FindPkgConfig — CMake 4.3.0 Documentation

# FindPkgConfig

A `pkg-config` module for CMake.

Finds the `pkg-config` executable and provides commands to use it in CMake:

    find_package(PkgConfig [<version>] [QUIET] [REQUIRED] [...])

`pkg-config` is a command-line program for configuring build dependency information. Initially developed by FreeDesktop, it is also available in several implementations, such as pkgconf, u-config, and similar. It reads package data from the so-called PC metadata files (`<module-name>.pc`) that may come installed with packages. This module is a wrapper around the `pkg-config` command-line executable.

## Result Variables

This module defines the following variables:

`PkgConfig_FOUND`

  Added in version 3.3.

  Boolean indicating whether the (requested version of) `pkg-config` executable was found.

`PkgConfig_VERSION`

  Added in version 4.2.

  The version of `pkg-config` that was found.

`PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE`

  The pathname of the `pkg-config` program.

`PKG_CONFIG_ARGN`

  Added in version 3.22.

  A list of arguments to pass to `pkg-config`.

Both `PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE` and `PKG_CONFIG_ARGN` are initialized by the module, but may be overridden by the user. See Hints for how these variables are initialized.

## Commands

This module provides the following commands, if `pkg-config` is found:

- `pkg_check_modules()`

- `pkg_search_module()`

- `pkg_get_variable()`

pkg_check_modules

  Checks for all the given modules, setting a variety of result variables in the calling scope:

      pkg_check_modules(
        <prefix>
        [QUIET]
        [REQUIRED]
        [NO_CMAKE_PATH]
        [NO_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH]
        [IMPORTED_TARGET [GLOBAL]]
        <module-spec> [<module-spec>...]
      )

  The arguments are:

  `<prefix>`

    Prefix string prepended to result variables for the specified modules.

  `QUIET`

    When this argument is given, no status messages will be printed.

  `REQUIRED`

    When this argument is given, the command will fail with an error if any of the specified module(s) could not be found.

  `NO_CMAKE_PATH`, `NO_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH`

    Added in version 3.3.

    The `CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH`, `CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH`, and `CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH` cache and environment variables will be added to the `pkg-config` search path. The `NO_CMAKE_PATH` and `NO_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH` arguments disable this behavior for the cache variables and environment variables respectively. The `PKG_CONFIG_USE_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH` variable set to `FALSE` disables this behavior globally.

  `IMPORTED_TARGET [GLOBAL]`

    Added in version 3.7.

    This argument will create an imported target named `PkgConfig::<prefix>` that can be passed directly as an argument to `target_link_libraries()`. It will encapsulate usage requirements for all specified modules `<module-spec>...` at once.

    `GLOBAL`

      Added in version 3.13.

      This argument is used together with `IMPORTED_TARGET` and will make the imported target available in global scope.

    Added in version 3.15: Non-library linker options reported by `pkg-config` are stored in the `INTERFACE_LINK_OPTIONS` target property.

    Changed in version 3.18: Include directories specified with `-isystem` are stored in the `INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES` target property. Previous versions of CMake left them in the `INTERFACE_COMPILE_OPTIONS` property.

  `<module-spec>`

    Each `<module-spec>` can be either a bare module name (as defined in its PC metadata file name `<module-name>.pc`) or it can be a module name with a version constraint (operators `=`, `<`, `>`, `<=` and `>=` are supported). The following are examples for a module named `foo` with various constraints:

    - `foo` matches any version.

    - `foo<2` only matches versions before 2.

    - `foo>=3.1` matches any version from 3.1 or later.

    - `foo=1.2.3` requires that foo must be exactly version 1.2.3.

  Result Variables

  The following variables may be set upon return. Two sets of values exist: One for the common case (`<XXX> = <prefix>`) and another for the information `pkg-config` provides when called with the `--static` option (`<XXX> = <prefix>_STATIC`).

  `<XXX>_FOUND`

    Boolean variable set to 1 if module(s) exist.

  `<XXX>_LIBRARIES`

    A list of only the libraries (without the `-l`).

  `<XXX>_LINK_LIBRARIES`

    The libraries and their absolute paths.

  `<XXX>_LIBRARY_DIRS`

    The paths of the libraries (without the `-L`).

  `<XXX>_LDFLAGS`

    All required linker flags.

  `<XXX>_LDFLAGS_OTHER`

    All other linker flags.

  `<XXX>_INCLUDE_DIRS`

    The `-I` preprocessor flags (without the `-I`).

  `<XXX>_CFLAGS`

    All required cflags.

  `<XXX>_CFLAGS_OTHER`

    The other compiler flags.

  All but `<XXX>_FOUND` may be a semicolon-separated list if the associated variable returned from `pkg-config` has multiple values.

  Changed in version 3.18: Include directories specified with `-isystem` are stored in the `<XXX>_INCLUDE_DIRS` variable. Previous versions of CMake left them in `<XXX>_CFLAGS_OTHER`.

  There are some special variables whose prefix depends on the number of `<module-spec>` given. When there is only one `<module-spec>`, `<YYY>` will simply be `<prefix>`, but if two or more `<module-spec>` items are given, `<YYY>` will be `<prefix>_<module-name>`.

  `<YYY>_VERSION`

    The version of the module.

  `<YYY>_PREFIX`

    The prefix directory of the module.

  `<YYY>_INCLUDEDIR`

    The include directory of the module.

  `<YYY>_LIBDIR`

    The lib directory of the module.

  Changed in version 3.8: For any given `<prefix>`, `pkg_check_modules()` can be called multiple times with different parameters. Previous versions of CMake cached and returned the first successful result.

  Changed in version 3.16: If a full path to the found library can't be determined, but it's still visible to the linker, pass it through as `-l<name>`. Previous versions of CMake failed in this case.

pkg_search_module

  Searches for the first successful match from one or more provided module specifications:

      pkg_search_module(
        <prefix>
        [QUIET]
        [REQUIRED]
        [NO_CMAKE_PATH]
        [NO_CMAKE_ENVIRONMENT_PATH]
        [IMPORTED_TARGET [GLOBAL]]
        <module-spec> [<module-spec>...]
      )

  The behavior and arguments of this command are the same as `pkg_check_modules()`, except that rather than checking for all the specified modules, it searches for just the first successful match.

  This command can be used, for example, when some package is known to have possible multiple `<module-spec>` on different platforms or versions for the same package.

  Result Variables

  This command defines the same variables as described above with addition to:

  `<prefix>_MODULE_NAME`

    Added in version 3.16.

    If a module is found, the `<prefix>_MODULE_NAME` variable will contain the name of the matching module. This variable can be used if the `pkg_get_variable()` command needs to be called with the `<module-name>` argument that was found by the `pkg_search_module()`.

pkg_get_variable

  Added in version 3.4.

  Retrieves the value of a `pkg-config` variable and stores it in the result variable in the calling scope:

      pkg_get_variable(
        <result-var>
        <module-name>
        <var-name>
        [DEFINE_VARIABLES <key>=<value>...]
      )

  The arguments are:

  `<result-var>`

    Name of the result variable that will contain the value of `pkg-config` variable. If `pkg-config` returns multiple values for the specified variable `<var-name>`, `<result-var>` will contain a semicolon-separated list.

  `<module-name>`

    Name of the module as defined in its PC metadata file name (`<module-name>.pc`).

  `<var-name>`

    The `pkg-config` variable name from the PC metadata file `<module-name>.pc`.

  `DEFINE_VARIABLES <key>=<value>...`

    Added in version 3.28.

    Specify key-value pairs to redefine variables affecting the variable retrieved with `pkg-config`.

## Hints

This module accepts the following variables before calling `find_package(PkgConfig)` to influence this module's behavior:

`ENV{PKG_CONFIG_PATH}`

  Environment variable that specifies additional paths in which `pkg-config` will search for its `.pc` files. The `pkg-config` tool by default uses this variable, while CMake also provides more common `CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH` variable to specify additional paths where to look for packages and their `.pc` files.

`ENV{PKG_CONFIG}`

  Added in version 3.1.

  Environment variable that can be set to the path of the `pkg-config` executable and can be used to initialize the `PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE` variable, if it has not yet been set.

`PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE`

> This cache variable can be set to the path of the `pkg-config` executable. `find_program()` is called internally by the module with this variable.

> Changed in version 3.22: If the `PKG_CONFIG` environment variable is set, only the first argument is taken from it when using it as a hint.

`PKG_CONFIG_ARGN`

> Added in version 3.22.

> This cache variable can be set to a list of arguments to additionally pass to `pkg-config` if needed. If not provided, it will be initialized from the `PKG_CONFIG` environment variable, if set. The first argument in that environment variable is assumed to be the `pkg-config` program, while all remaining arguments after that are used to initialize `PKG_CONFIG_ARGN`. If no such environment variable is defined, `PKG_CONFIG_ARGN` is initialized to an empty string. The module does not update the variable once it has been set in the cache.

`PKG_CONFIG_USE_CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH`

> Added in version 3.1.

> Specifies whether `pkg_check_modules()` and `pkg_search_module()` should add the paths in the `CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH`, `CMAKE_FRAMEWORK_PATH` and `CMAKE_APPBUNDLE_PATH` cache and environment variables to the `pkg-config` search path.

> If this variable is not set, this behavior is enabled by default if `CMAKE_MINIMUM_REQUIRED_VERSION` is 3.1 or later, disabled otherwise.

## Deprecated Variables

The following variables are provided for backward compatibility:

`PKG_CONFIG_FOUND`

  Deprecated since version 4.2: Use `PkgConfig_FOUND`, which has the same value.

  Boolean indicating whether the (requested version of) `pkg-config` executable was found.

`PKG_CONFIG_VERSION_STRING`

  Deprecated since version 4.2: Use `PkgConfig_VERSION`, which has the same value.

  The version of `pkg-config` that was found.

## Examples

### Examples: Finding pkg-config

Finding `pkg-config`:

    find_package(PkgConfig)

Finding `pkg-config` and making it required (if not found, processing stops with an error message):

    find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)

Finding `pkg-config` quietly without printing status message as commonly used in find modules:

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)

### Examples: Using `pkg_check_modules()`

Checking for any version of glib2. If found, the output variable `GLIB2_VERSION` will hold the actual version found:

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)

    if(PkgConfig_FOUND)
      pkg_check_modules(GLIB2 glib-2.0)
    endif()

The following example looks for at least version 2.10 of glib2. If found, the output variable `GLIB2_VERSION` will hold the actual version found:

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)

    if(PkgConfig_FOUND)
      pkg_check_modules(GLIB2 glib-2.0>=2.10)
    endif()

The following example looks for both glib2-2.0 (at least version 2.10) and any version of gtk2+-2.0. Only if both are found will `FOO` be considered found. The `FOO_glib-2.0_VERSION` and `FOO_gtk+-2.0_VERSION` variables will be set to their respective found module versions.

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)

    if(PkgConfig_FOUND)
      pkg_check_modules(FOO glib-2.0>=2.10 gtk+-2.0)
    endif()

The following example requires any version of `xrender`:

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET REQUIRED)
    pkg_check_modules(XRENDER REQUIRED xrender)

Example output variables set by a successful call:

    XRENDER_LIBRARIES=Xrender;X11
    XRENDER_STATIC_LIBRARIES=Xrender;X11;pthread;Xau;Xdmcp

### Example: Using `pkg_search_module()`

Searching for LibXml2 package, which might be provided with different module specifications (`libxml-2.0` or `libxml2`):

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)

    if(PkgConfig_FOUND)
      pkg_search_module(BAR libxml-2.0 libxml2 libxml>=2)
    endif()

### Example: Creating Imported Target

In the following example an imported target is created from the module specifications to use in the project directly without using a find module. These imported targets can be used, for example, in cases, where package is known to support `pkg-config` on all supported platforms:

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET REQUIRED)
    pkg_check_modules(GTK REQUIRED IMPORTED_TARGET gtk4>=4.14)
    target_link_libraries(example PRIVATE PkgConfig::GTK)

### Example: Using `pkg_get_variable()`

Retrieving the value of `pkg-config` variable `girdir` from the package Gobject:

    find_package(PkgConfig QUIET)

    if(PkgConfig_FOUND)
      pkg_get_variable(GI_GIRDIR gobject-introspection-1.0 girdir)
    endif()

    message(STATUS "${GI_GIRDIR}")

## See Also

- The `cmake_pkg_config()` command for a modern and more advanced way to work with `pkg-config` in CMake without requiring `pkg-config` executable to be installed.

- Find Modules for details how to write a find module.