I have compiled an exe file in Visual Studio 2013, and it depends on some external files to function. I want to keep those files in the same folder that the exe is in. When I run the .exe by clicking on it in file explorer, it loads the files fine. However, when I run it from Visual Studio, it is unable to run because the PATH variable does not include the directory with the necessary files. How can I configure my project to run the program with a modified path variable so that it can access the files properly?
As far as I understand you question correctly. I suspect that this is an issue related to the different directories when you execute. In Visual Studio (to my knowledge), you have a folder named Debug and a second folder named Release.
You may choose in Visual Studio to run the program in either debug or release mode. But you might not have the required files neccessary in both directories.
For example:
I've made a program that reads "Hello World!" from hello.txt, and displays this in the dialog window as a string.
If I store the file in the Release directory, the executable will run fine outside the IDE, when just launching the executable file.
However, if you run the application in debug mode through the IDE (Visual Studio), the program will not find the neccessary file. The program is looking for the file in it's current directory (Debug).
A quick fix to this is to copy the required files to the current working directory. Eventually have a duplicate set of files in both directories at all times.
Hope that I did understand you correct, and that my answer helps you. :)
Related
I've been doing a lil program with visual studio. So far each time I debug a .exe is created in the mainfolder/debug/. But since today in that folder I find a lot of logs and a manifest and other things, but no .exe. My program still debugs correctly. What can I do?
Go to:
Properties->yourprojectname properties->Configuration properties->General->Output Directory
Put a full folder name like: C:\Users\dell\Desktop\myfolderproject\bin\debug
There will appear your exe after debugging or compiling
I've got an a project (native C++ compiled to .exe) that runs fine outside of VS 2010, but inside of VS (with or without the debugger) it gets stuck trying to find a text file located in the same bin folder as it.
Any ideas as to why this would happen? My hunch is that VS messes with where the code looks when trying to open a file, but I don't know enough details to correct this.
Some details:
My .exe calls a function from a .dll I wrote earlier, which in turn tries to find a text file specifying that function's parameters. For convenience I've placed all of these files in the same folder, so finding the text file wouldn't be a problem.
Before opening the file, the function checks that it exists using:
PersistentAssert(Utility::FileExists(Filename), "Parameter file not found");
In VS 2010 this line causes "Parameter file not found" to display, but outside of VS the program manages to find the file.
When launching an executable from visual studio by default it uses the project file directory as the current working directory. You can change it in Configuration Properties -> Debugging -> Working Directory.
However I don't think it's correct behavior to search your programs datafiles etc from the current working directory. Instead your program should find out the directory of the executable and find the files in that directory.
Processes have the concept of a "current directory", which may or may not be the same directory as where the .exe file is located. It sounds like when you run your program inside VS, the current directory is something other than where your .exe is.
Somewhere in the project settings, there should be a place where you can choose what directory will be the current directory when your program starts inside the debugger. Set that to the same location as your .exe and you should be good.
I crack my head already, I need to deploy a project. I tried to use InstallShield, it create an msi file, and local installation has no errors, but then when I tried to launch the program it output "debug error". In my settings code generator -> runtime library set for Multi-threaded Debug DLL(/MDd). If I'll set it to Multi-threaded (/MT) it would not compile: "Please use the /MD switch for _AFXDLL builds"
Then I tried to use VS Installer project extension. It creates the msi and setup file, but after I install it, I can't find the .exe file and launch program. What I am doing wrong?
Folder with project files
![enter image description here][3]
Folder with exe file
![enter image description here][4]
At the stage of creating the installer for your program, you have to put all the external files, libraries and resources, that your program needs in order to run correctly, in your program's working directory. When you run the program via Visual Studio, everything works fine since it can find the files, because, as you've mentioned, they are in the project folder, and the project folder is where Visual Studio is looking for them.
When you launch your program outside VS, the program can't find these files since it by default tries to locate them in the folder in which the .exe file being run is located. So, if you wan't to run program outside VS, you need to put all the files needed to your .exe's directory.
For the same reason, while creating your installer, you need to include all the files necessary in the installation target directory together with your .exe. Every installer creator lets you do that.
In general, if you cannot run your program outside any IDE, and you can run it within that IDE, it is a rule of thumb that you should first check if you have included all the necessary files/libraries/dll's/etc. in your program's working directory.
I solved it!!!!!!!!
1)Help to run .exe file, helped updating .uld file in the same directory as a exe file.
2)I used Dependency Walker (http://www.dependencywalker.com/) to find all dll that it's need. And then I create a Setup Project using Wizard at the "Choose file to include" step I add every file and every library that it's depend on! Build->Install-> Then magic, and my application installed and running! Thank you all for your help
I have a C++ program that uses the freeglut library (and hence requires the freeglut.dll at run-time. I have added the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\freeglut\bin to my PATH environment variable.
To confirm that the location is correct, when I compile my program (debug build) and run the resulting .exe file, it works fine (the freeglut.dll file is not in the same directory as the executable).
However, when I run the program directly from the VS2012 debugger, I get this message:
The program can't start because freeglut.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.
I know that one solution is to place the freeglut.dll file in the directory of the executable. This is what I've been doing so far, but I would much rather simply inform VS2012 (or my program) of where to find the dll file. Note that this post also seems loosely related, but it doesn't seem to contain an answer relevant to what I am trying to achieve (I just want the debugger to look in the same place for DLLs as any other program!).
How do I achieve this in VS2012? Icing on the question cake would be an explanation as to why the debugger doesn't just look in the PATH variable like any other program...
You can also set project based Environment:
Open project Properties
Go to Configuration Properites -> Debugging
Enter the path in Environment, eg:
PATH=$(PATH);C:\Program Files\Common Files\freeglut\bin
Restart Visual Studio after modifying your PATH variable.
What I did actually worked. I just didn't restart VS...
I've got a C++ program that is exhibiting some weird behaviour when I try to run it from the IDE. One of the things this program needs to do is load some files that are in the same directory it is. I've placed these files in Visual Studio's output directory so that it can find them.
However, when I run the program from the IDE using Ctrl+F5 ( Start without debugging ), the program can't find the files it needs.
Oddly enough if I go to the Windows Explorer and manually find the generated .exe and run it, the program finds the files and runs normally.
How do I fix it so that I can run the program from the IDE and have it still find its files?
Set the "working directory" to the directory with the files. I assume you want to keep the working directory to be the same as the executable.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/kcw4dzyf.aspx Outlines the settings for debugging.