vcpkg overlay-port command seems not been considered when configuring a dependency with vcpkg_configure_cmake

[andriy-fd]

Hello,

I faced with the case that I can't figure out. That's might be something related to my lack of knowledge or something that might actually be a real case.

My problem is next:
I have a project A that has one of it's dependency as an overlay-port (not sure if that's right term to use, though).
Basically, in project's A root folder I have vcpkg-ports folder that then contains another folder for project B with related portfile.cmake and vcpkg.json files.

In portfile.cmake I have next code to configure project B:

// get stuff from git
vcpkg_from_github(....)

// configuring the project
vcpkg_configure_cmake(
    SOURCE_PATH
    ${SOURCE_PATH}
    PREFER_NINJA
    OPTIONS
        -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF
        -DVCPKG_OVERLAY_PORTS="${SOURCE_PATH}/vcpkg-ports"
    )

// do install and other things
vcpkg_install_cmake()
vcpkg_fixup_cmake_targets(...)
vcpkg_copy_pdbs()

I have project B listed within project's A vcpkg.json file. So that vcpkg knows that project A depends on project B.

In project's A CMakePresets file i have defined a "VCPKG_OVERLAY_PORTS": "${sourceDir}/vcpkg-ports" so that once I configure project A vcpkg knows where to look for project B. Basically look in the vcpkg-ports folder

So far so good. Once I start configure project A vcpkg correctly detects that it depends on project B and it also detects project's B data in vcpkg-ports folder and tries to configure project B first.

And here is where problem happens.
Project B has the same configuration, the project depends on something from it's own vcpkg-port folder, e.g. on project C.
So while configuring project B as part of project's A configuration the configuration fails and the log says that it can't find project's B port that project B has in it's vcpkg-ports folder. Basically it can't find project C

However, if I configure project B manually, I mean not as dependency for some other project but a a standalone project, project's B dependency is correctly detected, configured and built.

Would appreciate any help with that.

Thanks in advance.

[Neumann-A]

// configuring the project
vcpkg_configure_cmake(
    SOURCE_PATH
    ${SOURCE_PATH}
    PREFER_NINJA
    OPTIONS
        -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF
        -DVCPKG_OVERLAY_PORTS="${SOURCE_PATH}/vcpkg-ports"
    )

That is not how vcpkg works.

Are you trying to use vcpkg within vcpkg? That is probably not supported.

[Neumann-A]

You would simply make portA and portB and list the deps accordingly. To provide the overlays you would combine them to
-DVCPKG_OVERLAY_PORTS="overlayA;overlayB" in project C so that port A and B gets build for project C.

[andriy-fd]

okay, so from your example, basically what it means is that even that projectC (in my case) depends only on portA and portA depends on portB I still need to list both for my project's C dependencies?

[Neumann-A]

projects C manifest can only depend on port A since port A will pull in port B by its manifest. However you need to provide a consistent registry for both so the overlay needs to know both.

[andriy-fd]

yeah...
so I do have a registry, e.g. my file vcpkg-configuration.json

{
  "default-registry": {
    "kind": "git",
    "repository": "https://github.com/my-project/custom-vcpkg-registry",
    "baseline": "5568f110b509a9fd90711978a7cb76bae75bb092"
  }
}

that custom-vcpkg-registry contains all ports that all my projects depends on. So if my project depends of port from git registry - all if fine.

but here is different, my project A depends on portB and that portB depends on portC and that portC is not in git registry.

I guess I'm trying to understand - how in my case all the dependencies that are in my custom-vcpkg-registry are properly taken and configuring for dependent projects, but that one dependency that is defined locally can't be found.

that's projcet A

that's project B

eventually project B will be moved into custom-vcpkg-registry so that projectA no longer depends on local port and doesn't have overlay-port defined, and takes it dependency from custom-vcpkg-registry directly.

but before doing that change I decided to try with overlay to have everything properly configured in projectB

[andriy-fd]

@Neumann-A thank you a lot with your attempts to gently explain that I'm doing things in a way that is unappropriated. After giving more thoughts on this I think I understood your points.
the main one is basically that vcpkg_configure_cmake is just forces CMake to do it's stuff and doesn't do any vcpkg related actions, such as download dependencies, etc.

With that, I think I also have an idea how to solve my particular problem in proper way.

Thank a lot.