Add CONFIGURE_DEPENDS flag to globs and cleanup (#5)

* join comments

* join target properties

* add empty lines

* update readme

* add CONFIGURE_DEPENDS to glob sources

* update comment about glob

* update comment about removing unused files

* update glob comment in the main CMakeLists

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ endif()
 
 # ---- Add source files ----
 
-# Note: globbing sources is considered bad practice as CMake won't detect new files automatically.
-# Remember to always invoke cmake after changing files, or explicitly mention them here.
-FILE(GLOB_RECURSE headers "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/*.h")
-FILE(GLOB_RECURSE sources "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/*.cpp")
+# Note: globbing sources is considered bad practice as CMake's generators may not detect new files automatically.
+# Keep that in mind when changing files, or explicitly mention them here.
+FILE(GLOB_RECURSE headers CONFIGURE_DEPENDS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/*.h")
+FILE(GLOB_RECURSE sources CONFIGURE_DEPENDS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/*.cpp")
 
 # ---- Add dependencies via CPM ----
 # see https://github.com/TheLartians/CPM.cmake for more info
@@ -35,12 +35,11 @@ CPMAddPackage(
 
 # ---- Create library ----
 
-# Note:
-# for single header libraries use `add_library(Greeter INTERFACE)` instead 
-add_library(Greeter ${headers} ${sources})
-
-# Note: for single header libraries use the following instead:
+# Note: for single header libraries create an interface target instead:
+# add_library(Greeter INTERFACE)  
 # set_target_properties(Greeter PROPERTIES INTERFACE_COMPILE_FEATURES cxx_std_17)
+
+add_library(Greeter ${headers} ${sources})
 set_target_properties(Greeter PROPERTIES CXX_STANDARD 17)
 
 # Link dependencies (if required)

README.md

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ This template is the result of learnings from many previous projects and should
 - Add your project's codecov token to your project's github secrets under `CODECOV_TOKEN`
 - Happy coding!
 
-Remember to eventually remove any unused files, such as the standalone directory or irrelevant tests for your project.
+Eventually, you can remove any unused files, such as the standalone directory or irrelevant github workflows for your project.
 
 ### Build and run the standalone target
 
@@ -81,18 +81,18 @@ See [Format.cmake](https://github.com/TheLartians/Format.cmake) for more options
 
     Yes, however you will need to change the library type to an `INTERFACE` library as documented in the [CMakeLists.txt](CMakeLists.txt).
 
-  - You are using `GLOB` to add source files in CMakeLists.txt. Isn't that evil?
+  - I see you are using `GLOB` to add source files in CMakeLists.txt. Isn't that evil?
 
-    Glob is considered bad because changes to source files won't be automatically caught by CMakes builders and you will need remember to invoke CMake on any changes.
+    Glob is considered bad because any changes to the source file structure [might not be automatically caught](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/command/file.html#filesystem) by CMake's builders and you will need to manually invoke CMake on changes.
     I personally prefer the `GLOB` solution for its simplicity, but feel free to change it to explicitly listing sources.
 
   - I'm adding external dependencies to my project using CPM. Will this force users to use CPM as well?
 
-    CPM should be mostly invisible for your library users as it's self-contained and dependency free.
+    CPM.cmake should be invisible for your library users as it's a self-contained CMake Script.
     If problems do arise, they can always opt-out by defining `CPM_USE_LOCAL_PACKAGES`, which will override all calls to `CPMAddPackage` with `find_package`.
-    If you are using `CPMFindPackage` instead of `CPMAddPackage`, CPM will always try to use `find_package` to add packages.
-    This approach should be compatible with any common C++ package manager without any user intervention, however at the cost of reproducible builds.
-    For more info, see the [CPM.cmake documentation](https://github.com/TheLartians/CPM.cmake).
+    If you concerned about this, you should prefer using `CPMFindPackage` instead of `CPMAddPackage`, as then CPM will try to use `find_package` to add packages whenever possible.
+    `CPMFindPackage` approach should also be compatible with any common C++ package manager without modifications, however at the cost of reproducible builds.
+    For more information, see the [CPM.cmake documentation](https://github.com/TheLartians/CPM.cmake).
 
   - Can I configure and build my project offline?
 

standalone/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -24,8 +24,14 @@ CPMAddPackage(
 
 # ---- Create standalone executable ----
 
-file(GLOB sources ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/*.cpp)
+file(GLOB sources CONFIGURE_DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/*.cpp)
+
 add_executable(GreeterStandalone ${sources})
-set_target_properties(GreeterStandalone PROPERTIES CXX_STANDARD 17 COMPILE_FLAGS "-Wall -pedantic -Wextra")
-set_target_properties(GreeterStandalone PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME "Greeter")
+
+set_target_properties(GreeterStandalone PROPERTIES 
+  CXX_STANDARD 17 
+  COMPILE_FLAGS "-Wall -pedantic -Wextra"
+  OUTPUT_NAME "Greeter"
+)
+
 target_link_libraries(GreeterStandalone Greeter cxxopts)

test/CMakeLists.txt

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ CPMAddPackage(
 
 # ---- Create binary ----
 
-file(GLOB sources ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/*.cpp)
+file(GLOB sources CONFIGURE_DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/source/*.cpp)
 add_executable(GreeterTests ${sources})
 target_link_libraries(GreeterTests doctest Greeter)