Difference in VS .NET compiling?

martys · #1 06-09-2006, 08:39 AM

Has anybody else had this problem, and/or a solution?

When running a build and building a VS .NET solution, it fails at a certain step. If I go build the solution in the VS .NET IDE, it works just fine, and then it will work when I try it again in the VisBuild environment. But if I run the whole VisBuild build (which includes getting files from SourceSafe), I have to manually build the solution again before I can get VisBuild to properly compile. I don't have to rebuild in the IDE, just a regular build, (and I noticed that the build does work in VisBuild when I build the debug version, but that's not very helpful).

martys · #2 06-09-2006, 11:04 AM

Followup: It still doesn't work.

However, I've narrowed down the problem. It doesn't have to do with anything in the SourceSafe database. There is a step that creates a "dictionary" (for different languages) that properly gets compiled from the IDE, and not from VisBuild. So when I do a build from VisBuild, it skips compiling the dictionary if it's already compiled from the IDE. What's the difference between compiling from the IDE and from the command line? Is there a different compiler that VS .NET 2005 uses? Or are there some options I need to select?

Second follow up: Changing to use devenv.com made the build work. Why should that be different?

kinook · #3 06-09-2006, 01:08 PM

You mentioned VS.NET, then VS 2005 later. I'll assume you have 2005. By default, the VBP Make VS.NET action uses MSBuild to build VS2005 projects/solutions. Building in the VS2005 IDE is actually more like building with devenv.com from the command-line, which the Make VS.NET also supports (and apparently is what works for you).
http://www.visualbuild.com/Manual/vsnetoptionstab.htm

Theoretically, building either way should always have the same result, but this may be a case where it doesn't (you'd have to ask MS why that is the case).

If you can ZIP and send or post:
1) The info from Help | About | Install Info
2) The .bld file used to build
3) The .sln file and project files (no source code files)
4) A build log file (once using devenv and once using MSBuild, with the 'Display compiler command-line' option checked in both cases)
5) Is the 'doesn't work' issue a build failure, or it treating the build as up-to-date when it isn't, or ?

we can look at it and see if it is a VBP or VS issue. Thanks.