It supports this syntax.

https://xmake.io/guide/project-configuration/syntax-descript...

  target("foo", function ()
      set_kind("binary")
      add_files("src/*.cpp")
      add_defines("FOO")
  end)

    target("foo", {
      kind = "binary",
      files = { "src/*.cpp" },
      includedirs = { "src" },
      defines = { "FOO", "BAR=BAZ" },
    })

    target {
      name = "foo",
      kind = "binary",
      files = { "src/*.cpp" },
      includedirs = { "src" },
      defines = { "FOO", "BAR=BAZ" },
    }

    target("foo", {
      kind = "binary",
      files = { "src/*.cpp" },
      includedirs = { "src" },
      defines = { "FOO", "BAR=BAZ" },
    })

https://xmake.io/guide/extensions/builtin-plugins.html#gener...

C++ Modules examples:

https://xmake.io/examples/cpp/cxx-modules.html

https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake/tree/dev/tests/projects/c%...

Example:

    dmd -i -Isrc/ src/main.d

Xmake can be used to directly build source code (like with Make or Ninja), or it can generate project source files like CMake or Meson. It also has a built-in package management system to help users integrate C/C++ dependencies.

Following the instructions, after `make build` I get “No rule to make target 'lua/lapi.c', needed by 'lua/lapi.o'. Stop.”.

I’m now reading more, and it will probably be some easy thing.

My advice would be to have some compact list of steps to get it up and running from source without having to install binaries. I think that would make it easier to try out.

I’ll now continue trying to figure out what’s missing.

    git submodule update --init

Yes, that’s what I did. :-)

    wget https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake/archive/refs/tags/v2.6.5.tar.gz 
    tar xf v2.6.5.tar.gz
    cd xmake-2.6.5/
    make build

    https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake/releases/download/v2.6.5/xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz

I see that one you mention in the middle of the list, with the name “xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz”.

Please note that this is not a criticism, I’m just telling what can happen when someone tries to compile it.

Edit: trying this now:

    wget https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake/releases/download/v2.6.5/xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz
    tar xf xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz 
    cd xmake
    make build

Edit 2: I see, the issue is that it does not create a directory `xmake-v2.6.5`, but instead extracts its contents in the current directory, as a “tar bomb”. This works:

    mkdir xmake-v2.6.5
    cd xmake-v2.6.5
    wget https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake/releases/download/v2.6.5/xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz
    tar xf xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz 
    make build

https://github.com/dear-github/dear-github/issues/214

    wget https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake/releases/download/v2.6.5/xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz
    tar xf xmake-v2.6.5.tar.gz 
    make build

https://github.com/xmake-io/xmake

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a quick search for Clion's support for xmake only returns a dead plugin from intellij which was last updated 4 years ago.

https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/10156-xmake

Meanwhile, Clion is built around cmake. Why would any Clion customer want to drop first-class support for cmake to fall back to an unmaintained plugin that seems to be abandonware?

https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/17406-xmake

A reason for using Cmake is that this build system's CMakeLists.txt also works like a universal IDE-agnostic project file that saves the user from wasting time tinkering IDEs and lots of XML files in the case of Visual Studio MSBUILD building system.