Help/variable/CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR.rst

CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR
--------------------------------

.. versionadded:: 3.24

This read-only variable specifies a directory that the :command:`find_package`
command will check first before searching anywhere else for a module or config
package file.  A config package file in this directory will always be found in
preference to any other Find module file or config package file.

The primary purpose of this variable is to facilitate integration between
:command:`find_package` and :command:`FetchContent_MakeAvailable`.  The latter
command may create files in the ``CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR`` directory
when it populates a dependency.  This allows subsequent calls to
:command:`find_package` for the same dependency to reuse the populated
contents instead of trying to satisfy the dependency from somewhere external
to the build.  Projects may also want to write files into this directory in
some situations (see :ref:`FetchContent-find_package-integration-examples`
for examples).

The directory that ``CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR`` points to will always
be erased and recreated empty at the start of every CMake run.  Any files
written into this directory during the CMake run will be lost the next time
CMake configures the project.

``CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_REDIRECTS_DIR`` is only set in CMake project mode.
It is not set when CMake is run in script mode
(i.e. :option:`cmake -P`).