Add option to optimize link dependencies for static libraries

Add an `OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES` target property and supporting
`CMAKE_OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES` variable to optionally enable pruning and
flattening of outgoing dependencies from static libraries.  Since they
do not actually link, they only depend on side effects of their
dependencies.  Therefore we can drop dependencies that contribute no
side effects.

1 files changed, 38 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/Help/prop_tgt/OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES.rst b/Help/prop_tgt/OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..533cf6a027
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Help/prop_tgt/OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES
+---------------------
+
+Activates dependency optimization of static and object libraries.
+
+When this property is set to true, some dependencies for a static or object
+library may be removed at generation time if they are not necessary to build
+the library, since static and object libraries don't actually link against
+anything.
+
+If a static or object library has dependency optimization enabled, it first
+discards all dependencies. Then, it looks through all of the direct and
+indirect dependencies that it initially had, and adds them back if they meet
+any of the following criteria:
+
+* The dependency was added to the library by :command:`add_dependencies`.
+* The dependency was added to the library through a source file in the library
+  generated by a custom command that uses the dependency.
+* The dependency has any ``PRE_BUILD``, ``PRE_LINK``, or ``POST_BUILD`` custom
+  commands associated with it.
+* The dependency contains any source files that were generated by a custom
+  command.
+* The dependency contains any languages which produce side effects that are
+  relevant to the library. Currently, all languages except C, C++, Objective-C,
+  Objective-C++, assembly, and CUDA are assumed to produce side effects.
+  However, side effects from one language are assumed not to be relevant to
+  another (for example, a Fortran library is assumed to not have any side
+  effects that are relevant for a Swift library.)
+
+As an example, assume you have a static Fortran library which depends on a
+static C library, which in turn depends on a static Fortran library. The
+top-level Fortran library has optimization enabled, but the middle C library
+does not. If you build the top Fortran library, the bottom Fortran library will
+also build, but not the middle C library, since the C library does not have any
+side effects that are relevant for the Fortran library. However, if you build
+the middle C library, the bottom Fortran library will also build, even though
+it does not have any side effects that are relevant to the C library, since the
+C library does not have optimization enabled.