CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX for install process

[guestieng]

With cmake (directly) it is possible to install a project with "temporarily" setting the install prefix, in the sense that CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX is not changed within the CmakeCache file. The corresponding command would look like this: cmake --install . --config <build type> --prefix <install prefix> Is there a way to do this with cmake-tools, i.e., I guess cmake.install?

[bobbrow]

Does it work if you add "--prefix", "<install prefix>" to the cmake.buildArgs array?

[guestieng]

I tried "cmake.buildArgs": ["--prefix", "<install prefix>" ] in the workspace settings (do you mean it this way?). This does not work and yields the error

MSBUILD : error MSB1001: unknown switch
Switch: --prefix.vcxproj
MSBUILD : error MSB1009: Project file does not exis.
Switch: <install prefix>.vcxproj

Otherwise I tried "cmake.buildArgs": ["--prefix <install prefix>" ] . This yields the error

MSBUILD : error MSB1001: unknown switch
Switch: --prefix <install prefix>.vcxproj

[bobbrow]

Yes, I meant the first one. I haven't used it in my own projects, but looking at the code I thought it might have been supported. It seems that the --prefix might only be supported for the newer --install switch which is not currently used by this extension. It still generates a command like --build . --target install

[guestieng]

Alright, can one expect to have that any time soon? Ideally, having the following 2 features would be nice:

1. A way to do installation only, e.g.: cmake --install . --config <build type> --prefix <install prefix>
2. A combination of building and pure installation, i.e., combining consecutively cmake --build . --target install or cmake --build . and cmake --install . --config <build type> --prefix <install prefix>

[bobbrow]

I can't promise when this might be done, but we would accept a PR from the community that implements this behavior. It's possible all that needs to happen is to update the command based on the version of cmake being used and expose a new setting cmake.installArgs that will allow you to set additional switches during an "install".

Number 1. should definitely be implemented. Number 2. seems to be a lower priority to us since you would already be able to invoke both commands in sequence, but could perhaps be implemented by creating a new setting for it.

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[gcampbell-msft]

@guestieng CMake Presets supports the installDir field which should help you solve this. We also have the CMake: Install command.

Do these things help solve this issue?