Re: MS dumbing down VC 2005?

"Phil Frisbie, Jr." <phil@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eyWI5GDhGHA.4656@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
First, let me say that I have been using Microsoft Visual C++ since
version 3.x, and the last version I purchased was 6.0. It still works
fine for me, and I like the interface, but I decided to migrate to
Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition. The price was right, and it seemed
to fulfill all my needs after I downloaded the latest SDK, but in
actual use problems started to appear.
First, my projects that were converted from 6.0 all seem to work
fine, but when I went to create a new project the choices were very
limited. No DLL project? No static library project? I do not remember
reading about these limitations.

Some options are not enabled by default in the IDE. Below
are some instructions for setting up VC++ Express which I have posted
earlier. They are basically copied from the help docs that ship with VC++
Express.


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Step 1: Install Visual C++ Express.

If you haven't done so already, install Visual C++ Express.


Step 2: Install the Microsoft Platform SDK.

Install the Platform SDK over the Web from the Download Center. Follow the
instructions and install the SDK for the x86 platform.


Step 3: Update the Visual C++ directories in the Projects and Solutions
section in the Options dialog box.

Add the paths to the appropriate subsection:

Executable files: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\Bin

Include files: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\include

Library files: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\lib


Step 4: Update the corewin_express.vsprops file.

One more step is needed to make the Win32 template work in Visual C++
Express. You need to edit the corewin_express.vsprops file (found in
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\VCProjectDefaults) and

Change the string that reads:

AdditionalDependencies="kernel32.lib" to

AdditionalDependencies="kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib
comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib"


Step 5: Generate and build a Win32 application to test your paths.

In Visual C++ Express, the Win32 Windows Application type is disabled in the
Win32 Application Wizard. To enable that type, you need to edit the file
AppSettings.htm file located in the folder "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual
Studio 8\VC\VCWizards\AppWiz\Generic\Application\html\1033\".

In a text editor comment out lines 441 - 444 by putting a // in front of
them as shown here:

// WIN_APP.disabled = true;
// WIN_APP_LABEL.disabled = true;
// DLL_APP.disabled = true;
// DLL_APP_LABEL.disabled = true;

Save and close the file and open Visual C++ Express.

From the File menu, click New Project. In the New Project dialog box, expand
the Visual C++ node in the Product Types tree and then click Win32. Click on
the Win32 Console Application template (regardless of the type of
application you want) and then give your project a name and click OK. In the
next page of the wizard, under Application Settings, you can select

Windows application, or
Console application, or
DLL, or
Static library

Click the Finish button to generate the project.

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--
John Carson




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