Triplet files

Triplet is a standard term used in cross compiling as a way to completely capture the target environment (cpu, os, compiler, runtime, etc) in a single convenient name.

In Vcpkg, we use triplets to describe self-consistent builds of library sets. This means every library will be built using the same target cpu, OS, and compiler toolchain, but also CRT linkage and preferred library type.

We currently provide many triplets by default (run vcpkg help triplet). However, you can easily add your own by creating a new file in the triplets\ directory. The new triplet will immediately be available for use in commands, such as vcpkg install boost:x86-windows-custom.

To change the triplet used by your project, such as to enable static linking, see our Integration Document.

Variables

VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE

Specifies the target machine architecture.

Valid options are x86, x64, and arm.

VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE

Specifies the desired MSVCRT linkage.

Valid options are dynamic and static.

VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE

Specifies the preferred library linkage.

Valid options are dynamic and static. Note that libraries can ignore this setting if they do not support the preferred linkage type.

VCPKG_CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME

Specifies the target platform.

Valid options are WindowsStore or empty. Empty corresponds to Windows Desktop and WindowsStore corresponds to UWP. When setting this variable to WindowsStore, you must also set VCPKG_CMAKE_SYSTEM_VERSION to 10.0.

VCPKG_PLATFORM_TOOLSET

Specifies the VS-based C/C++ compiler toolchain to use.

This can be set to v141, v140, or left blank. If left blank, we select the latest compiler toolset available on your machine.

Visual Studio 2015 platform toolset is v140
Visual Studio 2017 platform toolset is v141

VCPKG_CHAINLOAD_TOOLCHAIN_FILE

Specifies an alternate CMake Toolchain file to use.

This (if set) will override all other compiler detection logic. By default, a toolchain file is selected from scripts/toolchains/ appropriate to the platform.

See also the CMake documentation for toolchain files: https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.11/manual/cmake-toolchains.7.html.

Per-port customization

The CMake Macro PORT will be set when interpreting the triplet file and can be used to change settings (such as VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE) on a per-port basis.

Example:

set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE static)
set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic)
if(PORT MATCHES "qt5-")
    set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE dynamic)
endif()

This will build all the qt5-* libraries as DLLs against the dynamic CRT, but every other library as a static library (still against the dynamic CRT).

For an example in a real project, see https://github.com/Intelight/vcpkg/blob/master/triplets/x86-windows-mixed.cmake.

Additional Remarks

The default triplet when running any vcpkg command is %VCPKG_DEFAULT_TRIPLET% or x86-windows if that environment variable is undefined.

We recommend using a systematic naming scheme when creating new triplets. The Android toolchain naming scheme is a good source of inspiration: https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/standalone_toolchain.html.

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