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/I (Additional include directories)

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Adds a directory to the list of directories searched for include files.

Syntax

/I directory

Arguments

directory
The directory to add to the list of directories searched for include files. The space between /I and directory is optional. Directories that include spaces must be enclosed in double quotes. A directory may be an absolute path or a relative path.

Remarks

To add more than one directory, use this option more than once. Directories are searched only until the specified include file is found.

You can use this option on the same command line as the (/X (Ignore standard include paths)) option.

A #include directive can be specified in double-quote (or local-first) form, for example, #include "local.h". Or, it can be specified in angle-bracket (or include-path-first) form, for example, #include <iostream>.

The compiler searches directories in the following order:

  1. If the #include directive is specified using double-quote form, it first searches local directories. The search begins in the same directory as the file that contains the #include directive. If it fails to find the file, it searches next in the directories of the currently opened include files, in the reverse order in which they were opened. The search begins in the directory of the parent include file and continues upward through the directories of any grandparent include files.

  2. If the #include directive is specified in angle-bracket form, or if the local directory search has failed, it searches directories specified by using the /I option, in the order they're specified on the command line.

  3. Directories specified in the INCLUDE environment variable.

To set this compiler option in the Visual Studio development environment

  1. Open the project's Property Pages dialog box. For details, see Set C++ compiler and build properties in Visual Studio.

  2. Select the Configuration Properties > C/C++ > General property page.

  3. Modify the Additional Include Directories property. You can specify more than one directory at a time in this property. Directories must be separated by a semicolon (;).

To set this compiler option programmatically

Example

The following command looks for the include files requested by main.c in the following order: First, if specified by using double-quotes, local files are searched. Next, search continues in the \include directory, then in the \my\include directory, and finally in the directories assigned to the INCLUDE environment variable, in left to right order.

CL /I \include /I\my\include main.c

See also

MSVC Compiler Options
MSVC Compiler Command-Line Syntax