enable_testing — CMake 4.4.1 Documentation

# enable_testing

Enables testing for the current directory and below:

    enable_testing()

This command should be invoked in the top-level source directory because `ctest(1)` expects to find a test file in the top-level build directory.

This command is also automatically invoked when the `CTest` module is included, except if the `BUILD_TESTING` option is turned off.

The following restrictions apply to where `enable_testing()` may be called:

- It must be called in file scope, not in a `function()` call nor inside a `block()`.

## Examples

In the following example, this command is conditionally called depending on how the project is used. For instance, when the Example project is added via the `FetchContent` module as a subdirectory of a parent project that defines its own tests, testing for the Example project is disabled.

`CMakeLists.txt`

    project(Example)

    option(Example_ENABLE_TESTING "Enable testing" ${PROJECT_IS_TOP_LEVEL})

    if(Example_ENABLE_TESTING)
      enable_testing()
    endif()

    # ...

    if(Example_ENABLE_TESTING)
      add_test(...)
    endif()

## See Also

- The `add_test()` command.