CPACKGENERATOR

CPACKGENERATOR is a configuration option within CMake, a cross-platform free and open-source software for managing the build process of software. It is used to define the packaging rules for an installable software project. When CMake is configured, the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX variable determines the default installation directory. The CPACKGENERATOR variable, however, specifies which packaging generator should be used when the cpack command is invoked. CPack is CMake's installer and packager generator.

CPack supports various packaging formats, and CPACKGENERATOR allows the user to select the desired output. Common generators include those for creating .deb packages for Debian-based Linux distributions, .rpm packages for Red Hat-based Linux distributions, NSIS installers for Windows, and TGZ archives for simple distribution. Other less common generators might also be available depending on the CMake version and installed components.

To utilize CPACKGENERATOR, it is typically set as a cache variable during the CMake configuration step. For example, a user might run CMake with the command: cmake -DCPACKGENERATOR=DEB .. This instructs CMake to use the DEB generator when cpack is later executed. The choice of generator depends on the target platform and the desired distribution method for the software. It enables developers to create native installers for different operating systems directly from their build system.