In VS 2005 there are three ways to compile and link an application using
the GUI:
- Build on the menu bar. The contents of the
menu (options) change dynamically depending on the solution, project or source file
which is selected in the Solution Explorer panel.
- Build Icons in the Toolbars. They may be enabled
using View:Toolbars:Build. The two arrows icon
is used to compile and link an active (selected) project, and the three arrows
icon is used to build the entire solution (multiple projects). The
remaining third icon stops the building process.
- Pop-up menu in the Solution Explorer. You
can select a solution, project or source file in the Solution Explorer and press
the right mouse button. The corresponding options to build a solution, project or
compile a source file will be listed in the pop-up menu.
Build is analogous to the UNIX "make" command. If the current project depends
on other projects, those will be brought up to date before their object files are
used. If you want to do a clean rebuild, the "Build:Rebuild Solution" menu
item will clean all the temporary files and will compile and link based on solution
dependencies.
Output from compiling and linking operations appears in an output window that is
normally located at the bottom of the VS 2005 frame. If an error is reported, clicking
on the error message takes you back to the source line that was being compiled when
the error was detected. Highlighting the error message and pressing F1 on the keyboard
will give you more information on it. The build results are also sent to a file
"Buildlog.htm" in the active configuration project directory (usually
Debug or Release). This
file is formatted for viewing in a Web browser.
