I have a C++ program I'm trying to debug. I normally run this from a .bat file which does some file cleanup before running the program. I can run my program from this script and attach the debugger, but it would be more convenient to launch the .bat file from VS. If I set the startup project's Command property to the bat file I get an error that it's an unrecognized binary format (because it's not a binary format, I suppose). I can set the command to cmd.exe and a command shell opens, but I haven't figured out how to pass the .bat file to the command shell. I've tried including it on the properties Command line, with and without a redirection char (<), and tried passing it as the argument to the command, but neither of these work. I've gotten close enough that I think there must be a way to do this, but I'm running out of ideas.
Some visual studios have this option, some don't. I'll post both cases
If your VS has this option
Right click the "project", and go to properties -> debug
In "Start Action" select "start external program", and put c:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
In start options, put command line arguments: /c your_bat.bat
Set a working directory if necessary
Save and happy debugging
If your VS doesn't have this option
When you do the above, a your_project.csproj.user file is created/updated in the same directory as your_project.csproj, with the following:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<ProjectView>ShowAllFiles</ProjectView>
</PropertyGroup>
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU'">
<StartProgram>C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe</StartProgram>
<StartWorkingDirectory>c:\your_working_directory\</StartWorkingDirectory>
<StartArguments>/c your_bat.bat</StartArguments>
</PropertyGroup>
</Project>
Create or update this file including the above. Careful not to remove other things (if there is any). You can also expand this to other configurations by replicating the PropertyGroup with different configurations like 'Release|AnyCPU' and other configurations that your project might have. (This is possible in some versions of VS via interface)
Warning: you need to reload your project in Visual Studio for this change to take effect. (Right click on the project, unload - then again, load)
I recommend that instead of calling the batch file that is at the end is starting your application, you add a post-build event in your "Build Events" project settings. In the post-Build event type your clean-up code, but omit the "program start" line. Let VS run your program. This way you do not need to attach to the program
Related
Where does Visual Studio save an environment variable like "$(OutDir)"?
I don't see anything resembling "OutDir" in the command line.
Assuming you changed the "Output Directory" setting of your project, it is stored in the project's .vcxproj file. Just try it, change the setting, save the project and have a look-see with a text editor:
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">
<LinkIncremental>true</LinkIncremental>
<OutDir>Example</OutDir>
</PropertyGroup>
I changed the setting to "Example".
If you did not change the setting then MSBuild computes the value of the property (aka macro). Pretty visible from the IDE, it glues the values of $(SolutionDir) and $(Configuration) together.
Those properties in turn are set by the IDE, based on the platform target and the configuration you have selected in the Build > Configuration Manager dialog. If you build from the command line then you use MSBuild's /property option to select what you want to build.
Note how the environment plays no role at all. If you need an environment variable because you are running some other kind of build tool then you'd do so by using the SET command in a pre- or post-build event. Like:
SET outdir="$(OutDir)"
Using double-quotes to avoid trouble with pathnames that contain a space.
Why are you assuming they're saved? They're not; they exist solely within the build process
these ar basically macros ; you can find the output directory in : Properties->General->Output Directory
For more info check this
I realize that similar questions were posted earlier but I need slightly different solution.
I have VS2012 C++ project A.vcxproj,that has debug1 configuration( platform x64) , and it builds corresponding .exe. It also uses a dll from other VS2012 C project B.vcxproj from a path that must be added to the environment variables. A.vcxproj.user file has following text
<LocalDebuggerEnvironment>PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files\libsndfile\bin;..\..\lib\simulink\;$(LocalDebuggerEnvironment) </LocalDebuggerEnvironment>
I need to add this setting automatically to the "A"project with following constraints
I cannot export user file as it as "per user", so cannot upload to our SCM system where other users can download it.
I tried adding code in main function, something like
_putenv("PATH = ....\lib\simulink");
but this does not work, as before the main file is compiled, it needs to search for the dll from specified path, which it dosn't .
Can anyone suggest a easy, portable fix , that i could distribute to all users through SCM, along with the project file.
I have also tried following:
--Created batch file setpath.bat with following content
#ECHO %PATH% set PATH = %PATH%;C:\Program Files\libsndfile\bin;C:\dev\lib\simulink
-- added to A.vcxproj settings->build event->Pre-build->Command line
call C:\setpath.bat
and I don't see the added paths under vS op window. neither does the VS User file gets the change, and running the project complains for missing dll error.
--I tried to execute the batch file in
A.vcxproj settings->
Custom build step->Execute before "Run"
and still no result.
I guess the solution needs to add needed path to current environment variable for the time VS project is "run".
Thanks
sedy
added to A.vcxproj settings-> Build Events ->Pre-Build event
call setdllpath.bat
where the file contains the following:
#ECHO %PATH%
set COMSPEC = "%VCINSTALLDIR%\vcvarsall.bat" amd64
setx PATH "C:\Program Files\libsndfile\bin;..\..\lib\simulink"
#ECHO %PATH%
So, once I build the Project, close Visual studio and open it again, and run the files wiithin project, it picks up dll correctly.
Contents in *.vcxproj.user, *.vcxproj.user or *.props use the same xml schema so can be easily exchanged or included.
First if usefull you can add UserMacros to define the path to your libraries.
Like bellow for the following two variable
PYTHONHOME=$(USERPROFILE)\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37
PYTHONPATH=$(PYTHONHOME)\DLLs;$(PYTHONHOME)\Lib;$(PYTHONHOME)\Lib\site-packages
Edit the .vcxproj adding inside <Project>:
<Project .... >
...
<PropertyGroup Label="UserMacros">
<PYTHONHOME>$(USERPROFILE)\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37</PYTHONHOME>
<PYTHONPATH>$(PYTHONHOME)\DLLs;$(PYTHONHOME)\Lib;$(PYTHONHOME)\Lib\site-packages;</PYTHONPATH> </PropertyGroup>
...
</Project>
After you can add inside your build configuration, the following to set the $(Path) variable.
<PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|x64'" Label="Configuration">
<LocalDebuggerEnvironment>Path=$(Path);$(PYTHONHOME);$(PYTHONHOME)\DLLs;$(PYTHONHOME)\Lib;$(PYTHONHOME)\Lib\site-packages;$(PYTHONHOME)\Scripts;$(PYTHONHOME);</LocalDebuggerEnvironment>
We have a large non Visual Studio C++ project which is build via a batch file. I have integrated this up in Visual Studio as a makefile project with customised 'Build Command Line' in the project properties, this works well and has done for over a year.
I am now looking to introduce Team Foundation Server and configure automated builds.
If I build the project in Visual Studio then the project build as normal.
If I use the automated build sever to build the project the build fails every time
The option to view the log file in the build report is greyed out. The report given is
The command "Autobuild.cmd" exited with code 1.
Where autobuild is the cmd file specified in the solution's 'Build Command Line'.
Can anyone think of a reason why this might be the case, I assumed that the build sever would just run the Build command with the project specified in the 'Items to Build' box. If this is the case then I cannot see why it would fail.
There are loads of possible reasons; unfortunately you've not given enough information to answer that questions.
The first thing to try is changing your build definition logging level to Diagnostic. (you can also do this when you queue a new build).
What I also recommend is actually wrapping your makefile in an msbuild.proj file.
Something simple like:
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="build"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<Target Name="build">
<Exec Command="autobuild.cmd" />
</Target>
</Project>
The Exec task has loads of options to customize how the cmd is called and should help you diagnose your error.
In general if you want to take advantaged of TFS builds I'd recommend migrating as much of your autobuild.cmd to msbuild as possible. MSBuild is TFS's "makefile" language, so-to-speak.
In your build definition you have an option of logging, there you can change that to Verbose logging. Maybe you get some information in your log file then.
And for the issue of exited with code 1 I think you will need to add some extra informational lines to be printed in the cmd program and when your logging in TFS Build is active you maybe see more information on it.
If I have properties defined in my project file like so
<Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
<PropertyGroup>
<foo>bar</foo>
</PropertyGroup>
</Project>
I can easily set these properties on the MSBuild command line using /p:foo=newValue.
Is there a way of specifying the property value within the Visual studio (2010) GUI? I have had a look but could not find anything within the project properties pages.
Are you looking for conditional compilation symbols?
In VS2010:
Go to the project properties
Go to the Build tab
Under General you will see a place to define "Conditional compilation symbols".
You can enter "foo=bar" there, and you will get this in your .csproj file:
<Project ...>
<PropertyGroup ...>
<DefineConstants>Foo=bar</DefineConstants>
</PropertyGroup>
</Project>
I found this question when looking for an answer to the same thing: I can easily use /p or environment variables to control things when calling MSBuild on the command line, but how do you do similar in the IDE?
My solution was to add a “user” properties file. That is
<!-- Running from the IDE, you can't simply set properties via /p or environment variables.
So, this local file is read if it exists. It is not checked in to version control; but can contain
settings to be used for your immediate work.
If you make a settings.props.user file, remember DO NOT check it in!
-->
<ImportGroup>
<Import
Condition="exists('$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)settings.props.user')"
Project="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)settings.props.user" />
</ImportGroup>
I can now edit some properties in the file settings.props.user conveniently located in the same directory, and not worry about accidentally checking in funny settings. Even when building in the IDE, it reads the text file anew when building. So, just keep the props.user file open in a text editor and it's handy enough to change on the fly, without an IDE extension.
Is there a way to invoke an external script or batch file from VC6 (and later) project files?
I have a background process that I need to kill before attempting to build certain projects (DLLS, executables) and haven't found a way to successfully do so from the project itself. I'd like simply to call a batch file with a taskkill command in it.
(Yes, I could run the batch file from a command line before building the projects, but I don't always remember to do so and having it done automatically would be more convenient and less irritating for the whole development team.)
You can create a utility project (configuration type: Utility in the project property pages) that has a post build event. You then call the batch file from that Post-Build event. If I remember correctly, utility configuration appeared in VS2005. But I believe the same can be achieved with another type of configuration on VC6.
Here is an example of a setup (this is the text of the Command Line property of the Post-Build Event):
set solutionDir=$(SolutionDir)
set platformName=$(PlatformName)
set configurationName=$(ConfigurationName)
call $(SolutionDir)PostBuild.bat
As you can see, you have all the flexibility of customizing the batch environment based on VisualStudio macros.
If you want to have this batch file called every time you build, add a dependency to the requiring project (your main executable or dll project for example). You can add your batch file to the solution items for convenient access (right-click on the solution and select Add -> Existing Item...).
You can even invoke the build command on this utility project to force the execution of the batch file.
At work we have a similar setup to start our unit tests each time a build is triggered.
You could invoke it from a custom build step or a build event.
At least for C# in Visual Studio 2008, you can open the project file and find within the file the following comment:
<!-- To modify your build process, add your task inside one of the targets below and uncomment it.
Other similar extension points exist, see Microsoft.Common.targets.
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
</Target>
<Target Name="AfterBuild">
</Target>
-->
Uncomment the one that works best for you, in this case the "BeforeBuild" item. Then substitute your batch file for the one I have here:
<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
<Exec Command="MyBatchFile.bat" />
</Target>
That's all there is to it; whenever you build that project, this will take place each and every time.
That said, I do not know if this works the same for VS 2005 or, especially, VC6. YMMV!