win32 · Step 2. Paths and property sheets

In this step you will prepare the shared path settings (property sheets) and the folders that the build outputs will go into. This is done once.

Everywhere below it is assumed that the project root is the folder containing src\, build\, dist\, samples\. In the examples it is denoted <ROOT>. On the development machine it was I:\Python Project\TMC_Suite.

2.1 Create the output folders (if they do not exist yet)

Four folders must exist in the project root. For win32, two of them are required:

<ROOT>\dist\win32\lib    <- the 6 .lib files go here
<ROOT>\dist\win32\bin    <- the 6 .exe files go here

(The dist\win64\lib and dist\win64\bin folders are only needed for the 64-bit build — for win32 you can leave them alone.)

If the folders do not exist, create them manually in Explorer or with a PowerShell command:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "<ROOT>\dist\win32\lib", "<ROOT>\dist\win32\bin"

2.2 Why property sheets are needed

A property sheet (a .props file) is a file of shared settings that is attached to Visual Studio projects. Configure it once — it applies to all projects. Thanks to them you do not have to specify paths to headers, libraries and output folders manually in every project.

The project already contains three property sheets in the <ROOT>\build\ folder:

The key point: inside Common.props the platform folder is chosen automatically based on the current build platform:

• platform Win32 -> folder win32;
• platform x64 -> folder win64.

So the same .props works correctly for both the 32- and 64-bit builds — nothing needs to be switched manually.

In the TMC Suite projects these property sheets are already attached (this is part of the completed build setup). Section 2.3 is only needed if you open a "bare" project that has no property sheet.

2.3 How to attach a property sheet to a project (if it is not attached)

1. In Visual Studio open the menu View -> Property Manager.

2. In the Property Manager window, expand the project, then the configuration Release | Win32.
3. Right-click the configuration -> Add Existing Property Sheet….

4. Select the appropriate file from <ROOT>\build\: - for a library — LibOutput.props; - for a program (viewer, kernel, FieldView) — ExeOutput.props.

(Both of these files internally attach Common.props, so you do not need to add it separately.)

After attaching, the paths to headers (src\Include), to libraries (dist\win32\lib) and the output folder are substituted automatically.

2.3.1 Check that the project does not override the output paths (IMPORTANT)

Attaching a property sheet is not enough if the project itself still has hard-coded output paths — they override the property sheet (an explicit value in the project wins over an inherited one). A sign of the problem: after the build the .lib ends up not in dist\win32\lib but, for example, in d:\work\lib, and the Output window shows the warning MSB8012:

warning MSB8012: TargetPath(...\SFILE95\Release\SFILE95.lib) does not match the Library's
OutputFile property value (d:\work\lib\sfile95.lib).

To make the output go to dist\win32\lib, restore "inheritance" from the property sheet:

1. Right-click the project -> Properties, at the top set the configuration Release | Win32.
2. Configuration Properties -> General -> Output Directory — if it holds a hard path (.\Release\ etc.), open the arrow on the right -> <inherit from parent or project defaults> (it returns to $(OutDir) from the property sheet -> dist\win32\lib).
3. Configuration Properties -> Librarian -> General -> Output File — if it holds a hard path (d:\work\lib\sfile95.lib etc.), open the arrow on the right -> <inherit from parent or project defaults> (it becomes $(OutDir)$(TargetName)$(TargetExt)).
4. OK. After a rebuild the .lib lands in dist\win32\lib and the MSB8012 warning disappears.

Check this for every project (all 6 libraries, the programs): hard paths d:\work, e:\work, .\Release\ may remain in any of them and in any configuration.

2.4 Selecting the platform and configuration (important on every build)

In the top toolbar of Visual Studio, next to the Start button, there are two drop-down lists:

• Configuration — select Release.
• Platform — select Win32.

Throughout the ENTIRE 32-bit build the configuration must be Release and the platform Win32. Check these two lists before every build.

2.5 Checking that the project is marked to build (Configuration Manager)

Even when Release and Win32 are selected at the top, a project may be not marked to build for this configuration. Then Build -> Build Solution silently skips it and no .lib appears. In the Output window it looks like this:

1>------ Skipped Build: Project: SFILE95, Configuration: Release Win32 ------
1>Project not selected to build for this solution configuration
========== Build: 0 succeeded or up-to-date, 0 failed, 1 skipped ==========

Cause: in the solution file .sln, for the Release|Win32 configuration there is a project mapping (ActiveCfg), but the build flag (Build.0) is cleared — that is, the Build checkbox in Configuration Manager is empty. In the original library .sln files this flag was set only for Release|x64.

Check and, if necessary, enable the checkbox:

1. Menu Build -> Configuration Manager….
2. At the top: Active solution configuration = Release, Active solution platform = Win32.
3. In the project row (for example SFILE95), check the Build column — the checkbox must be set. If it is empty — set it.
4. Click Close.

The same flaw occurs in the .sln files of all 6 libraries (and may be in the program projects). If you get "Project not selected to build" on a build — first check this checkbox for that specific project.

2.6 Checking the toolset (toolset v145)

If the project was created for an old version of Visual Studio, the toolset could have remained wrong. In the TMC Suite projects it is already switched to v145. You can check it like this:

1. Right-click the project -> Properties.
2. Section Configuration Properties -> General.
3. The Platform Toolset parameter must be v145 (or "Visual Studio 2026 (v145)").

Done. Proceed to 03-build-libs.md (Phase 1 — libraries).