpful, but no prior CMake or CPack experience is required. Start building truly distributable C++ software today.