Custom integrations
If you intend to use a build system that does not have a built-in generator, you may still be able to do so. There are several options:
First, search in ConanCenter for generator packages. Generators can be created and contributed by users as regular packages, so you can depend on them as a normal requirement, use versioning and evolve faster without depending on the Conan releases.
You can use the txt or json generators. They will generate a text file, simple to read that you can easily parse with your tools to extract the required information.
Use the conanfile data model (deps_cpp_info, deps_env_info) in your recipe to access its properties and values, so you can directly call your build system with that information, without requiring to generate a file.
Write and create your own generator. So you can upload it, version and reuse it, as well as share it with your team or community. Check How to create and share a custom generator with generator packages.
Note
Need help integrating your build system? Tell us what you need: info@conan.io
Use the JSON generator
Specify the json generator in your recipe:
[requires]
fmt/6.1.2
poco/1.9.4
[generators]
json
A file named conanbuildinfo.json will be generated. It will contain the information about every dependency:
{
"dependencies":
[
{
"name": "fmt",
"version": "6.1.2",
"include_paths": [
"/path/to/.conan/data/fmt/6.1.2/_/_/package/<id>/include"
],
"lib_paths": [
"/path/to/.conan/data/fmt/6.1.2/_/_/package/<id>/lib"
],
"libs": [
"fmt"
],
"...": "...",
},
{
"name": "poco",
"version": "1.9.4",
"...": "..."
}
]
}
Use the text generator
Just specify the txt generator in your recipe:
[requires]
poco/1.9.4
[generators]
txt
A file is generated with the same information in a generic text format.
[includedirs]
/home/user/.conan/data/poco/1.9.4/_/_/package/58080bce1cc38259eb7c282aa95c25aecde8efe4/include
/home/user/.conan/data/openssl/1.0.2t/_/_/package/f99afdbf2a1cc98ba2029817b35103455b6a9b77/include
/home/user/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/_/_/package/6af9cc7cb931c5ad942174fd7838eb655717c709/include
[libdirs]
/home/user/.conan/data/poco/1.9.4/_/_/package/58080bce1cc38259eb7c282aa95c25aecde8efe4/lib
/home/user/.conan/data/openssl/1.0.2t/_/_/package/f99afdbf2a1cc98ba2029817b35103455b6a9b77/lib
/home/user/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/_/_/package/6af9cc7cb931c5ad942174fd7838eb655717c709/lib
[bindirs]
/home/user/.conan/data/openssl/1.0.2t/_/_/package/f99afdbf2a1cc98ba2029817b35103455b6a9b77/bin
[resdirs]
/home/user/.conan/data/openssl/1.0.2t/_/_/package/f99afdbf2a1cc98ba2029817b35103455b6a9b77/res
[builddirs]
/home/user/.conan/data/poco/1.9.4/_/_/package/58080bce1cc38259eb7c282aa95c25aecde8efe4/
/home/user/.conan/data/openssl/1.0.2t/_/_/package/f99afdbf2a1cc98ba2029817b35103455b6a9b77/
/home/user/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/_/_/package/6af9cc7cb931c5ad942174fd7838eb655717c709/
[libs]
PocoMongoDB
PocoNetSSL
PocoNet
PocoCrypto
PocoDataSQLite
PocoData
PocoZip
PocoUtil
PocoXML
PocoJSON
PocoRedis
PocoFoundation
rt
ssl
crypto
dl
pthread
z
[system_libs]
[defines]
POCO_STATIC=ON
POCO_NO_AUTOMATIC_LIBS
Use the Conan data model (in a conanfile.py)
If you are using any other build system you can use Conan too. In the build() method you can access your settings and build information
from your requirements and pass it to your build system. Note, however, that probably is simpler and much more reusable to create a
generator to simplify the task for your build system.
from conans import ConanFile
class MyProjectWithConan(ConanFile):
settings = "os", "compiler", "build_type", "arch"
requires = "poco/1.9.4"
########### IT'S IMPORTANT TO DECLARE THE TXT GENERATOR TO DEAL WITH A GENERIC BUILD SYSTEM
generators = "txt"
default_options = {"poco:shared": False, "openssl:shared": False}
def imports(self):
self.copy("*.dll", dst="bin", src="bin") # From bin to bin
self.copy("*.dylib*", dst="bin", src="lib") # From lib to bin
def build(self):
############ Without any helper ###########
# Settings
print(self.settings.os)
print(self.settings.arch)
print(self.settings.compiler)
# Options
#print(self.options.my_option)
print(self.options["openssl"].shared)
print(self.options["poco"].shared)
# Paths and libraries, all
print("-------- ALL --------------")
print(self.deps_cpp_info.include_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.lib_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.bin_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.libs)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.defines)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.cflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.cxxflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.sharedlinkflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info.exelinkflags)
# Just from OpenSSL
print("--------- FROM OPENSSL -------------")
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].include_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].lib_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].bin_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].libs)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].defines)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].cflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].cxxflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].sharedlinkflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["openssl"].exelinkflags)
# Just from POCO
print("--------- FROM POCO -------------")
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].include_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].lib_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].bin_paths)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].libs)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].defines)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].cflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].cxxflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].sharedlinkflags)
print(self.deps_cpp_info["poco"].exelinkflags)
# self.run("invoke here your configure, make, or others")
# self.run("basically you can do what you want with your requirements build info)
# Environment variables (from requirements self.env_info objects)
# are automatically applied in the python ``os.environ`` but can be accesible as well:
print("--------- Globally -------------")
print(self.env)
print("--------- FROM MyLib -------------")
print(self.deps_env_info["mylib"].some_env_var)
# User declared variables (from requirements self.user_info objects)
# are available in the self.deps_user_info object
print("--------- FROM MyLib -------------")
print(self.deps_user_info["mylib"].some_user_var)
Create your own generator
There are two ways in which generators can be contributed:
Forking and adding the new generator in the Conan codebase. This will be a built-in generator. It might have a much slower release and update cycle, it needs to pass some tests before being accepted, but it has the advantage than no extra things are needed to use that generator (once next Conan version is released).
Creating a custom generator package. You can write a conanfile.py and add the custom logic for a generator inside that file, then upload, refer and depend on it as any other package. These generators will be another node in the dependency graph but they have many advantages: much faster release cycles, independent from the Conan codebase and can be versioned. So backwards compatibility and upgrades are much easier.
Extending Conan
There are other powerful mechanisms to integrate other tools with Conan. Check the Extending Conan section for further information.