Using Microsoft Visual C++

Using Visual C++

Building a simple OpenGL application

Files and directories created by Visual C++

Keeping a UNIX-like environment

Building a simple OpenGL application

The following steps describe how to write and compile a simple OpenGL application in the Visual C++ environment.
They assume that the OpenGL and glut libraries have been properly installed. The example was tested with Microsoft Visual C++ v5.0, although I expect that any version after and including v4.0 to work identically.

Start Visual C++
Choose File-->new, then from the Projects tab select Win32 Console Application
Assign the project a name (`test' for example), and choose a directory where the project files will be stored
Choose File-->new, then from the Files tab select C++ Source File
Assign the file a name, 'foo' for example. The .cpp extension will be added for you.
Fill in the file foo.cpp. The following example code draws a green rectangle on a black background.

#include <stdio.h>

#include <GL/glut.h>

void display(void)
{
glClear( GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
glColor3f(0.0, 1.0, 0.0);
glBegin(GL_POLYGON);
glVertex3f(2.0, 4.0, 0.0);
glVertex3f(8.0, 4.0, 0.0);
glVertex3f(8.0, 6.0, 0.0);
glVertex3f(2.0, 6.0, 0.0);
glEnd();
glFlush();
}

int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
printf("hello world\n");
glutInit(&argc, argv);
glutInitDisplayMode ( GLUT_SINGLE | GLUT_RGB | GLUT_DEPTH);

glutInitWindowPosition(100,100);
glutInitWindowSize(300,300);
glutCreateWindow ("square");

glClearColor(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
glMatrixMode(GL_PROJECTION);
glLoadIdentity();
glOrtho(0.0, 10.0, 0.0, 10.0, -1.0, 1.0);

glutDisplayFunc(display);
glutMainLoop();

return 0;
}

Choose Project-->Settings and select the C/C++ panel. Enable Generate browse info. This will later enable you to easily track where functions are defined and where they are referenced, much like the `tags' feature in emacs. Leave the other entries in the panel as they are. Don't hit OK just yet.
Select the Link panel. At the beginning (or anywhere) of the Object/library modules entry, add the libraries opengl32.lib and glut32.lib. Accept all the project setting changes by choosing OK.
Choose Build-->Build test.exe, or simply hit the F7 key in order to compile and link.
A successful compilation would have produced the following output in your 'build' window:

--------------------Configuration: test_tut - Win32 Debug--------------------

Compiling...

foo.cpp

Linking...

test_tut.exe - 0 error(s), 0 warning(s)

If there are errors, hitting F4 will take you to the location of the first error message in the code, and thereafter always take you to the next error message. Or, one can double click on any error message to jump to the relevant source code.
Once the code has succesfully compiled and linked, Build-->Execute or Ctrl-F5 will run the code, as will double-clicking on the test.exe icon ( found in the Debug directory) from a file browsing window.
The compiler produces many temporary files, aside from the expected objected and executable files. These are described in the following section.

Files and directories created by Visual C++

Visual C++ produces a multitude of extra files as it compiles and links. Note, however, that as long as your source files (*.cpp. *.h) and the workspace and project files (*.dsw, *.dsp) exist, the rest can be regenerated by Visual C++. Thus, the rest of the file types are intermediate files which can be deleted.

.bsc	Browse information file. This information is used to provide information such as where a symbol is first defined or referenced. It is produced from the .sbr file.
.dsw	Project workspace file. Stores information at the workspace level. Other associated files are also created, including a project file (.dsp) for building a single project or subproject, and a workspace options file (.opt) to store project workspace settings.
.dsp	Project file. See .dsw.
.exe	Program executable
.ilk	Incremental link file. Stores information required for incremental linking.
.ncb	Network control block (?). Purpose ?
.obj	Object files. Equivalent to unix '.o' files.
.opt	Workspace options file. Contains local cosmetic settings, which include information about the local organization and appearance of the project workspace using your hardware and configuration.
.pch	pre-compiled headers for the project, which allows for faster compiles
.pdb	Program database. Holds debugging and project state information. Provides the information needed for incremental linking of debug program versions.
.plg	??
.sbr	Stores symbolic information about each .obj file.
vc50.idb	incremental information for vc50.pdb (?)
vc50.pdb	Stores all debugging information for the individual .obj files.

Visual C++ makes a distinction between Debug and Release Configurations of code. Each of these configurations has its own corresponding subdirectory where the object, executable, and intermediate files are stored. The use of the Debug configuration (which is the default) is assumed in this document.

Keeping a UNIX-like Environment

It is also possible to edit and compile code without being in the Visual C++ environment. I recommend installing a version of emacs for this. The following URL is a good reference for running and using GNU Emacs under Windows 95/98/NT.

http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/voelker/ntemacs.html

Visual C++ comes with nmake, which is quite similar to UNIX make in many respects. The following makefile, which we shall refer to as Makefile.win, will work for the simple OpenGL example discussed earlier:

PROGRAM = sq.exe

all: $(PROGRAM)

########### list of C++ source files
CPPSRCS = \
main.cpp

########## list of C source files
CSRCS =

########### libraries to link with
LIBS = \
kernel32.lib \
user32.lib \
gdi32.lib \
winspool.lib \
comdlg32.lib \
advapi32.lib \
shell32.lib \
ole32.lib \
oleaut32.lib \
uuid.lib \
odbc32.lib \
odbccp32.lib \
opengl32.lib \
msvcrt.lib \
glut32.lib

########### these details may differ on your machine
inc32 = "c:\Program Files\DevStudio\VC\include"
cc32 = "c:\Program Files\DevStudio\VC\bin\cl.exe"
link32 = "c:\Program Files\DevStudio\VC\bin\link.exe"

linkflags= \
/nologo /subsystem:console /incremental:yes\
/pdb:"Debug/sq.pdb" /debug /machine:I386 /pdbtype:sept \
/out:"Debug/sq.exe" /nodefaultlib:libcd

LIB = "c:\Program Files\DevStudio\VC\lib"

INCLUDE = -I $(inc32) -I .
CPPFLAGS = -nologo -MLd -W3 -Gm -GX -Zi -Od -D "WIN32" -D "_DEBUG" \
-D "_WIN32" -D "_MT" -D "_DLL" -D "_X86" \
-Fp"Gls.pch" -YX -FD -c

########### build a list of all .obj files
OBJS = $(CPPSRCS:.cpp=.obj) $(CSRCS:.c=.obj)

########### how to link .obj files to create an executable
$(PROGRAM): $(OBJS)
$(link32) -out:$@ $(OBJS) $(LIBS) $(linkflags)

########### how to create .obj files from .c files (ANSI C)
.c.obj:
$(cc32) $(CPPFLAGS) $(INCLUDE) $*.c

########### how to create .obj files from .cpp files (ANSI C++)
.cpp.obj:
$(cc32) $(CPPFLAGS) $(INCLUDE) $*.cpp

########### delete .obj and .exe files
clean:
del $(PROGRAM) *.obj Debug\*.obj

Emacs is recommended for executing your make because it gives you a scrollable window, whereas the regular MSDOS console window does not have any scroll capability, incredibly enough.

start emacs
type ESC x shell
cd to the right directory
run nmake: nmake -f Makefile.win