Toolchains

Toolchains are the new, experimental way to integrate with build systems in Conan. Recipes can define a generate() method that will return an object which can generate files from the current configuration that can be used by the build systems. Conan generators provide information about dependencies, while toolchains provide a “translation” from the Conan settings and options, and the recipe defined configuration to something that the build system can understand. A recipe that does not have dependencies does not need a generator, but can still use a toolchain.

A toolchain can be defined, among the built-ins toolchains, with an attribute with the name of the toolchain class to use.

generators = "<ToolChainClassName>"

For example, for using the CMake toolchain this should be declared in the recipe:

generators = "CMakeToolchain"

Note

At the moment (Conan 1.32), the available built-in toolchains are CMakeToolchain, MSBuildToolchain and MesonToolchain.

But in the more general case, and if it needs any specific configuration beyond the default one:

from conan.tools.cmake import CMakeToolchain

def generate(self):
    tc = CMakeToolchain(self)
    # customize toolchain "tc"
    tc.generate()

It is possible to use the generate() method to create your own files, which will typically be deduced from the current configuration of self.settings and self.options.

from conans.tools import save

def generate(self):
    # Based on the self.settings, self.options, the user
    # can generate their own files:
    save("mytoolchain.tool", "my own toolchain contents, deduced from the settings and options")
    # The "mytoolchain.tool" file can be used by the build system to
    # define the build

And as usual, you can create your own toolchain helpers, put them in a python_requires package and reuse them in all your recipes.

Toolchains have some important advantages:

They execute at conan install time. They generate files, not command line arguments, providing better reproducibility and debugging of builds.
They provide a better developer experience. The command line used by developers locally, like cmake ... will achieve the same build, with the same flags, as the conan build or the build that is done in the cache with a conan create.
They are more extensible and configurable.

The toolchains implement most of the build system logic, leaving the build helpers, like CMake(), doing less work, and acting basically as a high level wrapper of the build system. Many of the existing arguments, attributes or methods of those build helpers will not be available. Check the documentation of each toolchain to check the associated build helper available functionality.

from conan.tools.cmake import CMakeToolchain, CMake

def generate(self):
    tc = CMakeToolchain(self)
    # customize toolchain "tc"
    tc.generate()

def build(self):
    # NOTE: This is a simplified helper
    # Not all arguments attributes and methods might be available
    cmake = CMake(self)

To learn more about existing built-in toolchains, read the reference in tools.