Free CMake test files and sample generator
A CMake build script/module. Generate valid .cmake sample files to test build tooling, editors and CI configuration pipelines.
What is a .cmake file?
CMAKE: CMake Script. A .cmake script holds CMake commands, variable definitions, includes and module logic, used by C and C++ builds across platforms.
Why generate a test CMake file?
- Test a build-script parser or CI configuration step.
- Check handling of a large generated script.
- Verify variable and include resolution.
How a .cmake file is identified
A .cmake file has no signature at the start. A text format has no identifying leading bytes, so the extension and the reported media type are the only claims about it until a parser actually reads it, which is why validating uploads by extension alone is unsafe.
How the size lands on the exact byte
The format allows comments, so the padding is comment lines, legal, inert, and visible if you open the file.
Negative testing with broken CMake files
- Invalid. Identifiable, but wrong inside, so it fails during parsing.
- Corrupted. The leading bytes are destroyed. Same length as the valid file.
- Incomplete. Truncated part-way, so it is genuinely shorter.
- Empty. Chosen under Content rather than File Condition: valid structure, no data.
Which failure to reach for, and what to assert for each, is covered in how to make a corrupted file for testing. For upload limits and type checks see testing file upload validation, and for this format's encodings, UTF-16 and BOM test files.
Sample CMake content
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10) set(TEST_VAR_0 137)
This shows the shape of the file. Your download is generated fresh at the size you choose, so the values will differ.
How to open and verify the file
Run `cmake -P file.cmake` to execute the script standalone.
Media type text/x-cmake · extension .cmake · category Config & DevOps
Generate a .cmake file → · questions about sizes, privacy or cost are answered on the site FAQ.
Frequently asked questions about CMake files
What identifies a .cmake file?
Nothing at the start of the file does. A text format has no identifying leading bytes, so the extension and the reported media type are the only claims about it until a parser actually reads it, which is why validating uploads by extension alone is unsafe.
How can a .cmake file be an exact number of bytes?
The format allows comments, so the padding is comment lines, legal, inert, and visible if you open the file.
Can I download several broken CMake files at once?
Yes, select more than one File Condition and you get one ZIP containing a .cmake per condition, each named after its condition.
Can the CMake file use UTF-16 or a byte-order mark?
Yes. .cmake is a text format, so it can be generated as UTF-8, UTF-8 with a byte-order mark, UTF-16 LE or UTF-16 BE. The body is shortened before re-encoding so the finished file still lands on the exact size you asked for. Note that a UTF-16 file always has an even byte count.
How do I open or verify the CMake file?
Run cmake -P file.cmake to execute the script standalone.
Related Config & DevOps formats
ENV · INI · TOML · Dockerfile · gitignore · CONF · Properties · Makefile