cannot find boost_process cmake find_package

Question

I'm trying to import boost libraries into my C++ project, and for some reason it cannot find Boost.Process, although it finds the others.

My CMakeLists.txt file:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.9 FATAL_ERROR)
set (PROJECT_NAME "test-stuff" CXX)
project (${PROJECT_NAME})

set(Boost_USE_MULTITHREADED ON)

find_package(Boost 1.64.0 REQUIRED system filesystem process)

if(Boost_FOUND)
  include_directories (SYSTEM ${Boost_INCLUDE_DIR})
endif()

include_directories(include)

file(GLOB SOURCES "src/*.cpp")

add_executable(${PROJECT_NAME} ${SOURCES})

target_link_libraries (${PROJECT_NAME} ${Boost_LIBRARIES})

The full trace of the error (with debug setting):

The CXX compiler identification is AppleClang 8.1.0.8020042
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/c++
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/c++ -- works
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - done
-- Detecting CXX compile features
-- Detecting CXX compile features - done
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1039 ] _boost_TEST_VERSIONS = 1.64.0;1.64
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1041 ] Boost_USE_MULTITHREADED = ON
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1043 ] Boost_USE_STATIC_LIBS = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1045 ] Boost_USE_STATIC_RUNTIME = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1047 ] Boost_ADDITIONAL_VERSIONS = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1049 ] Boost_NO_SYSTEM_PATHS = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1117 ] Declared as CMake or Environmental Variables:
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1119 ]   BOOST_ROOT = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1121 ]   BOOST_INCLUDEDIR = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1123 ]   BOOST_LIBRARYDIR = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1125 ] _boost_TEST_VERSIONS = 1.64.0;1.64
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1200 ] Include debugging info:
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1202 ]   _boost_INCLUDE_SEARCH_DIRS = PATHS;C:/boost/include;C:/boost;/sw/local/include
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1204 ]   _boost_PATH_SUFFIXES = boost-1_64_0;boost_1_64_0;boost/boost-1_64_0;boost/boost_1_64_0;boost-1_64;boost_1_64;boost/boost-1_64;boost/boost_1_64
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1224 ] location of version.hpp: /usr/local/include/boost/version.hpp
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1248 ] version.hpp reveals boost 1.64.0
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1334 ] guessed _boost_COMPILER = 
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1344 ] _boost_MULTITHREADED = -mt
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1388 ] _boost_RELEASE_ABI_TAG = -
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1390 ] _boost_DEBUG_ABI_TAG = -d
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1452 ] _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_RELEASE = /usr/local/include/lib;/usr/local/include/../lib;/usr/local/include/stage/lib;PATHS;C:/boost/lib;C:/boost;/sw/local/lib_boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_DEBUG   = /usr/local/include/lib;/usr/local/include/../lib;/usr/local/include/stage/lib;PATHS;C:/boost/lib;C:/boost;/sw/local/lib
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1597 ] Searching for SYSTEM_LIBRARY_RELEASE: boost_system-mt-1_64;boost_system-mt;boost_system
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:371 ]  Boost_LIBRARY_DIR_RELEASE = /usr/local/lib _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_RELEASE = /usr/local/lib;NO_DEFAULT_PATH;NO_CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1646 ] Searching for SYSTEM_LIBRARY_DEBUG: boost_system-mt-d-1_64;boost_system-mt-d;boost_system-mt;boost_system
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:371 ]  Boost_LIBRARY_DIR_DEBUG = /usr/local/lib _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_DEBUG = /usr/local/lib;NO_DEFAULT_PATH;NO_CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1597 ] Searching for FILESYSTEM_LIBRARY_RELEASE: boost_filesystem-mt-1_64;boost_filesystem-mt;boost_filesystem
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:371 ]  Boost_LIBRARY_DIR_RELEASE = /usr/local/lib _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_RELEASE = /usr/local/lib;NO_DEFAULT_PATH;NO_CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1646 ] Searching for FILESYSTEM_LIBRARY_DEBUG: boost_filesystem-mt-d-1_64;boost_filesystem-mt-d;boost_filesystem-mt;boost_filesystem
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:371 ]  Boost_LIBRARY_DIR_DEBUG = /usr/local/lib _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_DEBUG = /usr/local/lib;NO_DEFAULT_PATH;NO_CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
CMake Warning at /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1566 (message):
  No header defined for process; skipping header check
Call Stack (most recent call first):
  CMakeLists.txt:19 (find_package)


-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1597 ] Searching for PROCESS_LIBRARY_RELEASE: boost_process-mt-1_64;boost_process-mt;boost_process
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:371 ]  Boost_LIBRARY_DIR_RELEASE = /usr/local/lib _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_RELEASE = /usr/local/lib;NO_DEFAULT_PATH;NO_CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1646 ] Searching for PROCESS_LIBRARY_DEBUG: boost_process-mt-d-1_64;boost_process-mt-d;boost_process-mt;boost_process
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:371 ]  Boost_LIBRARY_DIR_DEBUG = /usr/local/lib _boost_LIBRARY_SEARCH_DIRS_DEBUG = /usr/local/lib;NO_DEFAULT_PATH;NO_CMAKE_FIND_ROOT_PATH
-- [ /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1719 ] Boost_FOUND = 1
CMake Error at /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1879 (message):
  Unable to find the requested Boost libraries.

  Boost version: 1.64.0

  Boost include path: /usr/local/include

  Could not find the following Boost libraries:

          boost_process

  Some (but not all) of the required Boost libraries were found.  You may
  need to install these additional Boost libraries.  Alternatively, set
  BOOST_LIBRARYDIR to the directory containing Boost libraries or BOOST_ROOT
  to the location of Boost.
Call Stack (most recent call first):
  CMakeLists.txt:19 (find_package)

I know Boost.Process was only included in Boost 1.64 and up, but according to the output I'm using Boost 1.64, and Cmake 3.9. I looked in /usr/local/include/boost and process.hpp was there.

Thanks for any advice.

Salman

No, in general Boost 1.65 is too new and not yet supported by CMake beside it's Git master. Use Boost 1.64 just to be sure. See also https://mcmap.net/q/144737/-cmake-finds-boost-but-the-imported-targets-not-available-for-boost-version – Crock

Thanks for the comment. I switched to version 1.6.4 and still got the same message - CMake Error at /usr/local/Cellar/cmake/3.9.1/share/cmake/Modules/FindBoost.cmake:1879 (message): Unable to find the requested Boost libraries. Boost version: 1.64.0 Boost include path: /usr/local/include Could not find the following Boost libraries: boost_process. It did, however remove the warnings I was getting before - I'll edit the post. – Salman

I Boost process installed? Have you checked the according files are there? It might be a seprate package to install or might need an additional dependecy to get compiled. – Crock

I checked usr/local/include/boost and both process and process.hpp were there – Salman

I am out of ideas. Have you cleared you build directory and started over? – Crock

I did try it; unfortunately no success. I updated the post with my full stack trace. I couldn't find an example of anyone online using the boost_process library with cmake; all the examples assumed it was configured. – Salman

Answer 1

So, after hours of banging my head against the wall, I realized I didn't need to import Boost.Process with find_package since it's a header-only library (argggg). I removed the "process" import in CMakeList.txt and ta-dah: it worked.

Salman