---
title: "target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:publicHeadersPath:)"
framework: packagedescription
role: symbol
role_heading: Type Method
path: "packagedescription/target/target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:publicheaderspath:)"
---

# target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:publicHeadersPath:)

Creates a library or executable target.

## Declaration

```swift
static func target(name: String, dependencies: [Target.Dependency] = [], path: String? = nil, exclude: [String] = [], sources: [String]? = nil, publicHeadersPath: String? = nil) -> Target
```

## Parameters

- `name`: The name of the target.
- `dependencies`: The dependencies of the target. A dependency can be another target in the package or a product from a package dependency.
- `path`: The custom path for the target. By default, the Swift Package Manager requires a target’s sources to reside at predefined search paths; for example, [PackageRoot]/Sources/[TargetName]. Don’t escape the package root; for example, values like ../Foo or /Foo are invalid.
- `exclude`: A list of paths to files or directories that the Swift Package Manager shouldn’t consider to be source or resource files. A path is relative to the target’s directory. This parameter has precedence over the doc://org.swift.swiftpm.packagedescription/documentation/PackageDescription/Target/sources parameter.
- `sources`: An explicit list of source files. If you provide a path to a directory, the Swift Package Manager searches for valid source files recursively.
- `publicHeadersPath`: The directory containing public headers of a C-family library target.

## Discussion

Discussion A target can contain either Swift or C-family source files, but not both. The Swift Package Manager considers a target to be an executable target if its directory contains a main.swift, main.m, main.c, or main.cpp file. The Swift Package Manager considers all other targets to be library targets.

## See Also

### Creating a Regular Target

- [target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:resources:publicHeadersPath:packageAccess:cSettings:cxxSettings:swiftSettings:linkerSettings:plugins:)](packagedescription/target/target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:resources:publicheaderspath:packageaccess:csettings:cxxsettings:swiftsettings:linkersettings:plugins:).md)
- [target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:resources:publicHeadersPath:cSettings:cxxSettings:swiftSettings:linkerSettings:plugins:)](packagedescription/target/target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:resources:publicheaderspath:csettings:cxxsettings:swiftsettings:linkersettings:plugins:).md)
- [target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:resources:publicHeadersPath:cSettings:cxxSettings:swiftSettings:linkerSettings:)](packagedescription/target/target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:resources:publicheaderspath:csettings:cxxsettings:swiftsettings:linkersettings:).md)
- [target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:publicHeadersPath:cSettings:cxxSettings:swiftSettings:linkerSettings:)](packagedescription/target/target(name:dependencies:path:exclude:sources:publicheaderspath:csettings:cxxsettings:swiftsettings:linkersettings:).md)