protocolbuffers/protobuf

[CMake] Simplify cross compilation of C++ projects with proto files

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#14,492 opened on Oct 20, 2023

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Description

What language does this apply to? C++ codegen

Describe the problem you are trying to solve. When cross compiling a C++ project that makes use of the Protobuf-Config.cmake file to resolve the dependency the build for the target platform is found. For linking to libprotobuf.so this is correct, but the protoc compiler in that package can't be executed during build.

This situation requires workarounds in the client projects, for example grpc's cmake scaffold has the -D_gRPC_PROTOBUF_PROTOC_EXECUTABLE option to pass in the appropriate executable.

Describe the solution you'd like Alter the CMake installation setup so that something like find_package(protoc) exports protoc only. I think the installed protobuf-*.cmake files can still export both if you want to preserve backwards compatibility.

Describe alternatives you've considered

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine the CMake install files in the protobuf repository (e.g., cmake/install.cmake) to understand how protoc and libprotobuf are currently exported. Then design a way to allow find package(protoc) to export only the protoc executable while maintaining backward compatibility.
Tech stack
ccpp
Domain
build systemtooling
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
CMakeprotobuf
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60