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+.. cmake-manual-description: CMake Packages Reference
+
+cmake-packages(7)
+*****************
+
+.. only:: html
+
+ .. contents::
+
+Introduction
+============
+
+Packages provide dependency information to CMake based buildsystems. Packages
+are found with the :command:`find_package` command. The result of
+using ``find_package`` is either a set of :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED` targets, or
+a set of variables corresponding to build-relevant information.
+
+Using Packages
+==============
+
+CMake provides direct support for two forms of packages,
+`Config-file Packages`_ and `Find-module Packages`_.
+Indirect support for ``pkg-config`` packages is also provided via
+the :module:`FindPkgConfig` module. In all cases, the basic form
+of :command:`find_package` calls is the same:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(Qt4 4.7.0 REQUIRED) # CMake provides a Qt4 find-module
+ find_package(Qt5Core 5.1.0 REQUIRED) # Qt provides a Qt5 package config file.
+ find_package(LibXml2 REQUIRED) # Use pkg-config via the LibXml2 find-module
+
+In cases where it is known that a package configuration file is provided by
+upstream, and only that should be used, the ``CONFIG`` keyword may be passed
+to :command:`find_package`:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(Qt5Core 5.1.0 CONFIG REQUIRED)
+ find_package(Qt5Gui 5.1.0 CONFIG)
+
+Similarly, the ``MODULE`` keyword says to use only a find-module:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(Qt4 4.7.0 MODULE REQUIRED)
+
+Specifying the type of package explicitly improves the error message shown to
+the user if it is not found.
+
+Both types of packages also support specifying components of a package,
+either after the ``REQUIRED`` keyword:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(Qt5 5.1.0 CONFIG REQUIRED Widgets Xml Sql)
+
+or as a separate ``COMPONENTS`` list:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(Qt5 5.1.0 COMPONENTS Widgets Xml Sql)
+
+or as a separate ``OPTIONAL_COMPONENTS`` list:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(Qt5 5.1.0 COMPONENTS Widgets
+ OPTIONAL_COMPONENTS Xml Sql
+ )
+
+Handling of ``COMPONENTS`` and ``OPTIONAL_COMPONENTS`` is defined by the
+package.
+
+By setting the :variable:`CMAKE_DISABLE_FIND_PACKAGE_<PackageName>` variable to
+``TRUE``, the ``PackageName`` package will not be searched, and will always
+be ``NOTFOUND``.
+
+.. _`Config File Packages`:
+
+Config-file Packages
+--------------------
+
+A config-file package is a set of files provided by upstreams for downstreams
+to use. CMake searches in a number of locations for package configuration files, as
+described in the :command:`find_package` documentation. The most simple way for
+a CMake user to tell :manual:`cmake(1)` to search in a non-standard prefix for
+a package is to set the ``CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH`` cache variable.
+
+Config-file packages are provided by upstream vendors as part of development
+packages, that is, they belong with the header files and any other files
+provided to assist downstreams in using the package.
+
+A set of variables which provide package status information are also set
+automatically when using a config-file package. The ``<Package>_FOUND``
+variable is set to true or false, depending on whether the package was
+found. The ``<Package>_DIR`` cache variable is set to the location of the
+package configuration file.
+
+Find-module Packages
+--------------------
+
+A find module is a file with a set of rules for finding the required pieces of
+a dependency, primarily header files and libraries. Typically, a find module
+is needed when the upstream is not built with CMake, or is not CMake-aware
+enough to otherwise provide a package configuration file. Unlike a package configuration
+file, it is not shipped with upstream, but is used by downstream to find the
+files by guessing locations of files with platform-specific hints.
+
+Unlike the case of an upstream-provided package configuration file, no single point
+of reference identifies the package as being found, so the ``<Package>_FOUND``
+variable is not automatically set by the :command:`find_package` command. It
+can still be expected to be set by convention however and should be set by
+the author of the Find-module. Similarly there is no ``<Package>_DIR`` variable,
+but each of the artifacts such as library locations and header file locations
+provide a separate cache variable.
+
+See the :manual:`cmake-developer(7)` manual for more information about creating
+Find-module files.
+
+Package Layout
+==============
+
+A config-file package consists of a `Package Configuration File`_ and
+optionally a `Package Version File`_ provided with the project distribution.
+
+Package Configuration File
+--------------------------
+
+Consider a project ``Foo`` that installs the following files::
+
+ <prefix>/include/foo-1.2/foo.h
+ <prefix>/lib/foo-1.2/libfoo.a
+
+It may also provide a CMake package configuration file::
+
+ <prefix>/lib/cmake/foo-1.2/FooConfig.cmake
+
+with content defining :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED` targets, or defining variables, such
+as:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ # ...
+ # (compute PREFIX relative to file location)
+ # ...
+ set(Foo_INCLUDE_DIRS ${PREFIX}/include/foo-1.2)
+ set(Foo_LIBRARIES ${PREFIX}/lib/foo-1.2/libfoo.a)
+
+If another project wishes to use ``Foo`` it need only to locate the ``FooConfig.cmake``
+file and load it to get all the information it needs about package content
+locations. Since the package configuration file is provided by the package
+installation it already knows all the file locations.
+
+The :command:`find_package` command may be used to search for the package
+configuration file. This command constructs a set of installation prefixes
+and searches under each prefix in several locations. Given the name ``Foo``,
+it looks for a file called ``FooConfig.cmake`` or ``foo-config.cmake``.
+The full set of locations is specified in the :command:`find_package` command
+documentation. One place it looks is::
+
+ <prefix>/lib/cmake/Foo*/
+
+where ``Foo*`` is a case-insensitive globbing expression. In our example the
+globbing expression will match ``<prefix>/lib/cmake/foo-1.2`` and the package
+configuration file will be found.
+
+Once found, a package configuration file is immediately loaded. It, together
+with a package version file, contains all the information the project needs to
+use the package.
+
+Package Version File
+--------------------
+
+When the :command:`find_package` command finds a candidate package configuration
+file it looks next to it for a version file. The version file is loaded to test
+whether the package version is an acceptable match for the version requested.
+If the version file claims compatibility the configuration file is accepted.
+Otherwise it is ignored.
+
+The name of the package version file must match that of the package configuration
+file but has either ``-version`` or ``Version`` appended to the name before
+the ``.cmake`` extension. For example, the files::
+
+ <prefix>/lib/cmake/foo-1.3/foo-config.cmake
+ <prefix>/lib/cmake/foo-1.3/foo-config-version.cmake
+
+and::
+
+ <prefix>/lib/cmake/bar-4.2/BarConfig.cmake
+ <prefix>/lib/cmake/bar-4.2/BarConfigVersion.cmake
+
+are each pairs of package configuration files and corresponding package version
+files.
+
+When the :command:`find_package` command loads a version file it first sets the
+following variables:
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_NAME``
+ The <package> name
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_VERSION``
+ Full requested version string
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_VERSION_MAJOR``
+ Major version if requested, else 0
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_VERSION_MINOR``
+ Minor version if requested, else 0
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_VERSION_PATCH``
+ Patch version if requested, else 0
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_VERSION_TWEAK``
+ Tweak version if requested, else 0
+
+``PACKAGE_FIND_VERSION_COUNT``
+ Number of version components, 0 to 4
+
+The version file must use these variables to check whether it is compatible or
+an exact match for the requested version and set the following variables with
+results:
+
+``PACKAGE_VERSION``
+ Full provided version string
+
+``PACKAGE_VERSION_EXACT``
+ True if version is exact match
+
+``PACKAGE_VERSION_COMPATIBLE``
+ True if version is compatible
+
+``PACKAGE_VERSION_UNSUITABLE``
+ True if unsuitable as any version
+
+Version files are loaded in a nested scope so they are free to set any variables
+they wish as part of their computation. The find_package command wipes out the
+scope when the version file has completed and it has checked the output
+variables. When the version file claims to be an acceptable match for the
+requested version the find_package command sets the following variables for
+use by the project:
+
+``<package>_VERSION``
+ Full provided version string
+
+``<package>_VERSION_MAJOR``
+ Major version if provided, else 0
+
+``<package>_VERSION_MINOR``
+ Minor version if provided, else 0
+
+``<package>_VERSION_PATCH``
+ Patch version if provided, else 0
+
+``<package>_VERSION_TWEAK``
+ Tweak version if provided, else 0
+
+``<package>_VERSION_COUNT``
+ Number of version components, 0 to 4
+
+The variables report the version of the package that was actually found.
+The ``<package>`` part of their name matches the argument given to the
+:command:`find_package` command.
+
+.. _`Creating Packages`:
+
+Creating Packages
+=================
+
+Usually, the upstream depends on CMake itself and can use some CMake facilities
+for creating the package files. Consider an upstream which provides a single
+shared library:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ project(UpstreamLib)
+
+ set(CMAKE_INCLUDE_CURRENT_DIR ON)
+ set(CMAKE_INCLUDE_CURRENT_DIR_IN_INTERFACE ON)
+
+ set(Upstream_VERSION 3.4.1)
+
+ include(GenerateExportHeader)
+
+ add_library(ClimbingStats SHARED climbingstats.cpp)
+ generate_export_header(ClimbingStats)
+ set_property(TARGET ClimbingStats PROPERTY VERSION ${Upstream_VERSION})
+ set_property(TARGET ClimbingStats PROPERTY SOVERSION 3)
+ set_property(TARGET ClimbingStats PROPERTY
+ INTERFACE_ClimbingStats_MAJOR_VERSION 3)
+ set_property(TARGET ClimbingStats APPEND PROPERTY
+ COMPATIBLE_INTERFACE_STRING ClimbingStats_MAJOR_VERSION
+ )
+
+ install(TARGETS ClimbingStats EXPORT ClimbingStatsTargets
+ LIBRARY DESTINATION lib
+ ARCHIVE DESTINATION lib
+ RUNTIME DESTINATION bin
+ INCLUDES DESTINATION include
+ )
+ install(
+ FILES
+ climbingstats.h
+ "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/climbingstats_export.h"
+ DESTINATION
+ include
+ COMPONENT
+ Devel
+ )
+
+ include(CMakePackageConfigHelpers)
+ write_basic_package_version_file(
+ "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ClimbingStats/ClimbingStatsConfigVersion.cmake"
+ VERSION ${Upstream_VERSION}
+ COMPATIBILITY AnyNewerVersion
+ )
+
+ export(EXPORT ClimbingStatsTargets
+ FILE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ClimbingStats/ClimbingStatsTargets.cmake"
+ NAMESPACE Upstream::
+ )
+ configure_file(cmake/ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake
+ "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ClimbingStats/ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake"
+ COPYONLY
+ )
+
+ set(ConfigPackageLocation lib/cmake/ClimbingStats)
+ install(EXPORT ClimbingStatsTargets
+ FILE
+ ClimbingStatsTargets.cmake
+ NAMESPACE
+ Upstream::
+ DESTINATION
+ ${ConfigPackageLocation}
+ )
+ install(
+ FILES
+ cmake/ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake
+ "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ClimbingStats/ClimbingStatsConfigVersion.cmake"
+ DESTINATION
+ ${ConfigPackageLocation}
+ COMPONENT
+ Devel
+ )
+
+The :module:`CMakePackageConfigHelpers` module provides a macro for creating
+a simple ``ConfigVersion.cmake`` file. This file sets the version of the
+package. It is read by CMake when :command:`find_package` is called to
+determine the compatibility with the requested version, and to set some
+version-specific variables ``<Package>_VERSION``, ``<Package>_VERSION_MAJOR``,
+``<Package>_VERSION_MINOR`` etc. The :command:`install(EXPORT)` command is
+used to export the targets in the ``ClimbingStatsTargets`` export-set, defined
+previously by the :command:`install(TARGETS)` command. This command generates
+the ``ClimbingStatsTargets.cmake`` file to contain :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED`
+targets, suitable for use by downstreams and arranges to install it to
+``lib/cmake/ClimbingStats``. The generated ``ClimbingStatsConfigVersion.cmake``
+and a ``cmake/ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake`` are installed to the same location,
+completing the package.
+
+The generated :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED` targets have appropriate properties set
+to define their :ref:`usage requirements <Target Usage Requirements>`, such as
+:prop_tgt:`INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES`,
+:prop_tgt:`INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS` and other relevant built-in
+``INTERFACE_`` properties. The ``INTERFACE`` variant of user-defined
+properties listed in :prop_tgt:`COMPATIBLE_INTERFACE_STRING` and
+other :ref:`Compatible Interface Properties` are also propagated to the
+generated :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED` targets. In the above case,
+``ClimbingStats_MAJOR_VERSION`` is defined as a string which must be
+compatible among the dependencies of any depender. By setting this custom
+defined user property in this version and in the next version of
+``ClimbingStats``, :manual:`cmake(1)` will issue a diagnostic if there is an
+attempt to use version 3 together with version 4. Packages can choose to
+employ such a pattern if different major versions of the package are designed
+to be incompatible.
+
+A ``NAMESPACE`` with double-colons is specified when exporting the targets
+for installation. This convention of double-colons gives CMake a hint that
+the name is an :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED` target when it is used by downstreams
+with the :command:`target_link_libraries` command. This way, CMake can
+issue a diagnostic if the package providing it has not yet been found.
+
+In this case, when using :command:`install(TARGETS)` the ``INCLUDES DESTINATION``
+was specified. This causes the ``IMPORTED`` targets to have their
+:prop_tgt:`INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES` populated with the ``include``
+directory in the :variable:`CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX`. When the ``IMPORTED``
+target is used by downstream, it automatically consumes the entries from
+that property.
+
+Creating a Package Configuration File
+-------------------------------------
+
+In this case, the ``ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake`` file could be as simple as:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ClimbingStatsTargets.cmake")
+
+As this allows downstreams to use the ``IMPORTED`` targets. If any macros
+should be provided by the ``ClimbingStats`` package, they should
+be in a separate file which is installed to the same location as the
+``ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake`` file, and included from there.
+
+This can also be extended to cover dependencies:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ # ...
+ add_library(ClimbingStats SHARED climbingstats.cpp)
+ generate_export_header(ClimbingStats)
+
+ find_package(Stats 2.6.4 REQUIRED)
+ target_link_libraries(ClimbingStats PUBLIC Stats::Types)
+
+As the ``Stats::Types`` target is a ``PUBLIC`` dependency of ``ClimbingStats``,
+downstreams must also find the ``Stats`` package and link to the ``Stats::Types``
+library. The ``Stats`` package should be found in the ``ClimbingStatsConfig.cmake``
+file to ensure this. The ``find_dependency`` macro from the
+:module:`CMakeFindDependencyMacro` helps with this by propagating
+whether the package is ``REQUIRED``, or ``QUIET`` etc. All ``REQUIRED``
+dependencies of a package should be found in the ``Config.cmake`` file:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ include(CMakeFindDependencyMacro)
+ find_dependency(Stats 2.6.4)
+
+ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ClimbingStatsTargets.cmake")
+ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ClimbingStatsMacros.cmake")
+
+The ``find_dependency`` macro also sets ``ClimbingStats_FOUND`` to ``False`` if
+the dependency is not found, along with a diagnostic that the ``ClimbingStats``
+package can not be used without the ``Stats`` package.
+
+If ``COMPONENTS`` are specified when the downstream uses :command:`find_package`,
+they are listed in the ``<Package>_FIND_COMPONENTS`` variable. If a particular
+component is non-optional, then the ``<Package>_FIND_REQUIRED_<comp>`` will
+be true. This can be tested with logic in the package configuration file:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ include(CMakeFindDependencyMacro)
+ find_dependency(Stats 2.6.4)
+
+ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ClimbingStatsTargets.cmake")
+ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ClimbingStatsMacros.cmake")
+
+ set(_supported_components Plot Table)
+
+ foreach(_comp ${ClimbingStats_FIND_COMPONENTS})
+ if (NOT ";${_supported_components};" MATCHES _comp)
+ set(ClimbingStats_FOUND False)
+ set(ClimbingStats_NOT_FOUND_MESSAGE "Unsupported component: ${_comp}")
+ endif()
+ include("${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/ClimbingStats${_comp}Targets.cmake")
+ endforeach()
+
+Here, the ``ClimbingStats_NOT_FOUND_MESSAGE`` is set to a diagnosis that the package
+could not be found because an invalid component was specified. This message
+variable can be set for any case where the ``_FOUND`` variable is set to ``False``,
+and will be displayed to the user.
+
+Creating a Package Configuration File for the Build Tree
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The :command:`export(EXPORT)` command creates an :prop_tgt:`IMPORTED` targets
+definition file which is specific to the build-tree, and is not relocatable.
+This can similarly be used with a suitable package configuration file and
+package version file to define a package for the build tree which may be used
+without installation. Consumers of the build tree can simply ensure that the
+:variable:`CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH` contains the build directory, or set the
+``ClimbingStats_DIR`` to ``<build_dir>/ClimbingStats`` in the cache.
+
+.. _`Creating Relocatable Packages`:
+
+Creating Relocatable Packages
+-----------------------------
+
+A relocatable package must not reference absolute paths of files on
+the machine where the package is built that will not exist on the
+machines where the package may be installed.
+
+Packages created by :command:`install(EXPORT)` are designed to be relocatable,
+using paths relative to the location of the package itself. When defining
+the interface of a target for ``EXPORT``, keep in mind that the include
+directories should be specified as relative paths which are relative to the
+:variable:`CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX`:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ target_include_directories(tgt INTERFACE
+ # Wrong, not relocatable:
+ $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/include/TgtName>
+ )
+
+ target_include_directories(tgt INTERFACE
+ # Ok, relocatable:
+ $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:include/TgtName>
+ )
+
+The ``$<INSTALL_PREFIX>``
+:manual:`generator expression <cmake-generator-expressions(7)>` may be used as
+a placeholder for the install prefix without resulting in a non-relocatable
+package. This is necessary if complex generator expressions are used:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ target_include_directories(tgt INTERFACE
+ # Ok, relocatable:
+ $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:$<INSTALL_PREFIX>/include/TgtName>>
+ )
+
+This also applies to paths referencing external dependencies.
+It is not advisable to populate any properties which may contain
+paths, such as :prop_tgt:`INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES` and
+:prop_tgt:`INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES`, with paths relevant to dependencies.
+For example, this code may not work well for a relocatable package:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ target_link_libraries(ClimbingStats INTERFACE
+ ${Foo_LIBRARIES} ${Bar_LIBRARIES}
+ )
+ target_include_directories(ClimbingStats INTERFACE
+ "$<INSTALL_INTERFACE:${Foo_INCLUDE_DIRS};${Bar_INCLUDE_DIRS}>"
+ )
+
+The referenced variables may contain the absolute paths to libraries
+and include directories **as found on the machine the package was made on**.
+This would create a package with hard-coded paths to dependencies and not
+suitable for relocation.
+
+Ideally such dependencies should be used through their own
+:ref:`IMPORTED targets <Imported Targets>` that have their own
+:prop_tgt:`IMPORTED_LOCATION` and usage requirement properties
+such as :prop_tgt:`INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES` populated
+appropriately. Those imported targets may then be used with
+the :command:`target_link_libraries` command for ``ClimbingStats``:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ target_link_libraries(ClimbingStats INTERFACE Foo::Foo Bar::Bar)
+
+With this approach the package references its external dependencies
+only through the names of :ref:`IMPORTED targets <Imported Targets>`.
+When a consumer uses the installed package, the consumer will run the
+appropriate :command:`find_package` commands (via the ``find_dependency``
+macro described above) to find the dependencies and populate the
+imported targets with appropriate paths on their own machine.
+
+Unfortunately many :manual:`modules <cmake-modules(7)>` shipped with
+CMake do not yet provide :ref:`IMPORTED targets <Imported Targets>`
+because their development pre-dated this approach. This may improve
+incrementally over time. Workarounds to create relocatable packages
+using such modules include:
+
+* When building the package, specify each ``Foo_LIBRARY`` cache
+ entry as just a library name, e.g. ``-DFoo_LIBRARY=foo``. This
+ tells the corresponding find module to populate the ``Foo_LIBRARIES``
+ with just ``foo`` to ask the linker to search for the library
+ instead of hard-coding a path.
+
+* Or, after installing the package content but before creating the
+ package installation binary for redistribution, manually replace
+ the absolute paths with placeholders for substitution by the
+ installation tool when the package is installed.
+
+.. _`Package Registry`:
+
+Package Registry
+================
+
+CMake provides two central locations to register packages that have
+been built or installed anywhere on a system:
+
+* `User Package Registry`_
+* `System Package Registry`_
+
+The registries are especially useful to help projects find packages in
+non-standard install locations or directly in their own build trees.
+A project may populate either the user or system registry (using its own
+means, see below) to refer to its location.
+In either case the package should store at the registered location a
+`Package Configuration File`_ (``<package>Config.cmake``) and optionally a
+`Package Version File`_ (``<package>ConfigVersion.cmake``).
+
+The :command:`find_package` command searches the two package registries
+as two of the search steps specified in its documentation. If it has
+sufficient permissions it also removes stale package registry entries
+that refer to directories that do not exist or do not contain a matching
+package configuration file.
+
+.. _`User Package Registry`:
+
+User Package Registry
+---------------------
+
+The User Package Registry is stored in a per-user location.
+The :command:`export(PACKAGE)` command may be used to register a project
+build tree in the user package registry. CMake currently provides no
+interface to add install trees to the user package registry. Installers
+must be manually taught to register their packages if desired.
+
+On Windows the user package registry is stored in the Windows registry
+under a key in ``HKEY_CURRENT_USER``.
+
+A ``<package>`` may appear under registry key::
+
+ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Kitware\CMake\Packages\<package>
+
+as a ``REG_SZ`` value, with arbitrary name, that specifies the directory
+containing the package configuration file.
+
+On UNIX platforms the user package registry is stored in the user home
+directory under ``~/.cmake/packages``. A ``<package>`` may appear under
+the directory::
+
+ ~/.cmake/packages/<package>
+
+as a file, with arbitrary name, whose content specifies the directory
+containing the package configuration file.
+
+.. _`System Package Registry`:
+
+System Package Registry
+-----------------------
+
+The System Package Registry is stored in a system-wide location.
+CMake currently provides no interface to add to the system package registry.
+Installers must be manually taught to register their packages if desired.
+
+On Windows the system package registry is stored in the Windows registry
+under a key in ``HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE``. A ``<package>`` may appear under
+registry key::
+
+ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Kitware\CMake\Packages\<package>
+
+as a ``REG_SZ`` value, with arbitrary name, that specifies the directory
+containing the package configuration file.
+
+There is no system package registry on non-Windows platforms.
+
+.. _`Disabling the Package Registry`:
+
+Disabling the Package Registry
+------------------------------
+
+In some cases using the Package Registries is not desirable. CMake
+allows one to disable them using the following variables:
+
+ * :variable:`CMAKE_EXPORT_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY` disables the
+ :command:`export(PACKAGE)` command.
+ * :variable:`CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_PACKAGE_REGISTRY` disables the
+ User Package Registry in all the :command:`find_package` calls.
+ * :variable:`CMAKE_FIND_PACKAGE_NO_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY` disables
+ the System Package Registry in all the :command:`find_package` calls.
+
+Package Registry Example
+------------------------
+
+A simple convention for naming package registry entries is to use content
+hashes. They are deterministic and unlikely to collide
+(:command:`export(PACKAGE)` uses this approach).
+The name of an entry referencing a specific directory is simply the content
+hash of the directory path itself.
+
+If a project arranges for package registry entries to exist, such as::
+
+ > reg query HKCU\Software\Kitware\CMake\Packages\MyPackage
+ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Kitware\CMake\Packages\MyPackage
+ 45e7d55f13b87179bb12f907c8de6fc4 REG_SZ c:/Users/Me/Work/lib/cmake/MyPackage
+ 7b4a9844f681c80ce93190d4e3185db9 REG_SZ c:/Users/Me/Work/MyPackage-build
+
+or::
+
+ $ cat ~/.cmake/packages/MyPackage/7d1fb77e07ce59a81bed093bbee945bd
+ /home/me/work/lib/cmake/MyPackage
+ $ cat ~/.cmake/packages/MyPackage/f92c1db873a1937f3100706657c63e07
+ /home/me/work/MyPackage-build
+
+then the ``CMakeLists.txt`` code:
+
+.. code-block:: cmake
+
+ find_package(MyPackage)
+
+will search the registered locations for package configuration files
+(``MyPackageConfig.cmake``). The search order among package registry
+entries for a single package is unspecified and the entry names
+(hashes in this example) have no meaning. Registered locations may
+contain package version files (``MyPackageConfigVersion.cmake``) to
+tell :command:`find_package` whether a specific location is suitable
+for the version requested.
+
+Package Registry Ownership
+--------------------------
+
+Package registry entries are individually owned by the project installations
+that they reference. A package installer is responsible for adding its own
+entry and the corresponding uninstaller is responsible for removing it.
+
+The :command:`export(PACKAGE)` command populates the user package registry
+with the location of a project build tree. Build trees tend to be deleted by
+developers and have no "uninstall" event that could trigger removal of their
+entries. In order to keep the registries clean the :command:`find_package`
+command automatically removes stale entries it encounters if it has sufficient
+permissions. CMake provides no interface to remove an entry referencing an
+existing build tree once :command:`export(PACKAGE)` has been invoked.
+However, if the project removes its package configuration file from the build
+tree then the entry referencing the location will be considered stale.