Directory properties and subdirectories

Question

The CMake manual for set_directory_properties claims:

Set a property for the current directory and subdirectories.

To me this suggests that properties set in a parent directory should also be inherited to all subdirectories. But this does not seem to be the case. Consider:

CMakeLists.txt

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.0)
project(foo CXX)

set_property(DIRECTORY . PROPERTY narf "zort")

add_subdirectory(a)

get_property(res DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} PROPERTY narf)
message("Property read from root: " ${res})

a/CMakeLists.txt

get_property(res DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} PROPERTY narf)
message("Property for a read from a: " ${res})
get_property(res DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR} PROPERTY narf)
message("Property for root directory root read from a: " ${res})

This prints:

Property for a read from a: 
Property for root directory root read from a: zort
Property read from root: zort

So the property can only be retrieved from the directory on which it was set, not the subdirectories. The same is true when using the set_directory_properties/get_directory_properties to deal with the properties.

Did I misinterpret the respective section in the set_directory_properties manual? Or is it simply outdated/wrong?

Directory properties and subdirectories

1 Answers