Project Files

A Visual C++ project file is an XML-based file that has the .vcxproj file name extension and contains information that is required to build a Visual C++ project.

Example

The following sample .vcxproj file was produced by specifying a Win32 Console Application in the New Project dialog box. To process a project file use either the msbuild.exe tool at the command line, or the Build command in the IDE. (This sample cannot be processed because the required source and header files are not provided.) For more information about the XML elements in a project file, see MSBuild Project File Schema Reference.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <ItemGroup Label="ProjectConfigurations">
    <ProjectConfiguration Include="Debug|Win32">
      <Configuration>Debug</Configuration>
      <Platform>Win32</Platform>
    </ProjectConfiguration>
    <ProjectConfiguration Include="Release|Win32">
      <Configuration>Release</Configuration>
      <Platform>Win32</Platform>
    </ProjectConfiguration>
  </ItemGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Label="Globals">
    <ProjectGuid>{96F21549-A7BF-4695-A1B1-B43625B91A14}</ProjectGuid>
    <Keyword>Win32Proj</Keyword>
    <RootNamespace>SomeProjName</RootNamespace>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Import Project="$(VCTargetsPath)\Microsoft.Cpp.Default.props" />
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'" Label="Configuration">
    <ConfigurationType>Application</ConfigurationType>
    <CharacterSet>Unicode</CharacterSet>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'" Label="Configuration">
    <ConfigurationType>Application</ConfigurationType>
    <WholeProgramOptimization>true</WholeProgramOptimization>
    <CharacterSet>Unicode</CharacterSet>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Import Project="$(VCTargetsPath)\Microsoft.Cpp.props" />
  <ImportGroup Label="ExtensionSettings">
  </ImportGroup>
  <ImportGroup Label="PropertySheets" Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">
    <Import Project="$(UserRootDir)\Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).user.props" Condition="exists('$(UserRootDir)\Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).user.props')" Label="LocalAppDataPlatform" />
  </ImportGroup>
  <ImportGroup Label="PropertySheets" Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">
    <Import Project="$(UserRootDir)\Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).user.props" Condition="exists('$(UserRootDir)\Microsoft.Cpp.$(Platform).user.props')" Label="LocalAppDataPlatform" />
  </ImportGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Label="UserMacros" />
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">
    <LinkIncremental>true</LinkIncremental>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">
    <LinkIncremental>false</LinkIncremental>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemDefinitionGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">
    <ClCompile>
      <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
      <WarningLevel>Level3</WarningLevel>
      <MinimalRebuild>true</MinimalRebuild>
      <DebugInformationFormat>EditAndContinue</DebugInformationFormat>
      <Optimization>Disabled</Optimization>
      <BasicRuntimeChecks>EnableFastChecks</BasicRuntimeChecks>
      <RuntimeLibrary>MultiThreadedDebugDLL</RuntimeLibrary>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32;_DEBUG;_CONSOLE;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
    </ClCompile>
    <Link>
      <SubSystem>Console</SubSystem>
      <GenerateDebugInformation>true</GenerateDebugInformation>
    </Link>
  </ItemDefinitionGroup>
  <ItemDefinitionGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">
    <ClCompile>
      <WarningLevel>Level3</WarningLevel>
      <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
      <DebugInformationFormat>ProgramDatabase</DebugInformationFormat>
      <Optimization>MaxSpeed</Optimization>
      <RuntimeLibrary>MultiThreadedDLL</RuntimeLibrary>
      <FunctionLevelLinking>true</FunctionLevelLinking>
      <IntrinsicFunctions>true</IntrinsicFunctions>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32;NDEBUG;_CONSOLE;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
    </ClCompile>
    <Link>
      <SubSystem>Console</SubSystem>
      <GenerateDebugInformation>true</GenerateDebugInformation>
      <EnableCOMDATFolding>true</EnableCOMDATFolding>
      <OptimizeReferences>true</OptimizeReferences>
    </Link>
  </ItemDefinitionGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <None Include="ReadMe.txt" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <ClInclude Include="stdafx.h" />
    <ClInclude Include="targetver.h" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <ClCompile Include="SomeProjName.cpp" />
    <ClCompile Include="stdafx.cpp">
      <PrecompiledHeader Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">Create</PrecompiledHeader>
      <PrecompiledHeader Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">Create</PrecompiledHeader>
    </ClCompile>
  </ItemGroup>
  <Import Project="$(VCTargetsPath)\Microsoft.Cpp.targets" />
  <ImportGroup Label="ExtensionTargets">
  </ImportGroup>
</Project>

See Also

Reference

Working with Project Properties

Other Resources

Building C++ Projects in Visual Studio