A cmake script that adds dependencies to a project right from release archives. Be it local or from remote url. Works at configure time.

Has 2 functions:

add_from_archive_url(url      [path_to_CMakeLists_inside_the_archive])
add_from_archive    (rel_path [path_to_CMakeLists_inside_the_archive])

url is the url of an archive.

rel_path path to an archive, relative to current CMakeLists.txt

path_to_CMakeLists_inside_the_archive path inside the archive, where added dependency's CMakeLists.txt can be found. Most often can be omited, since the CMakeLists.txtis at root.

For example:

# From remote
add_from_archive_url(https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v3.19.6/protobuf-cpp-3.19.6.tar.gz cmake)
# Locally stored archive
add_from_archive(extlibs/protobuf-3.19.6.7z cmake)

Download the AddFromArchive.cmake into cmake subdirectory of your project root

mkdir -p cmake && wget -O cmake/AddFromArchive.cmake "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dsvi/Cmake.AddFromArchive/refs/heads/main/AddFromArchive.cmake"

And include it into your CMakeLists.txt by

include(cmake/AddFromArchive.cmake)

Than use the 2 functions to add the dependencies. Note, some old projects, with very retro cmake files, may not work with the script. Most modern ones do.