How to run Cmake in Visual Studio Code using tasks - c++

Question

I'm trying to run cmake with ctrl+shift+B like so:
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"label": "cmake",
"type": "shell",
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build"
},
"command": "cmake ${workspaceRoot} -G \"MinGW Makefiles\"",
(...)
},
{
"label": "make",
"type": "shell",
"command": "mingw32-make.exe",
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build"
},
(...),
"dependsOn":["cmake"]
},
{
"label": "build",
"type": "shell",
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build"
},
"group": {
"kind": "build",
"isDefault": true
},
"dependsOn": ["make"]
}
]
}
But no matter what I do It runs on ${workspaceRoot} instead of the ${workspaceRoot}/build one:
Executing task in folder cpppractice: cmake C:\workspace\cpp\cpppractice -G "MinGW Makefiles"
Is there anyhting wrong with this approach? As far as I understand the cwd variable in the options item should work.

Answer 1

{
"label": "cmake",
"type": "shell",
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build"
},
"command": "cmake \"MinGW Makefiles\" ${workspaceRoot}",
},
This works, It seems that the "Executing task in folder cpppractice:" is not accurate and it is executing it in the correct place, as for why it did not work previously I think it's parsing the args incorrectly? I can't confirm, but here is the output:
Executing task in folder cpppractice: cmake "MinGW Makefiles"
C:\workspace\cpp\cpppractice <
-- Configuring done
-- Generating done
-- Build files have been written to: C:/workspace/cpp/cpppractice/build
Where previously it was compalining about not being able Use the generator "MinGW" which means that it separating the argument "MinGW Makefiles".
After some tinkering I found out that this is also an answer:
{
"label": "cmake",
"type": "shell",
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build"
},
"command": "cmake",
"args": [
"-G",
"'MinGW Makefiles'",
"./.."
],
...
},
I actually find the second approach a little bit cleaner but both work the same, So in order to pass an argument as a string you have to use single quotes like so:
...
"command":"echo",
"args": [
"'Za Warudo!'",
],
...

Answer 2

You pass arguments to cmake wrongly. The whole string cmake ${workspaceRoot} -G "MinGW Makefiles" is treated as a command name. Arguments must be listed in the args array.
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"label": "cmake",
"type": "shell",
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build"
},
"command": "cmake",
"args": [
"${workspaceRoot}",
"-G",
"\"MinGW Makefiles\""
]
},
...
]
}