When I try to build my c++ library (in both static and dynamic mode) using visual studio 2008, in the debug folder, instead of .lib or .dll file, some .obj files are created along with an .idb and an .pdb file.
how can I make visual studio build the library file?
You're either looking in the wrong place or there's a problem in your build.
Open the BuildLog.htm file that VS creates when it does a build (there should be a link you can click in the Build Output window). It'll tell you where it's putting the file. Look for the line containing an "/OUT:" option.
Related
I downloaded the xlnt library for working with Excel - https://github.com/tfussell/xlnt. Can you please tell me what to do with it further? Honestly, I still can’t understand how among all the files there are in the downloaded archive, and there are 100 of them .hpp and .cpp files, what should I do with them?
1)As far as I understand, they need to be processed by the Cmake program and it seems that the output should appear .lib file, but I absolutely can’t understand how to do it or maybe something else
2)Or how can they be directly processed by Visual Studio 2017?
PS:When I launch Smack, I select the Source folder, the Cmake generates many incomprehensible files, but among them there is not one file with the .lib extension.
Help me please.
With CMake you can obtain the visual studio 2017 project files
and then compile the xlnt library.
Unzip the archive file
Within the xlnt folder, create a new directory and call it build
Launche CMake (GUI)
Browse for the source code folder
Browse for the build folder xlnt/build
With the Configure button select the tool (IDE/compiler) that you want to use
Pressing the Generate button, CMake will generate (inside the build folder)
the visual studio 2017 project files you need to compile the xlnt library
Building the solution, VS 2017 produces the xlnt.lib, xlnt.exp and xlnt.dll files.
The source path you see in the CMake screenshot is incorrect. You must specify the path that contains the "top level" CMakeLists.txt file.
The correct directory is: C:/Users/Zver/source/repos/XLNT Library/xlnt-master.
The CMakeLists.txt file in the above directory tells CMake all necessary subdirectories.
At this point you will see the static compilation option of the library appear.
If you use the MinGW/GCC compiler you must prevent the path from containing empty spaces.
Then you need to rename the directory from "XLNT Library" to "XLNTLibrary". At this point the path would become:
C:/Users/Zver/source/repos/XLNTLibrary/xlnt-master.
This may have a very simple solution, but being new to Visual Studio and C++ programming, I'm having a hard time with this.
I downloaded an SDK written in C++ which contains an executable file and also the source and header files. The executable file accepts some command line arguments. So far I've been running the executable file from the windows command prompt (like C:\path\filename.exe -argument), but now I want to be able to enter these command line arguments and then place breakpoints in the source code for debugging the source code.
I don't know how I can open the source files in Visual Studio and debug it. If I just open the source file with the main function, the debug button says 'Attach' on it instead of debug.
I see another similar question here, but that question is for a project developed using Visual Studio whereas the source code I have does not have any Visual Studio project/solution files. The only files I have are the executable, the source and header files (.cpp, .h, .hpp), and CMakeLists.txt files.
You can "open" the exe as a project (you can achieve the same if you drag and drop the exe into VS icon). Then you can add command line parameters at Project Properties. You will need to have debug symbol information (usually a .pdb file), if you want source code level debugging (values of variables, etc.). If you don't have that, you can only debug at the disassembly level.
You may want to create a proper project for the source files - it is an easy task, if the project is simple - so you can rebuild the exe.
I'm trying to compile 3 projects:
A static library (.lib)
A dynamic library (.dll) that uses the .lib of the static library.
An application (.exe) that uses the .dll of the dynamic libaray
However, when trying to compile the .exe and setting a breakpoint, I get the warning "The breakpoint will not currently be hit. No symbols have been loaded for this document."
Well, I know that Visual Studio is missing the .pdb files somehow. However, I don't get why Visual Studio doesn't find it.
The .pdb file of the static library is being generated and is in the same folder than the .lib.
The dynamic library references the folder where the .lib and the .pdb of the static library are inside. A .pdb file is created in the same folder where the .dll is created for the dynamic libary.
The application copies the .dll and the .pdb of the dynamic library before compiling to the folder where the .exe is generated.
Still, Visual Studio is complaining that it doesn't have loaded any symbols. In the output console, it also tells me that it has loaded the symbols of the .exe and the .dll, but not of the .lib. Am I missing somewhat?
When you compile the .exe, you should still link to the .lib file that has been generated when compiling the .dll (so I am speaking about the .lib that comes with the dynamic library, not the one that comes with the static one).
Depending on your visual studio version you might configure that here:
Project->Properties->Configuration Properties->Linker>Input->Additional Dependencies
What version of Visual Studio? Are all the projects in the same solution? If so, Just add the library as a reference to the DLL, and the DLL as a reference to the EXE. Then Visual Studio handles linking everything up, and the .exe, .dll, and .pdb files should all be in the solution output directory.
Also, if you use LoadLibrary to load the DLL the debugger won't load the debug info and won't know where to set the breakpoints in the DLL until after it is loaded, which can cause the error you are seeing as well.
In the output directory where Visual Studio places the compiled executable, there are three additional files of the types *.exp, *.lib, .pdb. I do not need those files and I would like to prevent the compiler from creating them.
This is how my build output directory looks like. I only need the *.exe file.
What are these additional files for? How can I disable that they are generated? If they are needed for the build process, is there a way to automatically remove them after the executable is created?
I am using Visual Studio 2012. If you need additional details, please comment.
EXP and LIB files But I don't want that .lib or .exp file for my COM library! . You could probably set the location of these files in the "Intermediate Output" setting and not have them in your release folder
I'm assuming you are looking to have only the dll and exe files in your final release directory and the *.exp, *.lib, .pdb files left in your intermediate directory as to not clutter the directory you are working in.
Visual Studio 2017
Open properties (Right click on the project in the solution explorer):
change settings as shown:
Import Library will define where the .lib and .exp files are created.
Generate Program Database File defines where the .pdb file is created.
Debug information format -- None will prevent pdb file from being created. Select this option for Release builds.
There some functions inside declared with as __declspec(dllexport).
It means that they are exported and linker thinks that there is a need to link with this dynamic library (no matter it is exe or dll - in general the structure is the same) and creates *.lib and *.exp file
I have downloaded the latest version of SFML (a library) which includes source files, dlls, headers, and .lib files.
I have no problem using the library and it's linked dynamically.
I'd like to be able to step through the library code in the debugger (I used to be able to which earlier version), but now I can only see the assembly.
What is the usual way to generate pdb files to so?
thanks
Generally Visual Studio 2010 should automatically generate .pdb files for you (if you build in debug mode). Take a look in your Debug output folder. You can see where and what .pdb is being generated from your project settings;
Sterren