Compile Options

These are options that are passed to cmake during configuration

All Platforms

Option Description Default

KICAD_SCRIPTING

Build the Python scripting support inside KiCad binaries.

ON

KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES

Build native portion of the pcbnew Python module: _pcbnew.{pyd,so} for OS command line use of Python.
If using WXPYTHON, the python version must be the same as the version used to build wxPython

ON

KICAD_SCRIPTING_PYTHON3

Build for Python 3 instead of 2.

OFF

KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON

Build wxPython implementation for wx interface building in Python and py.shell.

ON

KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON_PHOENIX

Use new wxPython binding.

OFF

KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU

Build a tools menu with registered python plugins: actions plugins.

ON

KICAD_USE_OCE

Build tools and plugins related to OpenCascade Community Edition.
Needed to support import/export STEP

ON

KICAD_USE_OCC

Build tools and plugins related to OpenCascade Technology.
Overrides KICAD_USE_OCE

OFF

KICAD_INSTALL_DEMOS

Install KiCad demos and examples.

ON

KICAD_BUILD_QA_TESTS

Build software Quality assurance unit tests.

ON

KICAD_SPICE

Build KiCad with internal Spice simulator.

ON

KICAD_BUILD_I18N

Build the translation language libraries

OFF

KICAD_I18N_UNIX_STRICT_PATH

Install the language libraries to the standard UNIX install path
of ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/share/locale

OFF

BUILD_SMALL_DEBUG_FILES

In debug build: create smaller binaries.
On Windows, binaries created by link option -g3 are very large
(more than 1Gb for pcbnew, and more than 3Gb for the full kicad suite)
This option create binaries using link option -g1 that create much smaller files, but
there are less info in debug (However the file names and line numbers are available)

OFF

MAINTAIN_PNGS

Allow build/rebuild bitmap icons used in menus from the corresponding .svg file.
Set to true if you are a PNG maintainer and have the required tools given
in the bitmaps_png/CMakeLists.txt file

OFF

Not supported by all platforms

Option Description Default

KICAD_SANITIZE

Build KiCad with sanitizer options.
WARNING: Not compatible with gold linker.

OFF

KICAD_STDLIB_DEBUG

Build KiCad with libstdc++ debug flags enabled.

OFF

KICAD_STDLIB_LIGHT_DEBUG

Build KiCad with libstdc++ with -Wp,-D_GLIBCXX_ASSERTIONS flag enabled.
Not as intrusive as KICAD_STDLIB_DEBUG

OFF

KICAD_BUILD_PARALLEL_CL_MP

Build in parallel using the /MP compiler option (Default OFF for safety reasons).

OFF

KICAD_USE_VALGRIND

Build KiCad with valgrind stack tracking enabled.

OFF

Notes

When option KICAD_SCRIPTING OR KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES is enabled:

PYTHON_EXECUTABLE can be defined when invoking cmake ( use -DPYTHON_EXECUTABLE=<python path>/python.exe or python2 ) when not defined by user, the Default is python.exe under Windows and python2 for others python binary file should be in exec path.

Note 1

KICAD_SCRIPTING controls the entire python scripting system. If it is off, no other scripting is allowed

Therefore, if KICAD_SCRIPTING is OFF, these other option are forced to OFF: KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES, KICAD_SCRIPTING_ACTION_MENU,KICAD_SCRIPTING_PYTHON3 KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON, KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON_PHOENIX

Note 2

KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON_PHOENIX requires enabling the KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON flag so that the wxWidgets library is properly versioned

Note 3

These Symbols are always defined, and are not an option for cmake invocation:

COMPILING_DLL

This is a signal to import_export.h, and when present, toggles the interpretation of the #defines in that file. Its purpose should not be extended beyond this.

USE_KIWAY_DLLS

Comes from CMake as a user configuration variable, settable in the Cmake user interface. It decides if KiCad will be built with the *.kiface program modules.

BUILD_KIWAY_DLL

Comes from CMake, but at the 2nd tier, not the top tier. By 2nd tier, something like pcbnew/CMakeLists.txt, not /CMakeLists.txt is meant. It is not a user configuration variable. Instead, the 2nd tier CMakeLists.txt file looks at the top level USE_KIWAY_DLLS and decides how the object files under the 2nd tier’s control will be built. If it decides it wants to march in lockstep with USE_KIWAY_DLLS, then this local CMakeLists.txt file may pass a defined BUILD_KIWAY_DLL (singular) on the compiler command line to the pertinent set of compilation steps under its control.

Note 4

When building with KICAD_BUILD_I18N on Linux systems, gettext needs the rule files shared-mime-info.its and metainfo.its/appdata.its to translate the Linux metadata files.