FindPythonLibs

Changed in version 3.27: This module is available only if policy CMP0148 is not set to NEW.

Deprecated since version 3.12: Use FindPython3, FindPython2, or FindPython instead.

Finds the Python installation and determines the location of its include directories and libraries, as well as the name of the Python library to link against:

find_package(PythonLibs [<version>] [...])

Note

When using both this and the FindPythonInterp module, call find_package(PythonInterp) before find_package(PythonLibs). This ensures that the detected interpreter version is used to guide the selection of compatible libraries, resulting in a consistent PYTHON_LIBRARIES value.

Result Variables

This module defines the following variables:

PythonLibs_FOUND: Added in version 3.3.

Boolean indicating whether the (requested version of) Python libraries were found.
PYTHONLIBS_VERSION_STRING: The version of the Python libraries found.
PYTHON_LIBRARIES: Libraries needed to link against to use Python.
PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIRS: Include directories needed to use Python.

Cache Variables

The following cache variables may also be set to specify the Python installation to use:

PYTHON_LIBRARY: The path to the Python library.
PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIR: The directory containing the Python.h header file.

Hints

This module accepts the following variables before calling find_package(PythonLibs):

Python_ADDITIONAL_VERSIONS: This variable can be used to specify a list of version numbers that should be taken into account when searching for Python.

Deprecated Variables

The following variables are provided for backward compatibility:

PYTHONLIBS_FOUND: Deprecated since version 3.12: Use PythonLibs_FOUND, which has the same value.

Boolean indicating whether the (requested version of) Python libraries were found.
PYTHON_DEBUG_LIBRARIES: Deprecated since version 2.8.8: Use PYTHON_LIBRARIES instead.

Result variable that holds the path to the debug library.
PYTHON_INCLUDE_PATH: Deprecated since version 2.8.0: Use PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIR or PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIRS instead.

Result variable that holds the path to the directory containing the Python.h header file.

Examples

In earlier versions of CMake, Python libraries were found and used in a project like this:

find_package(PythonLibs)
target_link_libraries(app PRIVATE ${PYTHON_LIBRARIES})
target_include_directories(app PRIVATE ${PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIRS})

Starting with CMake 3.12, Python libraries can be found using the FindPython module. The equivalent example using the modern approach with an imported target is:

find_package(Python COMPONENTS Development)
target_link_libraries(app PRIVATE Python::Python)

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Licensed under the BSD 3-clause License.
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/module/FindPythonLibs.html