ccmake

ccmake is a text-based user interface for configuring projects that use the CMake build system. It provides a terminal-based means to view and edit the CMake cache entries that govern how a project is configured and built. ccmake is part of the CMake distribution and typically accompanies the cmake command-line interface and the cmake-gui graphical interface.

Operation and workflow: ccmake runs in a build directory that contains a CMakeCache.txt file. The common workflow is to create a build directory, generate an initial cache with cmake (for example by cmake -S <source> -B <build>), then run ccmake in that build directory to adjust options. Within the interface, users select cache entries to modify, toggle booleans, change strings, or view advanced entries. The primary action is to configure, which re-runs CMake with the current cache contents, potentially creating or updating CMakeCache.txt. After a successful configuration, the project can be generated and built using the usual CMake or build system commands.

Limitations and scope: ccmake requires a terminal with ncurses support and does not offer the full functionality of a graphical interface. It is well suited for headless environments, remote servers, or users who prefer a command-line workflow.

Relation to other tools: It complements the cmake-gui by providing a text-based alternative. Like other CMake frontends, it edits cache entries rather than source files.

See also: CMake, cmake-gui, build directory, CMakeCache.txt.