diff --git a/Source/cmTarget.cxx b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
index 0be3eb16c8..2e37c086f7 100644
--- a/Source/cmTarget.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
@@ -3574,10 +3574,7 @@ cmTarget::GetLinkImplementation(const std::string& config) const
     return 0;
     }
 
-  // Populate the link implementation for this configuration.
-  std::string CONFIG = cmSystemTools::UpperCase(config);
-  cmOptionalLinkImplementation&
-    impl = this->Internal->LinkImplMap[CONFIG][this];
+  cmOptionalLinkImplementation& impl = this->GetLinkImplMap(config);
   if(!impl.LibrariesDone)
     {
     impl.LibrariesDone = true;
@@ -3591,6 +3588,14 @@ cmTarget::GetLinkImplementation(const std::string& config) const
   return &impl;
 }
 
+cmOptionalLinkImplementation&
+cmTarget::GetLinkImplMap(std::string const& config) const
+{
+  // Populate the link implementation for this configuration.
+  std::string CONFIG = cmSystemTools::UpperCase(config);
+  return Internal->LinkImplMap[CONFIG][this];
+}
+
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 cmLinkImplementationLibraries const*
 cmTarget::GetLinkImplementationLibraries(const std::string& config) const
diff --git a/Source/cmTarget.h b/Source/cmTarget.h
index d49b23e155..6411d12ba5 100644
--- a/Source/cmTarget.h
+++ b/Source/cmTarget.h
@@ -244,6 +244,9 @@ public:
                                           cmOptionalLinkImplementation& impl
                                           ) const;
 
+  cmOptionalLinkImplementation&
+  GetLinkImplMap(std::string const& config) const;
+
   cmTarget const* FindTargetToLink(std::string const& name) const;
 
   /** Strip off leading and trailing whitespace from an item named in