How to set C, C++ or Fortran compiler for CMake

To use a different compiler (e.g. Intel Compiler, CLANG or PGI) or a different version then CMake uses by default, one can either set environment variables or modify the CMakeLists.txt file.

CMake evaluates the environment variables CC for the C compiler, CXX for the C++ compiler and FC for the Fortran compiler:

CC=/path/to/icc cmake ..
CXX=/path/to/icpc cmake ..
FC=/path/to/ifort cmake ..

For a more permanent solution, one can also edit the CMakeLists.txt file:

SET(CMAKE_C_COMPILER /path/to/pgcc)
SET(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER /path/to/pgc++)
SET(CMAKE_FC_COMPILER /path/to/pgfortran)

BTW: The environment variables LDFLAGS, CFLAGS, CXXFLAGS or FFLAGS are also evaluated by CMake.