如何从Visual C++/MSBuild解决方案生成CMake文件？

Absolutely! You’re not stuck here—there are built-in tools in Visual Studio that let you generate a proper CMakeLists.txt directly from your existing VC++ projects/solutions, which is perfect for your time crunch and simple codebase. Let me break down exactly how to do this:

Step 1: Use Visual Studio's Built-in Conversion Wizard #

First, make sure you’re using Visual Studio 2019 or newer (this feature isn’t available in older versions). Then:

• Open your existing VC++ solution in Visual Studio.
• Right-click on your solution in the Solution Explorer pane.
• Select Convert to CMake Project from the context menu.
• Follow the wizard prompts: it will scan all your project settings—include directories, compiler flags, linked libraries, output targets, and more—and generate a baseline CMakeLists.txt (plus project-specific CMake scripts if you have multiple projects).

Step 2: Tweak the Generated CMake Script (If Needed) #

Since your code is simple, the auto-generated file will likely cover 90% of your needs. But you might want to double-check and add small customizations if needed:

• Add preprocessor definitions: Use target_compile_definitions(<your-target-name> PRIVATE YOUR_DEFINE=VALUE)
• Include additional directories: target_include_directories(<your-target-name> PRIVATE path/to/your/includes)
• Link external libraries: target_link_libraries(<your-target-name> PRIVATE your-library.lib)

Step 3: Validate the CMake File #

Don’t skip this quick check to ensure everything works:

• In Visual Studio, go to File > Open > CMake and select your generated CMakeLists.txt. Visual Studio will configure the CMake project automatically—if there are any missing settings or errors, it will flag them in the output window.
• Alternatively, open a terminal in your project root and run cmake -S . -B build to generate build files manually. If this runs without errors, your CMake setup is good to go.

A quick tip: If your solution has multiple projects, the wizard will create a top-level CMakeLists.txt that includes each project’s individual CMake script—this is exactly the structure most people expect for multi-project CMake setups.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Eugene