# AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS

New in version 3.9.

Filter definitions used by `AUTOMOC` to extract file names from a source file that are registered as additional dependencies for the `moc` file of the source file.

Filters are defined as `KEYWORD;REGULAR_EXPRESSION` pairs. First the file content is searched for `KEYWORD`. If it is found at least once, then file names are extracted by successively searching for `REGULAR_EXPRESSION` and taking the first match group.

The file name found in the first match group is searched for

- first in the vicinity of the source file

- and afterwards in the target’s `INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES`.

If any of the extracted files changes, then the `moc` file for the source file gets rebuilt even when the source file itself doesn’t change.

If any of the extracted files is `GENERATED` or if it is not in the target’s sources, then it might be necessary to add it to the `_autogen` target dependencies. See `AUTOGEN_TARGET_DEPENDS` for reference.

By default `AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS` is initialized from `CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS`, which is empty by default.

From Qt 5.15.0 on this variable is ignored as moc is able to output the correct dependencies.

See the `cmake-qt(7)` manual for more information on using CMake with Qt.

## Example 1

A header file `my_class.hpp` uses a custom macro `JSON_FILE_MACRO` which is defined in an other header `macros.hpp`. We want the `moc` file of `my_class.hpp` to depend on the file name argument of `JSON_FILE_MACRO`:

    // my_class.hpp
    class My_Class : public QObject
    {
      Q_OBJECT
      JSON_FILE_MACRO ( "info.json" )
    ...
    };

In `CMakeLists.txt` we add a filter to `CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS` like this:

    list( APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
      "JSON_FILE_MACRO"
      "[\n][ \t]*JSON_FILE_MACRO[ \t]*\\([ \t]*\"([^\"]+)\""
    )

We assume `info.json` is a plain (not `GENERATED`) file that is listed in the target’s source. Therefore we do not need to add it to `AUTOGEN_TARGET_DEPENDS`.

## Example 2

In the target `my_target` a header file `complex_class.hpp` uses a custom macro `JSON_BASED_CLASS` which is defined in an other header `macros.hpp`:

    // macros.hpp
    ...
    #define JSON_BASED_CLASS(name, json) \
    class name : public QObject \
    { \
      Q_OBJECT \
      Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID "demo" FILE json) \
      name() {} \
    };
    ...

    // complex_class.hpp
    #pragma once
    JSON_BASED_CLASS(Complex_Class, "meta.json")
    // end of file

Since `complex_class.hpp` doesn’t contain a `Q_OBJECT` macro it would be ignored by `AUTOMOC`. We change this by adding `JSON_BASED_CLASS` to `CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES`:

    list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_MACRO_NAMES "JSON_BASED_CLASS")

We want the `moc` file of `complex_class.hpp` to depend on `meta.json`. So we add a filter to `CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS`:

    list(APPEND CMAKE_AUTOMOC_DEPEND_FILTERS
      "JSON_BASED_CLASS"
      "[\n^][ \t]*JSON_BASED_CLASS[ \t]*\\([^,]*,[ \t]*\"([^\"]+)\""
    )

Additionally we assume `meta.json` is `GENERATED` which is why we have to add it to `AUTOGEN_TARGET_DEPENDS`:

    set_property(TARGET my_target APPEND PROPERTY AUTOGEN_TARGET_DEPENDS "meta.json")