[Pkg-cmake-team] Bug#1121850: cmake: Debian cross builds fail when using cmake_pkg_config

[Andrea Pappacoda]

Hi Helmut and others!

On Wed Dec 3, 2025 at 3:28 PM CET, Helmut Grohne wrote:
> Package: cmake
> Version: 3.31.6-2
> Severity: important
> X-Debbugs-Cc: debian-cross at lists.debian.org
> User: debian-cross at lists.debian.org
> Usertags: ftcbfs
> Control: affects -1 + src:endless-sky
>
> Hi Timo and others,
>
> CMake gained a new "cmake_pkg_config". It's not a macro, but a builtin
> and it effectively reimplements pkgconf and pkg-config. As with many
> reimplementations, this one also is feature-incomplete. When performing
> a Debian package cross build, cmake_pkg_config fails to locate
> dependencies, because it ends up using the build architecture .pc search
> path. For example, when building endless-sky, minizip is not found
> despite being properly installed.
>
> [...]
>
> So it's not that obvious how to communicate this to CMake and where to
> do this. For instance, extending debhelper with yet another assignment
> may be a sensible option.

I had anticipated this to CMake upstream when this feature was 
originally being developed, and my concerns were somewhat dismissed :/

Please have a look at the full conversation in upstream's issue tracker, 
at <https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/issues/26067>

Bye!