# LANGUAGE

Specify the programming language in which a source file is written.

A property that can be set to indicate what programming language the source file is. If it is not set the language is determined based on the file extension. Typical values are `CXX` (i.e. C++), `C`, `CSharp`, `CUDA`, `Fortran`, `HIP`, `ISPC`, and `ASM`. Setting this property for a file means this file will be compiled. Do not set this for headers or files that should not be compiled.

Changed in version 3.20: Setting this property causes the source file to be compiled as the specified language, using explicit flags if possible. Previously it only caused the specified language's compiler to be used. See policy `CMP0119`.