CMake Scaffolding

metis init --enable-cmake generates a production-grade CMakeLists.txt and a minimal src/main.cpp:

$ metis init --enable-cmake

Creates:

• CMakeLists.txt — full CMake project configuration
• src/main.cpp — entry point with main() stub

CMake Options

Adding Dependencies (FetchContent)

$ metis init --enable-cmake \
  --add-dep fmt:https://github.com/fmtlib/fmt.git:11.0.2 \
  --add-dep tomlplusplus:https://github.com/marzer/tomlplusplus.git:v3.4.0

Each validated dependency generates a FetchContent_Declare block. With --enable-conan, find_package(<name> REQUIRED) is emitted instead, alongside a generated conanfile.py. Validate resolved dependencies at any time with metis deps. See the deps page for details.

What the Generated CMakeLists.txt Includes

• cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20) with project declaration
• C++ standard enforcement (CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON, extensions OFF)
• Build type configuration (Debug + Release)
• CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS for IDE support
• Source file and include directory setup
• Compiler warnings: -Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic -Wconversion -Wshadow (GCC/Clang) or /W4 (MSVC)
• Sanitizers: address + undefined behaviour in Debug builds
• clang-tidy integration (if --enable-clang-tidy was also passed)
• clang-format custom target (make format)
• Testing: enable_testing() + add_subdirectory(tests) (if --cmake-enable-testing)
• Installation rules with GNUInstallDirs

Examples

# Minimal C++20 executable project
$ metis init --enable-cmake

# C++17 static library with testing
$ metis init --enable-cmake --cmake-cpp-standard 17 --cmake-target-type static --cmake-enable-testing

# Full-featured project with clang-tidy + sanitizers
$ metis init \
  --enable-cmake \
  --cmake-cpp-standard 20 \
  --cmake-enable-testing \
  --cmake-enable-sanitizers \
  --enable-clang-tidy \
  --tidy-preset strict \
  --style google

# Header-only library (no src/main.cpp generated)
$ metis init --enable-cmake --cmake-target-type header-only

# Project with Conan package manager support
$ metis init --enable-cmake --enable-conan

# Full-featured project with Conan + clang-tidy + testing
$ metis init \
  --enable-cmake \
  --enable-conan \
  --cmake-cpp-standard 20 \
  --cmake-enable-testing \
  --enable-clang-tidy \
  --tidy-preset strict \
  --style google

Generate src/main.cpp Without CMake

$ metis init --generate-src

Creates only src/main.cpp, no CMakeLists.txt.

Conan Package Manager Integration

When --enable-conan is passed with --enable-cmake, metis generates:

• conanfile.py — Conan package definition with CMakeToolchain/CMakeDeps
• CMakeLists.txt — Updated to use find_package() instead of FetchContent

The generated conanfile.py includes:

• Python class-based Conan recipe
• CMakeToolchain and CMakeDeps generators
• Proper dependency resolution from .metis.toml

What the generated CMakeLists.txt includes (with Conan):

• Uses find_package(fmt REQUIRED) instead of FetchContent
• Uses find_package(tomlplusplus REQUIRED) instead of FetchContent
• Links against imported targets (fmt::fmt, tomlplusplus::tomlplusplus)

Usage:

# Generate with Conan support
$ metis init --enable-cmake --enable-conan

# Build with Conan
$ conan install . --output-folder=build --build=missing
$ cmake -B build -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=build/conan_toolchain.cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
$ cmake --build build