CMake for MinGW Makefiles won't create the build

Question

I am trying to create a build of MinGW Makefiles using cmake but I get the following error when I execute the command cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" ..\source\ I have attached a picture of my path varibles below.Path Variables. I get the following error on running the cmake -G commmand

PS C:\Users\gaura.YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\new_code\cmake_1st_proj\C-Make\1st project\build> cmake ..\source\ -G "MinGW Makefiles" -- The CXX compiler identification is MSVC 19.33.31630.0 -- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info -- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - failed -- Check for working CXX compiler: C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.33.31629/bin/Hostx64/x64/cl.exe -- Check for working CXX compiler: C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.33.31629/bin/Hostx64/x64/cl.exe - broken CMake Error at C:/Program Files/CMake/share/cmake-3.25/Modules/CMakeTestCXXCompiler.cmake:63 (message): The C++ compiler

"C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.33.31629/bin/Hostx64/x64/cl.exe"

is not able to compile a simple test program.

It fails with the following output:

Change Dir: C:/Users/gaura.YASH/OneDrive/Desktop/new_code/cmake_1st_proj/C-Make/1st project/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeScratch/TryCompile-mhmynt

Run Build Command(s):C:/MinGW/bin/mingw32-make.exe -f Makefile cmTC_29120/fast && C:/MinGW/bin/mingw32-make.exe  -f CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir\build.make CMakeFiles/cmTC_29120.dir/build
mingw32-make.exe[1]: Entering directory 'C:/Users/gaura.YASH/OneDrive/Desktop/new_code/cmake_1st_proj/C-Make/1st project/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeScratch/TryCompile-mhmynt'
Building CXX object CMakeFiles/cmTC_29120.dir/testCXXCompiler.cxx.obj
"C:\Program Files\CMake\bin\cmake.exe" -E cmake_cl_compile_depends --dep-file=CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir\testCXXCompiler.cxx.obj.d --working-dir="C:\Users\gaura.YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\new_code\cmake_1st_proj\C-Make\1st project\build\CMakeFiles\CMakeScratch\TryCompile-mhmynt" --filter-prefix="Note: including file: " -- C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~4\2022\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1433~1.316\bin\Hostx64\x64\cl.exe  /nologo /TP   /DWIN32 /D_WINDOWS /W3 /GR /EHsc  /MDd /Zi /Ob0 /Od /RTC1 /showIncludes /FoCMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir\testCXXCompiler.cxx.obj /FdCMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir/ /FS -c "C:\Users\gaura.YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\new_code\cmake_1st_proj\C-Make\1st project\build\CMakeFiles\CMakeScratch\TryCompile-mhmynt\testCXXCompiler.cxx"
testCXXCompiler.cxx
Linking CXX executable cmTC_29120.exe
"C:\Program Files\CMake\bin\cmake.exe" -E cmake_link_script CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir\link.txt --verbose=1
"C:\Program Files\CMake\bin\cmake.exe" -E vs_link_exe --intdir=CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir --rc=rc --mt=CMAKE_MT-NOTFOUND --manifests -- C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~4\2022\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1433~1.316\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo @CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir\objects1  /out:cmTC_29120.exe /implib:cmTC_29120.lib /pdb:"C:\Users\gaura.YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\new_code\cmake_1st_proj\C-Make\1st project\build\CMakeFiles\CMakeScratch\TryCompile-mhmynt\cmTC_29120.pdb" /version:0.0 /machine:x64  /debug /INCREMENTAL /subsystem:console  kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib
RC Pass 1: command "rc /fo CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir/manifest.res CMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir/manifest.rc" failed (exit code 0) with the following output:
The system cannot find the file specifiedCMakeFiles\cmTC_29120.dir\build.make:99: recipe for target 'cmTC_29120.exe' failed
mingw32-make.exe[1]: *** [cmTC_29120.exe] Error -1
mingw32-make.exe[1]: Leaving directory 'C:/Users/gaura.YASH/OneDrive/Desktop/new_code/cmake_1st_proj/C-Make/1st project/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeScratch/TryCompile-mhmynt'
Makefile:126: recipe for target 'cmTC_29120/fast' failed
mingw32-make.exe: *** [cmTC_29120/fast] Error 2

CMake will not be able to correctly generate this project. Call Stack (most recent call first): CMakeLists.txt:2 (project)

-- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred! See also "C:/Users/gaura.YASH/OneDrive/Desktop/new_code/cmake_1st_proj/C-Make/1st project/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log". See also "C:/Users/gaura.YASH/OneDrive/Desktop/new_code/cmake_1st_proj/C-Make/1st project/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeError.log". PS C:\Users\gaura.YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\new_code\cmake_1st_proj\C-Make\1st project\build>

I am trying to avoid adding the compiler to be used in the cmakelist.txt file as I saw that it is a bad practice. I searched and found alternative approaches using -D flag and saving the preferred settings in cache but I am curious to know why this one works in the tutorial but not on my system.

Answer 1

I tinkered for a bit and realized it is necessary to give the g++ compiler as a flag to the cmake command. The default compiler here is MSVC but mingw-makefile use the g++.exe. Thus, the command cmake -G MinGW Makefiles" -D CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++ ..\source\ will create a build for your project given the build repository doesn't have any existing cache, if it does, then you would need to clear it. One thing to keep in mind is that compiler = g++ is the name of the application of the compiler in path. So you must add it to path and write the exact name without ext. here. Additionally, I tried to run the ninja build system, which also showed the same error as the original question. Similar changes in the command fixed it as well, so cmake -G "Ninja" -D CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=g++ ..\source\ will build your project, given you have no cache in build. Delete if you do. I could not find out how to run ninja using msvc though, replacing g++ with the cl exe did not work. Edit: How to use Clang-CL LLVM with VS2019 CMAKE? for the clang-msvc one.