Dependency reference

besa_dependency_add() describes a dependency in two independent dimensions: why the dependency exists and how it is discovered.

besa_dependency_add(
  NAME name
  [VERSION version]
  [KIND NORMAL|BUILD|DEV]
  [PROVIDER CMAKE|PKGCONFIG]
  [VISIBILITY PUBLIC|PRIVATE|INTERFACE]
  [COMPONENTS component...]
  [WHEN selector...]
)

KIND

NORMAL is the default. A normal dependency belongs to the product dependency graph and is emitted into the generated <project>Config.cmake so consumers resolve it before importing project targets.

BUILD describes software needed to construct the project, such as a generator. It is resolved for the current build but is not emitted into consumer package metadata.

DEV describes testing, documentation, QA, analysis, or other developer-only dependencies. It is not emitted into consumer package metadata.

BESA currently takes a conservative package-export approach and records every selected NORMAL dependency in the consumer config. VISIBILITY is retained as project dependency metadata and as a future link-graph dimension; it does not suppress a normal dependency from package metadata.

PROVIDER CMAKE

This is the default. BESA calls find_package() with the requested name/version/components. It does not force a particular package metadata format. A package can therefore be resolved through normal CMake discovery, a package configuration, or newer formats supported by the active CMake version.

PROVIDER PKGCONFIG

BESA resolves PkgConfig, then creates the conventional imported target with pkg_check_modules(... IMPORTED_TARGET ...). Normal pkg-config dependencies are reproduced in the generated consumer configuration.

Conditional dependencies

All selectors are accepted through WHEN:

besa_dependency_add(
  NAME Doxygen
  KIND DEV
  PROVIDER CMAKE
  WHEN ALL_OF user-docs
)

A dependency whose selector does not match is neither discovered nor written to package metadata.