Can I pass a preprocessor definition to the resource compiler through the command line?

Question

I'm currently trying to switch between a few different default Icons in a Visual C++ .rc file using #ifdef tags.

The builds switching the #define value are being created through command line using MSBuild.

The difficulty I have been running into is that using Visual Studio 2010, in order to pass a preprocessor definition to the resource compiler you must define it in the project settings (Config Properties -> Resources -> General).

This makes it difficult to use an #ifdef tag because using this method it will always be defined in the resource compiler.

I would love to define it to a value, so that I might use a preprocessor #if SOMEVALUE == 4 might work, but Cannot seem to find a way to pass a Preprocessor definition + value to MSBuild via the command line.

Does anyone know a way to pass a preprocessor definition directly through to the resource compiler or a way to define a value for a preprocessor definition via commandline for msbuild?

Solution 1

Yes, this can be done.

Try using environment variables to pass values into your build process.

In your project properties add ;$(CMDLINE_DEFINES) to the end of your resource preprocessor definitions. (Be sure to pick the right configuration.)

Then when you use MSBuild from the command line type (or add to a batch file)...

C:\Projects\SomeProject> set CMDLINE_DEFINES=SOMETEST=42
C:\Projects\SomeProject> MSBuild SomeProject.vcproj

A batch file may look like:

@echo off
SET CMDLINE_DEFINES=%1
MSBUILD SomeProject.vcproj

Using this batch file, whatever you pass on the commandline will be passed on to the build process as your preprocessor macro(s).

Solution 2

The difficulty I have been running into is that using Visual Studio 2010, in order to pass a preprocessor definition to the resource compiler you must define it in the project settings (Config Properties -> Resources -> General).

You got the hard part. Just enter the define as TESTAPPLE=15 and it will effectively #define TESTAPPLE 15 for the entire project.

Solution 3

See the answer to this, with the additional step of setting up ResourceCompile options, i.e. edit your project file in a text editor to include elements like this:

<ItemDefinitionGroup>
    <ClCompile>
        <AdditionalOptions>/DERROR_LOG_LEVEL=5 %(AdditionalOptions)</AdditionalOptions>
    </ClCompile>
    <ResourceCompile>
        <AdditionalOptions>/DERROR_LOG_LEVEL=5 %(AdditionalOptions)</AdditionalOptions>
    </ResourceCompile>
</ItemDefinitionGroup>

Comments

[Maixy]

Unfortunately #define values that are passed to project compiler don't get passed down to the Resource compiler. I.e., /D "TESTAPPLE=15" in when compiling the project sets TESTAPPLE to a value of 15. In the Resource Compiler, however, TESTAPPLE is just defined, but doesn't have a value of 15.

[Mooing Duck]

huh, guess I haven't played with the resource compiler enough. cmake.org/pipermail/cmake/2011-January/042093.html implies that it works /d "CMAKE_INTDIR=\"Release\"", but not an authoritive source.