Learning CMake can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Say goodbye to the frustration, wasted time, and headaches. The CMake tutorial is here to make mastering modern CMake simple and efficient!

Programmers know that horrible feeling. You're trying to achieve something that should be simple, and simply cannot figure out how to do it. Hours turn into days, and then finally you find the solution. And yes, that solution was simple. Big sigh of relief!

That was me with CMake. Time and time again. 

CMake is a powerful build tool for C/C++, but can be an absolute pain to use. Scouring the internet for hours each time you need to modify your CMakelists.txt file is hard work. Even worse, you often end up learning the "wrong" (old) way of doing things. There are plenty of old and downright bad CMake tutorials and examples out there...

I've taken everything I learnt, and distilled it down to the essentials. The "The CMake Tutorial - Learn CMake by Example" book/course will save you days (and possibly months) of time and frustration, by teaching you the correct (modern) ways to perform the most common build tasks.

It's the book/course that I wish I had when I was learning how to use CMake.

The CMake Tutorial is deliberately short, and focused sharply on making CMake do what you need it to. It doesn't cover every nook and cranny (of CMake), nor does it bog you down with endless theory and backstory. Your time is valuable, so it's designed to get you up and running quickly.

No drowning you with details on every single CMake feature (that's what the official documentation is for). It's got only the bits you're most likely to need, which have been organized for fast learning.

Learn CMake by example with straightforward, real-world code that builds to working programs. Each step is paired with clear, no-nonsense explanations, so you’ll always know what you’re doing—and why.

A CMake course could set you back $1350 USD (link). Yes, it's a valuable skill. The CMake Tutorial won't cost you anywhere near as much. Not even half! I know you won't be making the big bucks at the start of your career, and I also know what it's like to be scratching out a living. So, The CMake Tutorial has been priced so it's affordable to those who are getting started.

I started tinkering with code as a child (on the C64). Since then, I've been writing software for decades in C, C++, and other languages too. For the longest time, I avoided CMake like the plague. I found the syntax to be cryptic, the documentation to be useless, and the error messages to be unintelligible.

That all changed when a project forced me to try CMake again. For some reason this time it clicked, and I was able to make things happen. I discovered that CMake had improved a lot.

This kicked off an effort to learn how to use CMake properly. The learning curve was still on the steep side, but I persevered.

What I learnt has been distilled into The CMake Tutorial.  That way you don't have to suffer through the same process I did...

"Ugh thank you sir. Spent 2 days dealing with vcpkg issues and of course there's a much more simple way . Much appreciated!"

@killacam2971's comment on one of my CMake videos

"Thank you for your great experience sharing.
Recently, I really like to learn CMake and C++, because your sharing and book really help me a lot."

吳家揚 (Chia Yang Wu)