Installing Prrerequisites

Installing Homebrew

Homebrew serves as the primary package manager for macOS, providing a convenient way to install development tools. Execute the following command in you're terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Installing Build Tools

Both CMake and Ninja are available through Homebrew:

brew install cmake ninja

Installing vcpkg

Manual installation of vcpkg is recommended since the absolute path will be required for configuration. Choose a directory to installation, such as your home directory.

Clone the vcpkg repository:

git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git

Run the bootstrap script:

cd vcpkg
./bootstrap-vcpkg.sh

Configuring Environment Variables

For zsh users, edit your shell configuration:

nano ~/.zshrc

Add the following at the beginning of the file:

export PATH="$HOME/vcpkg:$PATH"

Add the vcpkg root directory variable:

export VCPKG_ROOT="$HOME/vcpkg"

Enabling CMake Integration

Run the integration command:

vcpkg integrate install

Note the CMake toolchain file path from the output:

Applied user-wide integration for this vcpkg root. CMake projects should use: "-DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=$HOME/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake"

Project Configuration

Creating a vcpkg Project

Initialize a new vcpkg manifest:

vcpkg new --application

Add a dependency for testing:

vcpkg add port fmt

CMakeLists.txt Configuration

Create a CMakeLists.txt file with the following content:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 4.2)
project(DemoApp)

set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 20)

add_executable(DemoApp src/main.cpp)

find_package(fmt CONFIG REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(DemoApp PRIVATE fmt::fmt)

CMakePresets.json Configuration

Create a CMakePresets.json file:

{
    "version": 8,
    "configurePresets": [
        {
            "name": "Debug",
            "generator": "Ninja",
            "displayName": "Clang-Debug",
            "binaryDir": "${sourceDir}/build-debug",
            "cacheVariables": {
                "CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE": "Debug",
                "CMAKE_C_COMPILER": "/usr/bin/clang",
                "CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER": "/usr/bin/clang++",
                "CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM": "/opt/homebrew/bin/ninja",
                "CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE": "$HOME/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Release",
            "generator": "Ninja",
            "displayName": "Clang-Release",
            "binaryDir": "${sourceDir}/build-release",
            "cacheVariables": {
                "CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE": "Release",
                "CMAKE_C_COMPILER": "/usr/bin/clang",
                "CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER": "/usr/bin/clang++",
                "CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM": "/opt/homebrew/bin/ninja",
                "CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE": "$HOME/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Source File

Create the source file at src/main.cpp:

#include <fmt/core.h>

int main() {
    fmt::print("Hello from vcpkg!\n");
    return 0;
}

Building the Project

Generate the build directory using a preset:

cmake -B build --preset Debug

Compile the project:

cmake --build build

The compiled binary will be located in the build directory.