- Qt Creator Documentation
- Add libraries to CMake projects
- Qt Creator 17.0.1

How To

# Add libraries to CMake projects

In addition to Qt libraries, you can add other libraries to your projects. The process depends on the type and location of the library:

- A system library
- Your own library
- A 3rd party library

Qt Creator supports code completion and syntax highlighting for the added libraries once your project successfully builds and links to them.

## Add your own libraries

Use the qt_add_library command to create a library and link against it in the CMakeLists.txt file, as instructed in Structuring projects.

Specify whether the library is statically or dynamically linked. For a statically linked internal library, add the CMake: target_link_libraries command to the CMakeLists.txt project file to specify dependencies.

## Add external libraries

Through external libraries, Qt Creator can support code completion and syntax highlighting as if the code were a part of the current project or the Qt library.

Qt Creator detects the external libraries using the CMake: find_package command. Some libraries come with the CMake installation. You can find those in the `Modules` directory of your CMake installation. For more information, see CMake: cmake-packages(7).

## Use local CMake Find packages

For CMake projects that have external dependencies, use Find<package>.cmake modules that expose imported targets. You can use the pre-defined `sample_find_module` code snippet to add sample commands to a `.cmake` file. You can then change the commands as necessary.

Place Find modules in the `${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake` directory, and append the directory name to the CMAKE_MODULE_PATH list variable. For example:

     list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake")

See also How To: Build with CMake, CMake, Completion, and Snippets.