I have converted my C++ project from Visual Studio 2010 to the 2013 Community edition.
With previous versions I could always right click on a source file and edit a Custom Build step in the properties. Now I can't find the equivalent in VS2013.
The converted project has a Custom Build Step and runs it, but where do I edit it ?
When I open the raw 2013 .vcxproj file, I can see my custom build step as
<CustomBuild Include="foo.h.in">
...
</CustomBuild>
But I don't really want to keep editing my project with a text editor...
Just as harper described. One more thing to add - in VS 2013 and higher they renamed file specific Custom Build Step to Custom Build Tool and its not shown by default. To show it change the Configuration Properties -> General -> Item Type to Custom Build Tool. Apply the changes and 'Custom Build Tool' sub menu will appear.
You find it in the project property pages. Navigate to Configuration Properties -> Custom Build Step -> General.
I had sometimes strange results when converting old projects. I use to create new projects and add the files nowadays what gives better results.
Related
I have a C++ project in Visual Studio. I want to add a readme file to it and that it will be copied to the build folder with exe. Is there any built-in feature in Visual Studio 2010 and 2013?
At project properties (Project menu --> [Project name] properties... menu or ALT+F7) you can find the Post-Build Event tab (Configuration properties --> Build events --> Post-Build Event). Here you can write your macro which copies the readme file to the build folder. You can use the build-in macros to use special folder (i.e. build folder):
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/c02as0cs.aspx
A possible solution: copy $(ProjectDir)\ReadMe.txt $(TargetDir)
The easyest way to do this, is right-clicking the file in the solution explorer, choose properties, and there set the "Copy to output directory" option.
Update
As Tanya pointed out this option is only visible in C# projects, but not in C++. The option exists though, only not exposed to the UI. See the answers to this question:
Automatic copy files to output during application building
I have a very specific question in regards to visual C++ 2010 express. I have looked everywhere but can't find instructions on how to compile several source files. I have programmed on Unix at the command line and am trying to learn visual C++ 2010. I am using a header file that contains the function declarations and global variables. I don't know if this is the correct venue to ask this question but if anyone knows of some place where I can get the answer I would be grateful
Thanks,
Ral
If you have a project that you build from the command line with a makefile, then the Visual Studio development environment will not recognize your project. To open and build your project using Visual Studio, first create an empty project containing the appropriate build settings using the Makefile Project Wizard. You can then use this project to build your project from the Visual Studio development environment.
The project displays no files in Solution Explorer. The project specifies the build settings, which are reflected in the project's property page.
The output file that you specify in the project has no effect on the name that the build script generates; it declares only an intention.
Source: Creating a Makefile Project (VS2013)
On the menu: File->New->Project
On the dialog:
select Win32 Console Application,
enter Name ( like you did in the -o in unix) in the bottom,
and press OK
On the next dialog: Press next.
On the next dialog:
unmark Precompiled headers
mark Empty project
press Finish
Now find the Solution Explorer tree. You have Solution name and a project with the same name in it.
Right click on the project (not solution)
choose Add->Existing Item
and select your files, (you can copy them to the opened folder and then choose them)
press Add
Now you can try to compile.
I made some changes to the Property Pages/Configuration Properties a long time ago and I'd like to reset them. I changed stuff like the output directory, code generation settings, etc.
I've tried resetting all environment settings from the Import and Export Settings Wizard. I've also tried the devenv /resetsettings command. Both of which did not work. Reinstalling doesn't work either. May I get some advice on how to restore everything back to the default.
Thank you.
If I understand you correctly, you are trying to revert to old settings for the Project -> Properties.
This information is stored in the project itself, not in Visual Studio. Look for a file with the extension vcxproj in the solution folder.
You can edit it with Notepad (notepad++), or - you can edit it inside Visual Studio, by
right-click the project, unload it, then edit project file, then reload project
Be careful how you edit these settings.
For best results, create a new solution, with a new project, and compare the settings from the newly created project with the existing one.
edit: on my computer (I have VS Ultimate I think, but it shouldn't matter):
To edit, go to Project -> Properties -> VC++ Directories, and on each, at the end of the line, press the arrow down, and click Edit...
VC++ directories:
$(VCInstallDir)bin
$(WindowsSdkDir)bin\NETFX 4.0 Tools
$(WindowsSdkDir)bin
$(VSInstallDir)Common7\Tools\bin
$(VSInstallDir)Common7\tools
Include Directories:
$(VCInstallDir)include
$(VCInstallDir)atlmfc\include
$(WindowsSdkDir)include
$(FrameworkSDKDir)\include
from what I see in the directions you pointed out, all you have to do is remove from your list, the directories that you no longer want.
In c/c++ -> Code Generation ->
enable minimal rebuild: NO
enable c++ exceptions: YES (/EHSC)
Basic Runtime Checks - Both
/MTd
...
General -> Output directory:
not sure what is the default, I would put something like
$(SolutionDir)bin\$(Platform)\$(Configuration)\
Also, there seems to be a property sheet that may have been added to your project...
You can generally see the Property Manager from View -> Properties Window (F4).
here, you can expand the project configurations, and simply delete any property sheets you may not want (I expect a new project to have no property sheets).
I've been trying for weeks to get Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 to create a DLL for me with SWIG. If you have already gone through this process, would you be so kind as to give a thoughtful step-by-step process explanation? I've looked everywhere online and have spent many many hours trying to do this; but all of the tutorials that I have found are outdated or badly explained.
I have succeeded in going through this process with cygwin; but as some of you know, a cygwin DLL is not very practical.
As a result, I have .i, .cpp, and .h files that I know can create a DLL together. I just need to know how to do this with Visual Studio C++ 2010. The language that I am targeting is Python.
Step-by-step instructions. This assumes you have the source and are building a single DLL extension that links the source directly into it. I didn't go back through it after creating a working project, so I may have missed something. Comment on this post if you get stuck on a step. If you have an existing DLL and want to create a Python extension DLL that wraps it, this steps are slightly different. If you need help with that comment on this post and I will extend it.
Edit 8/19/2012: If starting with a C example, don't use -c++ in step 13 and use .c instead of .cxx for the wrap file extension in steps 14 and 19.
Start Visual Studio 2010
File, New, Project from Existing Code...
Select "Visual C++" project type and click Next.
Enter project file location where the .cpp/.h/.i files are.
For Project Name, choose the name used in %module statement in your .i file (case matters).
Select project type "Dynamically linked library (DLL) project" and click Next.
Add to Include search paths the path to the Python.h file, usually something like "C:\Python27\include" and click Next.
Click Finish.
Right-click the Project in Solution Explorer, Add, Existing Item..., and select your .i file.
Right-click the .i file, Properties, and select Configuration "All Configurations".
Change Item Type to "Custom Build Tool" and click Apply.
Select "Custom Build Tool" in Properties (it will appear after Apply above).
Enter Command Line of "swig -c++ -python -outdir $(Outdir) %(Identity)" (this assumes SWIG is in your path and redirects the generated .py file to the Debug or Release directory as needed).
In Outputs enter "%(Filename)_wrap.cxx;$(Outdir)%(Filename).py".
Click OK.
Right-click the .i file, and select Compile.
Right-click the project, Add, New Filter, name it "Generated Files".
Right-click "Generated Files", click Properties, and set "SCC Files" to "False" (if you use source-control, this prevents VS2010 trying to check in the generated files in this filter).
Right-click "Generated Files", Add, Exiting Item and select the _wrap.cxx file that was generated by the compile.
Right-click the project, Properties.
Select Configuration "All Configurations".
Select Configuration Properties, Linker, General, Additional Library Directories and add the path to the python libraries, typically "C:\Python27\libs".
Select Configuration Properties, General and set TargetName to "_$(ProjectName)".
Set Target Extension to ".pyd".
Build the "Release" version of the project. You can't build the Debug version unless you build a debug version of Python itself.
Open a console, go to the Release directory of the project, run python, import your module, and call a function!
I'm a .net developer by heart and usually write web applications. However I've been given the binary of a small project and I need to compile it (I think).
It is only two files: mfile.h and mfile.cpp. From looking at the code the .h file is a header file that contains constants and the cpp file is the actual codefile.
I created a new C++ makefile project in Visual Studio Pro 2008 and added these but when I try to build it just says Error 1 Error result -1 returned from ''. Project mfile
I honestly have never worked with this type of code before but I want to compile this and start learning. What exactly am I missing?
Wish you were running VS 6, in which case you'd just load the .cpp file, click "build", click "okay" when it says it's going to create a project for you, and off you go.
With VS 2008, you want to:
Move these files into a directory by themselves
Select File -> New -> Project from Existing code...
Accept "Visual C++ Project"
Select the directory where you put the file
Probably select "Console Application Project"
Accept the rest of the defaults (click "Finish").
Now you should be able to (finally) build your project.
Alternatively, you can compile from the command line. In the start menu go to "Microsoft Visual Studio 8.0" -> "Visual Studio Tools" and pick one of the command prompts. When it opens, use cd to switch to wherever you've stored the files. Type:
cl mfile.cpp
to compile.
Do not create a makefile project but a standard Console application project (empty). After the empty project is created, add the two files and hit F5. If there are no errors or missing dependencies, everything should compile and run.
Using the makefile project is not the right approach (for windows at least). You should start by using the wizard for a new C++ project. Add those files to the created solution and build.