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Building on the Command Line

Visual C++ provides command-line tools for programmers who prefer to build their applications from the command prompt. If you want to use the command line to build a project created in Visual C++, you can use one of the following:

  • CL
    Use the compiler (cl.exe) to compile and link source code files.

  • Link
    Use the linker (link.exe) to link compiled object files.

  • MSBuild (Visual C++)
    Use MSBuild to build Visual C++ projects and Visual Studio solutions from the command line. Invoking this utility is equivalent to running the Build project or Build Solution command in the Visual Studio integrated development environment.

  • DEVENV
    Use DEVENV combined with a command line switch, such as /Build or /Clean, to perform certain build commands without displaying the Visual Studio IDE.

  • NMake
    Use NMake to automate tasks that build Visual C++ projects.

When you build from the command line, you can obtain help on warnings, errors, and messages by starting the development environment and clicking Search on the Help menu.

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Building C/C++ Programs