CMake support in Windows App SDK 2.0.0-experimental7

[ssparach]

Overview

Hi Everyone,

We’re introducing CMake support in Windows App SDK 2.0.0-experimental7 as an early flighted experimental capability.
This work provides a repeatable, idiomatic model for consuming the Windows App SDK in CMake, replacing the need for custom setup with a more standardized experience.

Description

The CMake integration is built on NuGetCMakePackage, an open-source CMake module that bridges the gap between NuGet package management and CMake's native find_package() workflow. NuGetCMakePackage handles downloading and restoring NuGet packages at configure time via add_nuget_packages(), probes each package for an embedded cmake config (at build/cmake/-config.cmake), and exposes the package's headers, import libraries, runtime DLLs, and WinRT metadata as standard CMake targets.

Each Windows App SDK NuGet component and dependent package now embeds a CMake configuration file under build/cmake/, which with the help of the NuGetCMakePackage library, allows CMake's find_package() to automatically discover targets, headers, libraries, and runtime DLLs without manual path configuration. This covers all component packages including Foundation, InteractiveExperiences, DWrite, Widgets, AI, ML, and WinUI, as well as dependencies such as Base and Runtime.

This is an early flight intended to gauge adoption and collect feedback. Promotion beyond experimental will depend on demonstrated community interest and the strength of feedback we receive. For sample usage, please refer to CMake sample applications.

What this means

• Provides a standardized, integration model for using Windows App SDK in CMake
• Offers an idiomatic CMake consumption experience alongside existing MSBuild options

Current status

This is experimental:
• Patterns are subject to change
• Some gaps with MSBuild are expected

Things we’re still working through

• How to best model consumption patterns in a way that feels natural in CMake
• Reducing friction around dependency resolution and project setup

Why we’re sharing this

We want early feedback to help shape:
• What “good” looks like for CMake integration
• Where the current experience feels unintuitive or brittle
• What’s missing for real-world usage

Next steps

Please share your feedback and real-world scenarios by replying to this dedicated Discussions post.
If you encounter gaps, usability issues, or have suggestions to improve the developer experience, we’d love to hear from you.
We’ll continue iterating on this experimental feature based on community input and level of interest as we evaluate its future direction.
Thank you!

[whiskhub]

The people who need CMake most aren't usually the ones browsing the WASDK discussions. They’re likely using Qt, Electron, or other cross-platform tools. To get a realistic sense of interest and adoption, you should promote this through other channels like the MS Dev Blogs and social media. Otherwise, you might miss the very audience you’re trying to build this for.

[sylveon]

Does this include cppwinrt to generation projection and implementation headers for WinRT?

[ssparach]

Thanks for taking the time to respond here. Experimental CMake support includes projection generation. If you look at the embedded CMake in each NuGet package, you'll find a call to add_cppwinrt_projection, which passes the WinMD paths and uses cppwinrt.exe (from the Microsoft.Windows.CppWinRT nuget dependency) to generate the projections.

[jschroedl]

You asked for the real world usage/feedback so here's my opinion: CMake support is of no use in our Windows desktop app or build pipeline. IMO the dev time would be better spent improving the Windows native experience (devenv, msbuild) . We use C++, C++/CLI and C# in our app.

[Nerixyz]

Thank you for working on CMake support. I tried to add the packages to a project, but it seems they're incomplete.

Specifically, Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.Base @ 2.0.3-experimental1 is missing WindowsAppSDKHelpers.cmake and cppwinrt-support.cmake. They're referenced from build/cmake/microsoft.windowsappsdk.base-config.cmake, but aren't in the nuget package.
That version is referenced here in the example.

Furthermore, Microsoft.Windows.CppWinRT doesn't have a version 2.0.251203.1 on nuget (referenced here). As of writing this, the latest one is 2.0.250303.1.

[ssparach]

We appreciate your engagement with CMake support in Windows App SDK and for reporting these issues.

1. Yes, the files are missing in Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.Base (2.0.3-experimental1), this has been addressed in the upcoming experimental release.
2. Yes, I will update the samples to reference version 2.0.250303.1 for CppWinRT.

Thanks again for reaching out. This feedback is very helpful as we continue iterating on CMake support and we hope to hear from you again in the future. Please try it out once the next experimental is available.