Adding Files in VS express - c++

I have started using files like images in my projects and I've got a problem. If I needed to test any program that use image. I would do it from Debug folder, but I found it not that convenient. So could you help me and tell how can I add images or other files to project in order to run it right from VS and debug.
Thank you.

Your problem seems to be "how to make sure my exe knows where files are when launched both from IDE and separately". Only way this can happen is if files are in the same directory as exe(or relative to it), since there's where your program will be searching when launched on its own. Now, to convince VS to put everything in the same folder you need to:
Create a folder, let's say it will be called WorkingDir and be located in your project directory
Put your sound files in there
In VS right click on project -> properties -> configuration properties -> general -> target name and set it to $(ProjectName)_$(Configuration)
set output directory(on the same page) to $(ProjectDir)WorkingDir
go to debugging and set working directory to $(ProjectDir)WorkingDir

Related

How can I tell Visual studio where my additional .dll files are?

I have recently switched my IDE to Visual Studio 2019 for C++ projects. I easily followed a tutorial into setting up a new library like SFML into visual studio, and tell it where the additional include and library directories are.
But there is something else that is required for it to work, which are the .dll files. Every page I followed, even the Documentation by the SFML website, it says that they have to be in the same directory as my project. That means I need to copy-paste the 7-8 files into my project directory. This really makes the folder look untidy. I would like to create a new folder and tell Visual Studio where those files are. I tried going doing this
Project -> Properties -> Linker -> Input -> Additional dependencies
Usually, the lines that would work are
sfml-system-d.lib
sfml-window-d.lib
...
I tried doing $(ProjectDir)valid path\ sfml-files.lib but this gives me the linker error, saying that It could not find the file.
If I simply move the .dlls into a folder without doing anything, the code would compile and link fine. But when it runs, Windows gives me a pop-up box with the same error message.
Here is how it currently looks
Looks really messy, I just want to be able to move them into dependencies like how src contains the source files.
How can I achieve this?
As it is now, it works perfectly fine. The issue only occurs when I try to create a new folder.
I hope I have covered the important information required for a good answer, If not please let me know what more I should add
Microsoft Visual Studio 2019
Currently running 64-bit platform with Debug configuration. Hence the -d suffix
You could create a path environment for your specified directory, which is like drescherjm’s suggestion. The steps:
Right-click “This PC” -> “Properties”-> “Advance System settings”
Click “Environment Variables”
In the System Variables group, edit “Path”
Add your directory, for example: ”D:\ SFML-2.5.1\bin”
Restart your visual studio and re-open your project
The easier solution might be to put them in the x64 subdirectory. This allows you to have various builds side by side (x86/x64, debug/release).
Since this x64 directory is where the EXE is located, it is the first directory searched for DLL's. It will take precedence over the Path solution suggested in the other answer. The Path directories are searched last of all.

Visual Studio 2019: Linking to folder

I am trying to link to a folder that is not inside the project directory. To give an example,
If my project is in C:\project and I have a folder C:\shared, how can I manage to link C:\shared into the project (and being able to edit/view the files in Solution Explorer) without making a copy of the directory and placing it into the project directory.
I need this due to the fact that many projects will use this folder and it would be ideal to have them edit/use the same files rather than copy the folder into each project individually. That way if a bug is fixed in one project, all other projects will now use the fixed files as well.
For more context, this is a C++ project using Visual Studio 2019.
What I've tried/considered.
Additional include directories
Problem: This does not show the files in the Solution Explorer
Dragging/dropping the folder (or copy/pasting) as seen in another StackOverflow thread.
Problem: This just crashes my visual studio completely. The folder is quite large so I assume that's related to why.
Appreciate any insight on how to proceed. It's really unfortunate that this is a pain, I would think that something like this would be common, but all the posts I've seen related to it have either gone unanswered or could not be applied to my situation.
Thanks.
Shared Projects are the key here.. I just found out they existed. After creating one, drop the folder/files in the same directory that has .vcxitems file. Now in the project you want to include the shared folder, right click your solution, Add -> Existing Project and select your .vcxitems file.

Eclipse: Nothing to build for file

I did look up on the Internet to find the solution for my problems, unfortunately all advices didn't seem to help so perhaps you will be more helpful in my case.
I did set up my Eclipse IDE with MinGW,
I did set up my Windows' environment variables right, for example:
added C:\Program Files\eclipse; C:\MinGW\bin;C:\MinGW\msys\1.0\bin
and somehow managed to create project with .cpp file that actually worked, at the beggining I build this file and than run it with these simple icons. Somehow, it compiled without errors and output the right results.
I hoped that it would remain perfect for eternity, but somehow today while dealing with new c++ project I have encountered the following problems.
I build new C++ project, by clicking:
File -> New -> C++ Project -> marking executable project Hello World Project -> by default I set up to use MinGW toolchain (nothing has changed since the moment it worked perfectly smooth) -> name project and start work.
Building project looks ok, I get no errors whatsover. But when I try to run it the console window is completely blank - with popping info: Nothing to build for [project name].
I really hope that once I've made some project actually work all changes will remain untouched and that I will not have to fiddle around once again with all these settings.
I did not change anything at all and now it doesn't work...
Right click on project -> Properties -> C/C++ Build -> Environment -> all variables are set.
Toolchain set to MinGW which has worked so well.
And yet I can't run this executable program, this IDE is really starting to drive me crazy.
Any idea what might have happened over the last magical six hours when suddenly Eclipse refuse to work properly again ?
Try to right click the eclipse project and click refresh. An item should appear under executables. If an item appears you should be able to run it from inside eclipse (not sure how though, maybe by double clicking or from the right click menu) or by using the command promt. To run it through the command prompt, using cd command browse to the folder where the executable file resides (somewhere inside the project folder inside your workspace folder) and run it by typing the name of the executable (fx hello.exe or just hello).

c++ executable program test

I have been following some tutorials for c++ game programing. I am kind of new to c++ and I'm using Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Express IDE. I'm working on creating a game, and when I run the program through the IDE, it shows the grass sprites as expected. But when I run the .exe file from the Release folder, it shows weird images. and when I run the .exe file from the debug folder I get a grey screen. Can anybody tell me why this is happening?
I hazard to guess that your sprite images are kept as data files in your project folder. With that I offer the following premise:
The default run-location from the Visual Studio IDE is the project folder of the project which you're executing. That is, normally it executes from the directory where your .vcproj or .vcprojx file is kept (and that is often one folder below your solution directory folder, where your .sln file is kept).
If your project runs correctly from the IDE, but fails to run directly from the release folder, it is highly likely you are relying on project data files (images in your case) that are kept along side your source files in the project folder. When run from the Release folder, those files are no longer visible because your the Release folder is your working directory; not the project folder.
There are a number of ways to solve this problem, each with its own merits. A few options are:
Post Build Step
Make a post-build step for your project that copies your data files to the $(TargetDir) location with your project. These files will then be visible in the same directory as your executable.
Benefit: Its easy.
Drawback: It will always run if you click "build solution" even if the data files are "up-to-date."
Custom Build Targets
Add your data files to the project and write a Custom Build script that performs the same copy, but also establishes an output dependency file(s).
Benefit: Almost as easy as #1, but a little more tedious.
Drawback: You may have a lot of data files and each will require its own custom build step. (Note: you can multi-select all the data files in your project, and if you're creative with the built-in macros you can have them all use the "same" build rules and commands).
Embedded Resources
Add the data files as custom resources to your executable.
Benefit: Your project no longer requires data files side-by-side with the executable since they are embedded in the resource table of your EXE module.
Drawback: Custom code is required to dynamically load the custom resources from your executable's resource table rather than off-disk. It isn't difficult at all to do, but is additional work.
There are other options as well, but I hope this gives you some ideas to start with.
I use VS2008 and try to answer your question. Right click on the project and select properties on the bottom of popup, then go to Debugging under Configuration properties. You can see command you run and arguments you pass in IDE. I guess you miss some parameters.

How do you compile Box2D for Code::Blocks/MinGW32 under Windows?

I've found similar questions across the internet, none of which helped me. The Code::Blocks workspace and project files included DO generate .a files, and I've moved them to Codeblocks/MinGW/lib, and I've moved the Box2D folder to Codeblocks/MinGW/include and yet the HelloWorld.cpp example still gives me these errors.
Looks like the project files you used to build the .a were missing some files. The file mentioned in the error message is one that was removed from Box2D after v2.1.2, so I'm guessing you are using 2.1.2 source code (or thereabouts) with project files from some other source?
In any case, setting these up yourself is really simple. In the 'Management' panel, right click the 'Engine' project, select Remove files and click OK to remove everything.
Now do the same and select Add files recursively, choose the folder that contains Box2d.h file:
Click OK a few times, and you're done.
In your case, since you had it building already I would expect this to be ok now but for anyone arriving here wanting to setup a project file from scratch, you'll also need to specify the search path for the Box2D headers.
To do this, in the same right-click menu choose: Properties -> Project settings tab -> Project's build options button -> Search directories tab -> Add button. Now choose the parent folder of the one you just chose above.