feat(c++): Improve CMakeLists.txt for portable library distribution and installation #810

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1. yangxk1

   added

   enhancementNew feature or requestNew feature or request

   on Dec 15, 2025
2. tanmoyPaul12 commented on Dec 28, 2025

   

   tanmoyPaul12

   on Dec 28, 2025

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   Hi! I’m interested in working on this issue

   Planned approach:

   Add proper CMake install() rules for libraries and public headers
   Export targets and generate CMake config files to support find_package(GraphAr)
   Validate installation and usage from a minimal downstream project

   Please let me know if this works for you. Thanks!
3. yangxk1 commented on Dec 29, 2025

   

   yangxk1

   on Dec 29, 2025

   ContributorAuthor

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   Hi @tanmoyPaul12 , thanks for claiming this!
   While working on the CMake configuration, could you please consider the following linking strategy to ensure the distribution is robust?

   1. Hybrid Linking:

   • Dependencies built from source (bundled) should ideally be statically linked (e.g., by forcing BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF for those targets). This keeps the installation self-contained.
   • System dependencies can remain dynamic (or whatever the system provides).

   2. RPATH Configuration:

   • For dynamic linking, please ensure CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH is correctly set (e.g., using $ORIGIN on Linux) so that users don't need to manually configure LD_LIBRARY_PATH to run the installed library.

   The following is the ideal rendering proposed by @Sober7135

   

   I also wrote a draft, hope it helps. https://github.com/yangxk1/incubator-graphar/blob/810-improve-cmakelist-library-distribution/cpp/CMakeLists.txt

   cc @Sober7135
4. tanmoyPaul12 commented on Dec 29, 2025

   

   tanmoyPaul12

   on Dec 29, 2025

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   @yangxk1 Thanks for the detailed guidance and the draft. I’ll follow the hybrid linking approach you suggested and make sure the RPATH is set correctly

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by Xiaokang Yang