[Development] Switch the main "Qt Build System"

[Matthew Woehlke]

On 09/06/2020 05.05, Alexandru Croitor wrote:
> On 09/06/2020 04.38, Shawn Rutledge wrote: >> At least json is easier to parse, if we try to write other tooling.> 
 > That's true. But using tooling to forever generate cmake files from
> json also comes with its downsides (maintenance, inability to express
> certain constructs, people forgetting to use it, etc).
>
> Personally I think having one source of truth is better. And I think 
> tooling for parsing cmake files will appear in time as well.

Alternatively: teach CMake to parse the .json directly.

I think it would make sense for CMake to have some abilities to consume 
and manipulate JSON from CMake script¹, maybe even to use JSON as a 
replacement for the current CMakeCache.txt. (I would *definitely* like 
to see a JSON replacement for how CMake exports targets.) I think you 
might find upstream surprisingly amenable *if* someone is willing to do 
the work.

(¹ ...or from something that *replaces* CMake script. Folks have been 
talking about that for ages, but it comes down to a) agreeing what to 
use, and b) SHTDI. If someone had a *viable* proposal for replacing² 
CMake script, I think you'd find the developers ***very*** interested.)

(² Technically, I should say "supplementing", since CMake script needs 
to stick around for backwards compatibility.)

-- 
Matthew