# target_sources

New in version 3.1.

Add sources to a target.

    target_sources(<target>
      <INTERFACE|PUBLIC|PRIVATE> [items1...]
      [<INTERFACE|PUBLIC|PRIVATE> [items2...] ...])

Specifies sources to use when building a target and/or its dependents. Relative source file paths are interpreted as being relative to the current source directory (i.e. `CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR`). The named `<target>` must have been created by a command such as `add_executable()` or `add_library()` and must not be an ALIAS target.

The `INTERFACE`, `PUBLIC` and `PRIVATE` keywords are required to specify the scope of the items following them. `PRIVATE` and `PUBLIC` items will populate the `SOURCES` property of `<target>`, which are used when building the target itself. `PUBLIC` and `INTERFACE` items will populate the `INTERFACE_SOURCES` property of `<target>`, which are used when building dependents. (IMPORTED targets only support `INTERFACE` items because they are not build targets.) The following arguments specify sources. Repeated calls for the same `<target>` append items in the order called.

Arguments to `target_sources` may use “generator expressions” with the syntax `$<...>`. See the `cmake-generator-expressions(7)` manual for available expressions. See the `cmake-buildsystem(7)` manual for more on defining buildsystem properties.

See also the `CMP0076` policy for older behavior related to the handling of relative source file paths.