cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 2.6) project(TestWorkingDir) add_custom_command( OUTPUT "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/working.c" COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}" -E copy ./working.c.in "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/working.c" WORKING_DIRECTORY "${TestWorkingDir_SOURCE_DIR}" COMMENT "custom command" ) set_source_files_properties( "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget.c" "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget2.c" PROPERTIES GENERATED 1) add_executable(working "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/working.c" "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget.c") add_custom_target( Custom ALL COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}" -E copy_if_different ./customTarget.c "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget.c" BYPRODUCTS "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget.c" WORKING_DIRECTORY "${TestWorkingDir_SOURCE_DIR}" ) add_dependencies(working Custom) file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/work) add_custom_command( OUTPUT working2.c # Relative to build tree COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}" -E copy ${TestWorkingDir_SOURCE_DIR}/working.c.in ../working2.c DEPENDS ${TestWorkingDir_SOURCE_DIR}/working.c.in/ # trailing slash should be removed WORKING_DIRECTORY work/ # Relative to build tree, trailing slash ) add_executable(working2 working2.c ${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget2.c) add_custom_target( Custom2 ALL COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}" -E copy_if_different ${TestWorkingDir_SOURCE_DIR}/customTarget.c ../customTarget2.c BYPRODUCTS "${TestWorkingDir_BINARY_DIR}/customTarget2.c" WORKING_DIRECTORY work/ # Relative to build tree, trailing slash ) add_dependencies(working2 Custom2)