How do you set GDB debug flag with cmake?

Question

I have tried setting the debug flags using the

set

command in cmake but I cam unsure what to add. I have been told things like DEBUG=true but so far i am unable to find the correct flag to set.

score 78 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 04 '12 at 06:37

78

If you want to build for debug (including source information, i.e. -g) when compiling, use

cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug <path>

If you want to build a release build, you can use

cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo <path>

answered Apr 04 '12 at 06:37

Fredrik Jansson

16

This isn't working for me. When I try to run `gdb`, my backtraces consist entirely of memory addresses and question marks with no function names or anything. – Translunar Jun 05 '14 at 21:04
2

set the path in the gdb if its not set to the source file directory by using below gdb> directory "directory path" – ravi.zombie Aug 13 '14 at 02:02
1

you can use set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-g") in CMakeLists.txt – Chintan Patel May 15 '18 at 05:57

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

2

Alternatively you can use the CMAKE GUI to make this change. Doing ccmake with the project will yield a screen similar to this:

Entering Debug in the CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE field will allow you to build with debug flags.

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Community

answered Dec 27 '18 at 07:18

Fantastic Mr Fox

For a person new to using CMake, ccmake is an excellent solution. I'd suggest that `RelWithDebInfo` might be more helpful than `Debug` for the CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE. It would also be good to mention that they should hit `g` to generate after editing. If you wanted to go the extra mile, you could include all the keystrokes (`/` to start searching `type` to find BUILD_TYPE, `Enter` to start editing the field...) – hackerb9 Sep 13 '21 at 02:01

2 Answers2