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CMake/Help/prop_tgt/OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES.rst
Kyle Edwards 2e42651dff Add option to optimize link dependencies for static libraries
Add an `OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES` target property and supporting
`CMAKE_OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES` variable to optionally enable pruning and
flattening of outgoing dependencies from static libraries.  Since they
do not actually link, they only depend on side effects of their
dependencies.  Therefore we can drop dependencies that contribute no
side effects.
2020-08-12 11:31:07 -04:00

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OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES
---------------------
Activates dependency optimization of static and object libraries.
When this property is set to true, some dependencies for a static or object
library may be removed at generation time if they are not necessary to build
the library, since static and object libraries don't actually link against
anything.
If a static or object library has dependency optimization enabled, it first
discards all dependencies. Then, it looks through all of the direct and
indirect dependencies that it initially had, and adds them back if they meet
any of the following criteria:
* The dependency was added to the library by :command:`add_dependencies`.
* The dependency was added to the library through a source file in the library
generated by a custom command that uses the dependency.
* The dependency has any ``PRE_BUILD``, ``PRE_LINK``, or ``POST_BUILD`` custom
commands associated with it.
* The dependency contains any source files that were generated by a custom
command.
* The dependency contains any languages which produce side effects that are
relevant to the library. Currently, all languages except C, C++, Objective-C,
Objective-C++, assembly, and CUDA are assumed to produce side effects.
However, side effects from one language are assumed not to be relevant to
another (for example, a Fortran library is assumed to not have any side
effects that are relevant for a Swift library.)
As an example, assume you have a static Fortran library which depends on a
static C library, which in turn depends on a static Fortran library. The
top-level Fortran library has optimization enabled, but the middle C library
does not. If you build the top Fortran library, the bottom Fortran library will
also build, but not the middle C library, since the C library does not have any
side effects that are relevant for the Fortran library. However, if you build
the middle C library, the bottom Fortran library will also build, even though
it does not have any side effects that are relevant to the C library, since the
C library does not have optimization enabled.