FindGTest — CMake 4.4.1 Documentation

# FindGTest

Finds GoogleTest, the Google C++ testing and mocking framework:

    find_package(GTest [...])

The GoogleTest framework also includes GoogleMock, a library for writing and using C++ mock classes. On some systems, GoogleMock may be distributed as a separate package.

When both debug and release (optimized) variants of the GoogleTest and GoogleMock libraries are available, this module selects the appropriate variants based on the current Build Configuration.

Added in version 3.20: If GoogleTest is built and installed using its CMake-based build system, it provides a package configuration file (`GTestConfig.cmake`) that can be used with `find_package()` in Config mode. By default, this module now searches for that configuration file and, if found, returns the results without further action. If the upstream configuration file is not found, this module falls back to Module mode and searches standard locations.

## Imported Targets

This module provides the following Imported Targets:

`GTest::gtest`

  Added in version 3.20.

  Target encapsulating the usage requirements of the GoogleTest `gtest` library, available if GoogleTest is found. The `gtest` library provides the core GoogleTest testing framework functionality.

`GTest::gtest_main`

  Added in version 3.20.

  Target encapsulating the usage requirements of the GoogleTest `gtest_main` library, available if GoogleTest is found. The `gtest_main` library provides a `main()` function, allowing tests to be run without defining one manually.

  Only link to `GTest::gtest_main` if GoogleTest should supply the `main()` function for the executable. If the project is supplying its own `main()` implementation, link only to `GTest::gtest`.

`GTest::gmock`

  Added in version 3.23.

  Target encapsulating the usage requirements of the GoogleMock `gmock` library, available if GoogleTest and its Mock library are found. The `gmock` library provides facilities for writing and using mock classes in C++.

`GTest::gmock_main`

  Added in version 3.23.

  Target encapsulating the usage requirements of the GoogleMock `gmock_main` library, available if GoogleTest and `gmock_main` are found. The `gmock_main` library provides a `main()` function, allowing GoogleMock tests to be run without defining one manually.

  Only link to `GTest::gmock_main` if GoogleTest should supply the `main()` function for the executable. If project is supplying its own `main()` implementation, link only to `GTest::gmock`.

## Result Variables

This module defines the following variables:

`GTest_FOUND`

  Added in version 3.3.

  Boolean indicating whether GoogleTest was found.

## Hints

This module accepts the following variables before calling `find_package(GTest)`:

`GTEST_ROOT`

  The root directory of the GoogleTest installation (may also be set as an environment variable). This variable is used only when GoogleTest is found in Module mode.

`GTEST_MSVC_SEARCH`

  When compiling with MSVC, this variable controls which GoogleTest build variant to search for, based on the runtime library linkage model. This variable is used only when GoogleTest is found in Module mode and accepts one of the following values:

  `MD`

    (Default) Searches for shared library variants of GoogleTest that are built to link against the dynamic C runtime. These libraries are typically compiled with the MSVC runtime flags `/MD` or `/MDd` (for Release or Debug, respectively).

  `MT`

    Searches for static library variants of GoogleTest that are built to link against the static C runtime. These libraries are typically compiled with the MSVC runtime flags `/MT` or `/MTd`.

## Deprecated Items

### Deprecated Variables

The following variables are provided for backward compatibility:

`GTEST_INCLUDE_DIRS`

  Deprecated since version 4.1: Use the `GTest::gtest` imported target instead, which exposes the required include directories through its `INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES` target property.

  Result variable that provides include directories containing headers needed to use GoogleTest. This variable is only guaranteed to be available when GoogleTest is found in Module mode.

`GTEST_LIBRARIES`

  Deprecated since version 4.1: Use the `GTest::gtest` imported target instead.

  Result variable providing libraries needed to link against to use the GoogleTest `gtest` library. Note that projects are also responsible for linking with an appropriate thread library in addition to the libraries specified by this variable.

`GTEST_MAIN_LIBRARIES`

  Deprecated since version 4.1: Use the `GTest::gtest_main` imported target instead.

  Result variable providing libraries needed to link against to use the GoogleTest `gtest_main` library.

`GTEST_BOTH_LIBRARIES`

  Deprecated since version 4.1: Use the `GTest::gtest` and `GTest::gtest_main` imported targets instead.

  Result variable providing both `gtest` and `gtest_main` libraries combined.

`GTEST_FOUND`

  Deprecated since version 4.2: Use `GTest_FOUND`, which has the same value.

  Boolean indicating whether GoogleTest was found.

### Deprecated Imported Targets

For backward compatibility, this module also provides the following imported targets (available since CMake 3.5):

`GTest::GTest`

  Deprecated since version 3.20: Use the `GTest::gtest` imported target instead.

  Imported target linking the `GTest::gtest` library.

`GTest::Main`

  Deprecated since version 3.20: Use the `GTest::gtest_main` imported target instead.

  Imported target linking the `GTest::gtest_main` library.

## Examples

### Examples: Finding GoogleTest

Finding GoogleTest:

    find_package(GoogleTest)

Or, finding GoogleTest and making it required (if not found, processing stops with an error message):

    find_package(GoogleTest REQUIRED)

### Examples: Using Imported Targets

In the following example, the `GTest::gtest` imported target is linked to a project target, which enables using the core GoogleTest testing framework:

    find_package(GTest REQUIRED)

    target_link_libraries(foo PRIVATE GTest::gtest)

In the next example, the `GTest::gtest_main` imported target is also linked to the executable, and a test is registered. The `GTest::gtest_main` library provides a `main()` function, so there is no need to write one manually. The `GTest::gtest` library is still linked because the test code directly uses things provided by `GTest::gtest`, and good practice is to link directly to libraries used directly.

    enable_testing()

    find_package(GTest REQUIRED)

    add_executable(foo foo.cc)
    target_link_libraries(foo PRIVATE GTest::gtest GTest::gtest_main)

    add_test(NAME AllTestsInFoo COMMAND foo)

## Deeper Integration With CTest

This module is commonly used with the `GoogleTest` module, which provides `gtest_discover_tests()` and `gtest_add_tests()` commands to help integrate GoogleTest infrastructure with CTest:

    find_package(GTest)
    target_link_libraries(example PRIVATE GTest::gtest GTest::gtest_main)

    include(GoogleTest)
    gtest_discover_tests(example)

    # ...

Changed in version 3.9: Previous CMake versions defined the `gtest_add_tests()` command in this module.