Load/reload CMake

Load CMake

• If you open a project in CLion, but no CMakeLists.txt file is detected under the project root, you will be prompted to create it or associate your project with with an existing CMakeLists.txt file:

  

• If you already have a CMakeLists.txt file ready to be loaded, use the Select CMakeLists.txt action, or right-click the file in the project tree and select Load CMake Project from the context menu:

  

Reload CMake on changes in CMakeLists.txt

When you make changes in the CMakeLists.txt file, CLion prompts you to reload the project.

There are two options for project reload:

• Reload changes

  In this case, you reload the project once, and all the subsequent changes in CMakeLists.txt will also require reloading.

• Enable Auto-reload

  This option lets CLion silently reload the project on every change in your CMakeLists.txt.

  This is similar to selecting the Reload CMake project on editing CMakeLists.txt checkbox in Settings / Preferences | Build, Execution, Deployment | CMake:

  

  tip

  If you need to completely disable automatic reload including external changes, turn on the cmake.disable.auto.reload.external.changes registry key (call Help | Find Action, search for Registry and select the corresponding checkbox).

  Note that your project is reloaded automatically when you reset the CMake cache.

Reload CMake manually

To reload a project manually when needed, use one of the following options:

• Call Find Action(Ctrl+Shift+A) and start typing reload cmake. Select the Reload CMake Project action.

• From the main menu, select File | Reload CMake Project or Tools | CMake | Reload CMake Project.

• In CMake tool window, click .

tip

You can also assign a shortcut for the Reload CMake Project action in Settings / Preferences | Editor | Keymap

Stop project reload

To stop the process of reloading a project, use one of the following options:

1. Call Find Action(Ctrl+Shift+A) and start typing stop cmake. Select the Stop CMake Project Reload action.

2. In CMake tool window, click .

tip

You can also assign a shortcut for the Stop CMake Project Reload action in Settings / Preferences | Editor | Keymap

Manage Run/Debug configurations on project reload

When you add or delete targets and reload your project, CLion automatically creates or deletes the corresponding Run/Debug configurations. You can control this behavior in the settings of the configuration templates:

Unload CMake

Use the Unload CMake Project action when you need to unlink your project off the CMake build system completely or when CLion loads a CMakeLists.txt script, but you want to use another one for your project.

• Call Tools | CMake | Unload CMake Project from the main menu.

  

  Upon this action, your project's state is as described in Load CMake.