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.
Related
My goal is to compile existing C++ classes (legacy code, stored in a set of *.h files) into a DLL so that it can be further integrated into a C# application.
For that purpose, it seems best to use MS Visual Studio. I have no experience with this environment, so I tried the naive approach found on MSDN and other SO answers:
File | New | Project from existing code
selected Visual C++
selected file location that is base for include references used in those .h files
specified a project name
let the wizard find and add all C++ files below the directory
selected "Use Visual Studio" for build, with project type "Dynamically Linked Library (DLL) project"
checked none of the checkboxes below (ATL, MFC, CLR)
specified . dir in the "Include search paths (/I)" in Debug settings
checked "Same as Debug configuration" in "Release settings"
clicked Finish button
This creates couple of VS files in the directory:
mylibrary.sln
mylibrary.vcxproj
mylibrary.vcxproj.filters
mylibrary.vcxproj.user
With a project created this way, I press F6 or select Build | Rebuild solution from the menu.
Then I expect the build to produce the .dll file somewhere, but it does not appear. Only these files appear:
.vs/mylibrary/v15/.suo
.vs/mylibrary/v15/Browse.VC.db
.vs/mylibrary/v15/Browse.VC.opendb
.vs/mylibrary/v15/ipch/AutoPCH/efad7c74cd39331b/EXAMPLE.ipch
Debug/mylibrary.log
Debug/mylibrary.tlog/mylibrary.lastbuildstate
Next, I decided to try creating a fresh new library project, just to observe the differences to get some hints, but that did not help - there were too many differences, even in the file structure...
My questions are:
is my choice of MS Visual C++ a good one for given purpose?
if so, what am I doing wrong here?
I think your steps are probably correct and I think that the right approach to use the code from a C# application. You definitely can call a C++ library from C# by importing the methods.
You missed only to export the methods that you want to use from your library. try using __declspec(dllexport) with these methods. please check this link:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/a90k134d.aspx.
Also, the output should be at the build folder, not the source code folder
Compiling .h files into libraries is ok, the compiler does not care - however, the UI does.
Still, you can tweak this by directly editing the .vcxproj file.
While doing so, make sure that the <ClCompile> sections contain:
<RuntimeLibrary>MultiThreadedDLL</RuntimeLibrary>
Note that you can use commandline for building the DLL project:
"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\MSBuild\15.0\Bin\MSBuild.exe" -target:Clean,Build
(this assumes that your current directory is the one with your .vcxproj)
I am Unix guy but for a project I need to code in VS 2015. Basically I need to write some GMOCK test cases for some C++ classes.
I first tried to start with a sample project so I selected File->New->Project->Win32->Win32 Console Application. The project did got created with a default name ConsoleApplication2.cpp having embedded statement -
#include "stdafx.h"
I found that if I delete this line the code fails to compile - Usually in Unix I create .h and .cpp files and then create its make file - my aim was to start a project - create some .h files first and then create its .cpp / GMOCK test cases and build then build all
Please let me know if there is an option in VS for same or the way to do so?
for the use of stdafx.h please see the link Here
If you want to add a header file and then the respective cpp file the you just need to go to the project in solution explorer at right side of your IDE. Right click and go for add. There you will get the option for header file and class both.
You can add from there and start writing your code for the test cases.
The steps to create an empty project without precompiled headers or additional default source files are:
After you select "Win32 Console Application" click "OK".
On the following dialog click "Next" to go to the Application Settings page.
Select the "Empty project" option and then click "Finish".
The "Empty project" option says:
This option creates a .vcxproj file based on the project name you specified but adds no files to it. Use this when you intend to supply all your own source files.
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 installed the program, and wrote a simple C program to try it, but I couldn't build it or anything !
The debug, build and run options are all greyed out ! I can't click them
Please help :(
In Visual Studio your code needs to be in a Project before you can Build/Debug it. You can't just open your .cpp file and run it. (When you create a project, Visual Studio creates a solution to contain it (a solution can contain many projects))
You can Create a new project using File -> New -> Project :
then add your code to that project or if the you already have your source code files you can use the "Create a Project from Existing Code Files" wizard which is available under File -> New -> Project from existing code
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!