RE: [Vxl-maintainers] guide to writing CMake config files version 2

[Wheeler, F. (Research) <wh...@cr...>]

Amitha,

> The biggest drawback to this is that the UseXXX will have to do
> indiscriminate LINK_LIBRARIES, which can propagate incorrect
> dependencies, potentially leading to unnecessarily complicated link
> lines. This is especially so because LINK_LIBRARIES are propagated to
> subdirectories, where as the TARGET_... are not. Still, vxl seems to
> be building and not too many people complaining, so it can't be all
> bad.

I see, you could not use the preferred TARGET_ function in an include file.  What CMake needs is a
way to define functions!

INCLUDE( .../FindXXX.cmake ) # finds files and defines UseXXX
call UseXXX( <my target exec or library> )

> > Again, I suggest this go in "UseVGUI.cmake".
> 
> And I admit that this case irks me enough that I'm tempted to agree
> with you even if there were no consistency in the UseXs.

Perhaps the "policy" should be that any library that wants to provide a UseXXX.cmake file (with
LINK_LIBRARIES commands) is welcome to, and users of the library are free to use it or ignore it.  At
worst it lets the library provider document in a familiar place what needs to be included and linked
to use the library for the more complicated cases.
 
-Fred