Using SDL2 as external library with cmake

To use SDL2 as an external library with CMake, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Download and Install SDL2: First, you need to download the SDL2 library from the official website (https://www.libsdl.org/download-2.0.php) and install it on your system. Make sure to choose the appropriate version for your platform (Windows, Linux, macOS).

2. Set SDL2 Include and Library Paths: Once SDL2 is installed, you need to locate the SDL2 header files and library files. The location may vary depending on your operating system and how SDL2 was installed.

   • On Windows: By default, SDL2 library files (SDL2.lib for release and SDL2d.lib for debug) can be found in the lib folder, and header files are in the include folder of your SDL2 installation directory.

   • On Linux: SDL2 library files (libSDL2.so) are typically located in /usr/lib or /usr/local/lib, and the header files are in /usr/include/SDL2.

   • On macOS: The SDL2 library files (libSDL2.dylib) can be found in /usr/local/lib, and the header files are in /usr/local/include/SDL2.

3. Update CMakeLists.txt: Open your project's CMakeLists.txt file and add the following lines to configure the SDL2 library:

   cmakeCopy code
   # Specify the path to SDL2
   
   set(SDL2_DIR "<path-to-SDL2>")
   
   
   
   # Find the SDL2 library
   
   find_package(SDL2 REQUIRED)
   
   
   
   # Include SDL2 headers
   
   include_directories(${SDL2_INCLUDE_DIRS})
   
   
   
   # Link against SDL2 library
   
   target_link_libraries(your_project_name ${SDL2_LIBRARIES})
   
   

   Replace <path-to-SDL2> with the actual path to your SDL2 installation directory.

4. Build Your Project: Finally, build your project using CMake as you normally would. CMake will now include the SDL2 headers and link against the SDL2 library during the build process.

Make sure to update the CMakeLists.txt file with the appropriate project name and adjust any other project-specific settings as needed.

By following these steps, you should be able to use SDL2 as an external library in your CMake-based project.