How to Generate Raw Binary (*.Bin) With Cmake?

To generate raw binary files (.bin) with CMake, you would typically need to use a custom command or script in your CMakeLists.txt file. This custom command or script can use tools such as objcopy or hexdump to generate the raw binary files from your compiled source code.

First, ensure that your project is set up to compile correctly using CMake. Then, add a custom command in your CMakeLists.txt file that will run the necessary tool to generate the raw binary file from the compiled output. You may need to specify the input file, output file, and any additional options needed by the tool.

After adding the custom command, you can either use add_custom_target or add_custom_command to ensure that the binary file is generated as part of the build process. This will allow you to build your project with CMake and automatically generate the raw binary file as part of the compilation process.

How to automate the generation of raw binary (*.bin) with cmake using a script or build system?

To automate the generation of raw binary files using CMake, you can create a custom target in your CMakeLists.txt file and use a script or build system (such as Makefile) to handle the generation of the binary files. Here's a basic example of how you can achieve this:

1. Define a custom target in your CMakeLists.txt file:

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add_custom_target(
    generate_binary
    COMMAND python ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/generate_binary.py
    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
)

1. Create a script (e.g., generate_binary.py) that generates the binary file:

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import struct

data = b'Hello, World!' # Example raw data

with open('output.bin', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(data)

1. Run CMake to generate the build files:

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mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..

1. Build the custom target to generate the binary file:

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cmake --build . --target generate_binary

After running the above steps, you should have a raw binary file named output.bin generated in the build directory. You can modify the script to generate the binary file with the desired data or format.

What commands do you use to generate raw binary (*.bin) with cmake?

To generate raw binary files using CMake, you can use the add_custom_command and add_custom_target commands in your CMakeLists.txt file. Here is an example of how you can generate a raw binary file from a given source file using CMake:

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# Define the source file(s)
set(SOURCE_FILES file1.c file2.c)

# Define the output binary file name
set(OUTPUT_BINARY my_binary.bin)

# Add custom command to generate the binary file
add_custom_command(
    OUTPUT ${OUTPUT_BINARY}
    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy $<TARGET_FILE:my_target> ${OUTPUT_BINARY}
    DEPENDS my_target
)

# Add custom target to generate the binary file
add_custom_target(binary ALL DEPENDS ${OUTPUT_BINARY})

In this example, my_target is the target that generates the output binary file, and my_binary.bin is the name of the raw binary file that will be generated. The add_custom_command command copies the output of my_target to the my_binary.bin file, and the add_custom_target command indicates that the generation of the binary file is a dependency for the binary target. When you run cmake --build ., the raw binary file my_binary.bin will be generated.

How to check if the raw binary (*.bin) file was successfully generated with cmake?

To check if the raw binary (*.bin) file was successfully generated with CMake, you can follow these steps:

1. Verify that your CMakeLists.txt file is correctly set up to generate the binary file. Make sure that the target for building the binary file is properly defined and that the appropriate compiler flags and settings are configured.
2. Build your project using CMake by running the following commands in the terminal:

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mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

1. After the build process is completed, check the build directory for the generated binary file. Look for a file with a .bin extension or the name specified in your CMakeLists.txt file for the binary target.
2. You can also use the ls command in the terminal to list the files in the build directory and confirm if the binary file is present:

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ls

1. If the binary file is generated successfully, you can try running the binary file to test its functionality. Use the following command to execute the binary file:

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./binary_file_name.bin

By following these steps, you can verify if the raw binary file was successfully generated with CMake. If you encounter any errors during the build process, review your CMakeLists.txt file and make necessary adjustments to ensure proper generation of the binary file.