Walkthrough: Building a Project (C++)

In this walkthrough, you deliberately introduce a C++ syntax error in your code to learn what a compilation error looks like and how to fix it. When you compile the project, an error message indicates what the problem is and where it occurred.

Prerequisites

• This walkthrough assumes that you understand the fundamentals of the C++ language.

• It also assumes that you've completed the earlier related walkthroughs that are listed in Using the Visual Studio IDE for C++ Desktop Development.

To fix compilation errors

1. In Game.cpp, delete the semicolon in the last line so that it resembles the statement:

   return 0

2. On the menu bar, choose Build > Build Solution.

3. A message in the Error List window indicates that there was an error in the building of the project. The description looks something like the error message:

   error C2143: syntax error: missing ';' before '}'

   To view help information about this error, highlight it in the Error List window and then choose the F1 key.

4. Add the semicolon back to the end of the line that has the syntax error:

   return 0;

5. On the menu bar, choose Build > Build Solution.

   A message in the Output window indicates that the project compiled successfully.

   1>------ Build started: Project: Game, Configuration: Debug Win32 ------
   1>Game.cpp
   1>Game.vcxproj -> C:\Users\<username>\source\repos\Game\Debug\Game.exe
   ========== Build: 1 succeeded, 0 failed, 0 up-to-date, 0 skipped ==========
   

Next Steps

Previous: Walkthrough: Working with Projects and Solutions (C++)
Next: Walkthrough: Testing a Project (C++)

See also

C++ Language Reference
Projects and build systems