Question

I have a big C++ project and I need to do many steps in the building phase because I am building an application that is compatible with both 64 and 32, I have three projects:
proj1,Porj2,Proj3

and I need to do the following:

1. Exclude a cpp File from proj1 (32bit version)

2. Include a cpp file to proj1 (64bit version)

3. build proj1

4. build proj2

5. Execute output of proj2

6. Exclude a cpp File from proj3 (32bit version)

7. Include a cpp file to proj3 (64bit version)

8. Build proj3

9. Rename the exe that was built from proj3

10. Exclude a cpp File from proj1 (64bit version)

11. Include a cpp file to proj1 (32bit version)

still there are some other steps … I was doing that manually and its frustrating, I found the I need to use MSBUILD but is it used for building native code ? and how can I perfrom these tasks ?

-Excluding and Including cpp files into projects

-Building proj

Answer 1

In Visual Studio 2010 and later, C++ projects use MSBuild.

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Rather than excluding or including files based on the configuration, it would be simpler to use a preprocessor directive to conditionally compile the contents of the file. E.g., wrap the entire contents of the file in:

#ifdef MY_32BIT_BUILD_MACRO
// Source file contents here
#endif

And likewise with a macro for 64-bit builds. When using Visual C++, you can use the _M_IX86 and _M_X64 predefined macros to detect whether you are compiling for x86 or x64, respectively.

Alternatively, you could add a Condition property to the ClCompile item for the particular source file in the project file, and have it only included in the build when certain properties are set. I think that conditional compilation within the source file is a better option, though, unless you have complex rules that you need to use to determine whether to include a file or not.

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In your solution, you can set project dependencies to ensure that one project is built before another. Right-click the solution, select Properties, and browse to Common Properties -> Project Dependencies. Dependencies can also be specified in a project file.

You can execute the output of a build by using a post-build task. Right-click the project, select Properties, and browse to Configuration Properties -> Build Events. The Post-Build event can be used to execute a command when the build has completed.

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Rather than renaming an executable after build, it’s easier to just have the build produce an executable with the right name. In the Project properties, under Configuration Properties -> General, the Target Name property can be used to set the name of the primary build output.