PkgConfigDeps

Warning

These tools are experimental and subject to breaking changes.

PkgConfigDeps

Available since: 1.38.0

The PkgConfigDeps is the dependencies generator for pkg-config. Generates pkg-config files named <PKG-NAME>.pc (where <PKG-NAME is the name declared by dependencies in cpp_info.name or in cpp_info.names["pkg_config"] if specified), containing a valid pkg-config file syntax. Indeed, it can also be defined using set_property and the property pkg_config_name (available since Conan 1.36), for instance:

self.cpp_info.components["mycomponent"].set_property("pkg_config_name", "mypkg-config-name")

Note

In Conan 2.0 that will be the default way of setting those properties and also passing custom properties to generators. Check the cpp_info attributes reference for more information.

The prefix variable is automatically adjusted to the package_folder.

The PkgConfigDeps generator can be used by name in conanfiles:

conanfile.py

class Pkg(ConanFile):
    generators = "PkgConfigDeps"

conanfile.txt

[generators]
PkgConfigDeps

And it can also be fully instantiated in the conanfile generate() method:

from conans import ConanFile
from conan.tools.gnu import PkgConfigDeps

class App(ConanFile):
    settings = "os", "arch", "compiler", "build_type"
    requires = "zlib/1.2.11"

    def generate(self):
        pc = PkgConfigDeps(self)
        pc.generate()

The PkgConfigDeps will generate the *.pc file after a conan install command:

$ conan install .
# Check the [PC_FILE_NAME].pc created in your current folder

Now, running this command using the previous conanfile.py, you can check the zlib.pc file created into your current folder:

prefix=/Users/YOUR_USER/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/_/_/package/647afeb69d3b0a2d3d316e80b24d38c714cc6900
libdir=${prefix}/lib
includedir=${prefix}/include

Name: zlib
Description: Conan package: zlib
Version: 1.2.11
Libs: -L"${libdir}" -lz  -Wl,-rpath,"${libdir}" -F Frameworks
Cflags: -I"${includedir}"

Components

If a recipe uses components, the files generated will be <[PKG-NAME]-[COMP-NAME]>.pc with their corresponding flags and require relations.

Additionally, a <PKG-NAME>.pc is generated to maintain compatibility for consumers with recipes that start supporting components. This <PKG-NAME>.pc file will declare all the components of the package as requires while the rest of the fields will be empty, relying on the propagation of flags coming from the components <[PKG-NAME]-[COMP-NAME]>.pc files.