# get_source_file_property

Get a property for a source file.

    get_source_file_property(<variable> <file>
                             [DIRECTORY <dir> | TARGET_DIRECTORY <target>]
                             <property>)

Gets a property from a source file. The value of the property is stored in the specified `<variable>`. If the source property is not found, the behavior depends on whether it has been defined to be an `INHERITED` property or not (see `define_property()`). Non-inherited properties will set `variable` to `NOTFOUND`, whereas inherited properties will search the relevant parent scope as described for the `define_property()` command and if still unable to find the property, `variable` will be set to an empty string.

By default, the source file’s property will be read from the current source directory’s scope, but this can be overridden with one of the following sub-options:

`DIRECTORY <dir>`

  The source file property will be read from the `<dir>` directory’s scope. CMake must already know about that source directory, either by having added it through a call to `add_subdirectory()` or `<dir>` being the top level source directory. Relative paths are treated as relative to the current source directory.

`TARGET_DIRECTORY <target>`

  The source file property will be read from the directory scope in which `<target>` was created (`<target>` must therefore already exist).

Use `set_source_files_properties()` to set property values. Source file properties usually control how the file is built. One property that is always there is `LOCATION`.

See also the more general `get_property()` command.