Visual Studio incorrectly marking inactive code blocks when using `#ifdef`

Question

My project has a bunch of #ifdefs. The macros used by these #ifdefs are usually passed through the command line using the '/D' option to get different build configurations. Visual studio incorrectly assumes that these macros are not defined and greys out the code blocks present inside these #ifdefs. The problem is not syntax highlighting - I can turn the grayed out code to colored code from Options; the main issue is that I am not able to go to the function definition of any functions present inside that #ifdef. I tried reading about Visual Studio hint files but that didn't work for me.

Can anyone help me with this issue? I am using Visual Studio 2008.

Solution

Did you define several kinds of builds within VS as Configurations like Debug, Release, or are you building with makefiles? If you haven't taught VS about your /D options then I guess it can't help you. But you should be able to set up Preprocessor Definitions under project properties (Configuration Properties, C/C++, Preprocessor) to get the effect you want, right?

For each option /DMACRO=XXX that you pass to the compiler, specify MACRO=XXX in the IntelliSense Preprocessor Definitions. For each option /DMACRO (no value) that you pass to the compiler, specify MACRO in the IntelliSense preprocessor definitions.

Comments

[Ashwin]

That is one solution, but there are a bunch of #ifdefs, not just one, and they are scattered around. So I would like to have get a better solution that this.

[Ashwin]

I am building with makefiles. And I tried following instructions given here (msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms173379%28VS.80%29.aspx). I instructed VS to enable a macro using /DMACRO=1 in the Preprocessor Definitions under Configuration Properties->NMake->Intellisense. Closed the solution, deleted .ncb file, reopened the solution, let Intellisense run and cleaned and rebuilt the solution. Things still don't seem to work.

[Sam Harwell]

@Ashwin You want just MACRO=1 in that options box. The /D part is just for the compiler.