CMake “NMake Makefiles” generator fails to compile

Question

I'm compiling simple application from this tutorial: https://www.johnlamp.net/cmake-tutorial-1-getting-started.html (just main.cc, ToDo.cc and ToDo.h files).

I have Visual Studio 2015 installed and when I use it's generator, VS project is generated successfully:

PS C:\data\OtherTech\cmaketest\build> cmake "Visual Studio 14 2015" ..

However, if I use "NMake Makefiles" or "Unix Makefiles" generators:

PS C:\data\OtherTech\cmaketest\build> cmake "NMake Makefiles" ..

I'm getting the following error:

> PS C:\data\OtherTech\cmaketest\build> cmake -G "NMake Makefiles" ..
-- The C compiler identification is MSVC 19.0.23026.0
-- The CXX compiler identification is MSVC 19.0.23026.0
-- Check for working C compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0/VC/bin/cl.exe
-- Check for working C compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0/VC/bin/cl.exe -- broken
CMake Error at C:/Users/user1/Desktop/Apps/cmake-3.4.0-win32-x86/share/cmake-3.4/Modules/CMakeTestCCompiler.cmake:61 (
message):
  The C compiler "C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio
  14.0/VC/bin/cl.exe" is not able to compile a simple test program.

  It fails with the following output:

   Change Dir: C:/Data/OtherTech/cmaketest/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeTmp



  Run Build Command:"nmake" "/NOLOGO" "cmTC_6fd86\fast"

        "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC\bin\nmake.exe" -f
  CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir\build.make /nologo -L
  CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir\build

  Building C object CMakeFiles/cmTC_6fd86.dir/testCCompiler.c.obj

        C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~3.0\VC\bin\cl.exe
  @C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\Temp\nm5A8B.tmp

  testCCompiler.c

  Linking C executable cmTC_6fd86.exe

        C:\Users\user1\Desktop\Apps\cmake-3.4.0-win32-x86\bin\cmake.exe -E
  vs_link_exe --intdir=CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir --manifests --
  C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~3.0\VC\bin\link.exe /nologo
  @CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir\objects1.rsp
  @C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\Temp\nm5B29.tmp

  The parameter is incorrectRC Pass 1 failed to run.

  NMAKE : fatal error U1077:
  'C:\Users\user1\Desktop\Apps\cmake-3.4.0-win32-x86\bin\cmake.exe' :
  return code '0xffffffff'

  Stop.

  NMAKE : fatal error U1077: '"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio
  14.0\VC\bin\nmake.exe"' : return code '0x2'

  Stop.





  CMake will not be able to correctly generate this project.
Call Stack (most recent call first):
  CMakeLists.txt:1 (project)


-- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!
See also "C:/Data/OtherTech/cmaketest/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log".
See also "C:/Data/OtherTech/cmaketest/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeError.log".

Also, if I look at CMakeFiles\CMakeError.log

it contains error:

LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'LIBCMT.lib'

here is full output:

    Compiling the C compiler identification source file "CMakeCCompilerId.c" failed.
Compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0/VC/bin/cl.exe 
Build flags: 
Id flags: 

The output was:
2
Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.00.23026 for x86
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

CMakeCCompilerId.c
Microsoft (R) Incremental Linker Version 14.00.23026.0
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

/out:CMakeCCompilerId.exe 
CMakeCCompilerId.obj 
LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'LIBCMT.lib'


Compiling the CXX compiler identification source file "CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp" failed.
Compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0/VC/bin/cl.exe 
Build flags: 
Id flags: 

The output was:
2
Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.00.23026 for x86
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

CMakeCXXCompilerId.cpp
Microsoft (R) Incremental Linker Version 14.00.23026.0
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

/out:CMakeCXXCompilerId.exe 
CMakeCXXCompilerId.obj 
LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'LIBCMT.lib'


Determining if the C compiler works failed with the following output:
Change Dir: C:/Data/OtherTech/cmaketest/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeTmp

Run Build Command:"nmake" "/NOLOGO" "cmTC_6fd86\fast"
    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC\bin\nmake.exe" -f CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir\build.make /nologo -L                  CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir\build

Building C object CMakeFiles/cmTC_6fd86.dir/testCCompiler.c.obj

    C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~3.0\VC\bin\cl.exe  @C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\Temp\nm5A8B.tmp

testCCompiler.c

Linking C executable cmTC_6fd86.exe

    C:\Users\user1\Desktop\Apps\cmake-3.4.0-win32-x86\bin\cmake.exe -E vs_link_exe --intdir=CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir --manifests  -- C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~3.0\VC\bin\link.exe /nologo @CMakeFiles\cmTC_6fd86.dir\objects1.rsp @C:\Users\user1\AppData\Local\Temp\nm5B29.tmp

The parameter is incorrectRC Pass 1 failed to run.

NMAKE : fatal error U1077: 'C:\Users\user1\Desktop\Apps\cmake-3.4.0-win32-x86\bin\cmake.exe' : return code '0xffffffff'

Stop.

NMAKE : fatal error U1077: '"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC\bin\nmake.exe"' : return code '0x2'

Stop.

I was searching for information about this error and figured out that perhaps my PowerShell session does not have access to some environment variables, so I went to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC and run

.\vcvarsall.bat

to configure the environment, but this unfortunately didn't help.

Any ideas how to fix this issue?

Answer 1

Run cmake or cmake-gui from a Visual Studio Native Tools Command Prompt and not a plain command prompt. That way all the required paths are correctly setup and visible to cmake.

Answer 2

I faced the same issue.

Solution:

before running cmake -G "NMake Makefiles", execute VC Path\vcvarsall.bat first in CMD.

PS: Only work in CMD, won't work in PowerShell.