Configure Aspose.Words for C++ in CMake Project

Aspose.Words for C++ API works with CMake for any GNU/Linux operating system. It can be downloaded from the official website.

Given CMake Project

Let’s suppose you have the following CMake project:

CMakeLists.txt:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.18 FATAL_ERROR)
project(app CXX)
add_executable(app main.cpp)

main.cpp:

int main()
{
    return 0;
}

Configure Manually

Follow the instructions below to manually configure Aspose.Words for C++ in your CMake:

Download the latest Aspose.Words for C++ package
Copy Aspose.Words.Cpp and CodePorting.Native.Cs2Cpp_api_*.* folders where you have CMakeLists.txt

Add the following lines to you CMakeLists.txt:

	# find Aspose.Words for C++ package and it's dependencies
	find_package(CodePorting.Native.Cs2Cpp REQUIRED CONFIG PATHS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} NO_DEFAULT_PATH)
	find_package(Aspose.Words.Cpp REQUIRED CONFIG PATHS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} NO_DEFAULT_PATH)
	find_package(Threads REQUIRED)

	# Link target application with Aspose.Words for C++
	target_link_libraries(app PRIVATE Aspose::Words Threads::Threads)

Now you can build you application using Aspose.Words for C++:

	cd <path_to_dir_with_CMakeLists.txt>
	cmake -S . -B build -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
	cmake --build build
	./build/app

FAQ

Q: How do I apply a license for Aspose.Words for C++?
A: After obtaining the .lic file, place it in a location accessible to your application and call Aspose::Words::License license; license.SetLicense("path/to/Aspose.Words.Cpp.lic"); early in your code (e.g., at the start of main). This activates the full functionality without evaluation limitations.
Q: CMake reports “Could not find package Aspose.Words.Cpp”. What should I check?
A: Ensure the Aspose.Words.Cpp folder (containing the Aspose.Words.CppConfig.cmake file) is located in the same directory as your CMakeLists.txt or specify its path explicitly with -D Aspose_Words_Cpp_DIR=/full/path/to/Aspose.Words.Cpp. Also verify that you are using CMake 3.18 or newer.
Q: Can I install Aspose.Words for C++ in a custom directory and still use find_package?
A: Yes. After copying the package to a custom location, add the directory to CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH or pass it via the command line: cmake -S . -B build -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/custom/path. The find_package call will then locate the package.
Q: What is the minimum CMake version required for this configuration?
A: The example uses cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.18). Versions prior to 3.18 lack proper support for the CONFIG mode used by Aspose.Words for C++ packages, so upgrade to at least 3.18.
Q: Do I need to link the Threads library on Windows as well?
A: Yes. The Threads component is required on all platforms. On Windows, CMake will resolve Threads::Threads to the appropriate system threading library, so the same target_link_libraries line works unchanged.