diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 54bc758f255084b692335039835daba54ec9b98f..c1f903efcf9bf0aa4a8ac61172e700bd8fcb4319 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,57 +1,123 @@
 cmake_minimum_required( VERSION 3.30 FATAL_ERROR )
-
 set(CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE ON)
-
 project( cdo VERSION 2.4.0 LANGUAGES C CXX )
 
-
-
+# --- Additional functionalities for CMake
 include(CTest)
 include(CheckIncludeFileCXX)
 include(CheckIncludeFiles)
+include(CMakePrintHelpers)
 
+# --- Language Standards
 set(CMAKE_C_STANDARD 11)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 20)
 
-
+# --- Evaluate variables in .in and copy do build
 configure_file (
   "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/cdo_config.h.in"
   "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/config.h"
-  )
+)
 
 list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
 
-set(pthread_flag HAVE_LIBPTHREAD)
-check_include_files("pthread.h" ${pthread_flag})
-IF(${pthread_flag})
-  add_compile_definitions(${pthread_flag}=1)
-ELSE()
-  message( FATAL_ERROR "pthread.h is not found" )
-ENDIF()
-
+# Finding libraries
+### -------------- Pthread ---------------------------
+message("Start check for pthread")
+include(FindThreads)
+find_package(Threads)
+set_target_properties(Threads::Threads PROPERTIES THREADS_PREFER_PTHREAD_FLAG TRUE)
 
+### -------------- WordExp ---------------------------
+message("Start check for wordexp")
 set(wordexp_flag HAVE_WORDEXP_H)
 check_include_files("wordexp.h" ${wordexp_flag})
 IF(${wordexp_flag})
-add_compile_definitions(${wordexp_flag}=1)
+  list(APPEND cdo_compile_defintions ${wordexp_flag}=1)
 ELSE()
-  message( STATUS "wordexp.h is not found" )
+  message("wordexp.h is not found" )
 ENDIF()
 
 
+### -------------- fftw3 ---------------------------
+
+message("Start check for fftw3")
+find_package(FFTW3 3.0 REQUIRED)
+if(NOT FFTW3_LIBRARIES)
+  message("FFTW3 not found, skipping FFTW3")
+else()
+  if(TARGET FFTW3::fftw3q)
+    set(precision_fftw "q")
+  elseif(TARGET FFTW3::fftw3l)
+    set(precision_fftw "l")
+  elseif(TARGET FFTW3::fftw3f)
+    set(precision_fftw "l")
+  endif()
+  set_target_properties(FFTW3::${FFTW3_LIBRARIES}${precision_fftw} PROPERTIES IMPORTED_LOCATION "${FFTW3_LIBRARIES}"
+    INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${FFTW3_INCLUDE_DIRS}")
+endif()
+
+### -------------- NETCDF ---------------------------
+message("Start check for netCDF4")
 find_package(netCDF 4.0 REQUIRED)
 set(netcdf_flag HAVE_LIBNETCDF)
-message(STATUS netCDF::netcdf)
+
 if (TARGET netCDF::netcdf)
-  add_compile_definitions(${netcdf_flag}=${netCDF_FOUND})
+  message(DEBUG "Checking for netCDF_HAS_NC4 flag equal 'yes' : flag is: ${netCDF_HAS_NC4}")
+  if(NOT "${netCDF_HAS_NC4}" STREQUAL "yes")
+    message(WARNING "NetCDF4 installation does not support nc4")
+  endif()
+
+  list(APPEND cdo_compile_defintions ${netcdf_flag}=${netCDF_FOUND})
+
 else()
-  message(WARNING "netcdf not found, compiling without netcdf")
+  message(WARNING "Netcdf not found, compiling without netcdf")
 endif ()
-message(STATUS ${pthread_flag} ": "  ${${pthread_flag}})
-message(STATUS ${wordexp_flag} ": "  ${${wordexp_flag}})
-message(STATUS ${netcdf_flag} ": "  ${netCDF_FOUND})
-
+### -------------- CMOR -----------------------------
+message("Start check for CMOR")
+
+if(CMOR_ROOT)
+  message("checking for CMOR requirements")
+  find_package(Uuid REQUIRED)
+  find_package(json-c REQUIRED)
+  find_package(Udunits REQUIRED)
+  message("CMOR requirements found: checking cmor itself")
+  find_package(CMOR)
+  if(TARGET CMOR::CMOR)
+    list(APPEND cdo_compile_defintions "HAVE_LIBCMOR=1")
+  endif()
+endif()
+#  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+### -------------- Status ---------------------------
+message("Printing Status")
+message("Internal Flags")
+
+message("Entering Subdirectories")
 add_subdirectory( libcdi)
-add_subdirectory( test )
 add_subdirectory( src )
+add_subdirectory( test )
 
+#use this to print all variables set to true
+
+message("STATUS:")
+get_property(target_names DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} PROPERTY IMPORTED_TARGETS)
+foreach(_target ${target_names})
+  message(STATUS "${_target}")
+  get_target_property(_imported_location ${_target} IMPORTED_LOCATION)
+  get_target_property(_imported_incl_dirs ${_target} INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES)
+  get_target_property(_interface_link_lib ${_target} INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES)
+  message(STATUS " include paths: ${_imported_incl_dirs}")
+  if(_imported_location)
+    message(STATUS " linker target: ${_imported_location}")
+  endif()
+  if(_interface_link_lib)
+    message(STATUS " interf_li_lib: ${_interface_link_lib}")
+  endif()
+endforeach()
+if(FALSE)
+  get_cmake_property(_variableNames VARIABLES)
+  list (SORT _variableNames)
+  foreach (_variableName ${_variableNames})
+    message(VERBOSE "${_variableName}=${${_variableName}}")
+  endforeach()
+endif()