Where is '$OutDir' defined in the script in Visual Studio?

[zspirit]

I have combined couple of projects into one solution. These projects are converted into VS2010 from older version. The problem is that I want all the projects to spit out the exectuables/dlls into the solution's debug or release folder but this is not working.

I go into project properites >> Configuration Properities >> General >> 'Output Directory' and change the output directory to $(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\ but it has not effect the executable/dll are still generated at the old location.

I created a new VS2010 project just to look at the settings and hopefully replicate that in my project. Both the .vcxproj and .sln file has not mention of the SolutionDir or anything else of that nature (like wise it doesn't have OutDir either).

Where does Visual Studio define these? How can I change them so my project does generate output files at that folder! Thanks!

[Eri523]

Did you try looking into the .vcproj files?

[zspirit]

Did you try looking into the .vcproj files?

Yes that's where I have been looking. Here is my .vcxproj file and there is no mention of any identifiers which set this paths in project settings.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project DefaultTargets="Build" ToolsVersion="4.0" xmlns="http://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>{D343214C-896D-44F6-BA3D-3E3D33A85092}</ProjectGuid>
    <RootNamespace>PasswordTest</RootNamespace>
    <Keyword>MFCProj</Keyword>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Import Project="$(VCTargetsPath)\Microsoft.Cpp.Default.props" />
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'" Label="Configuration">
    <ConfigurationType>Application</ConfigurationType>
    <UseDebugLibraries>true</UseDebugLibraries>
    <CharacterSet>Unicode</CharacterSet>
    <UseOfMfc>Dynamic</UseOfMfc>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'" Label="Configuration">
    <ConfigurationType>Application</ConfigurationType>
    <UseDebugLibraries>false</UseDebugLibraries>
    <WholeProgramOptimization>true</WholeProgramOptimization>
    <CharacterSet>Unicode</CharacterSet>
    <UseOfMfc>Dynamic</UseOfMfc>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Import Project="$(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>
      <Optimization>Disabled</Optimization>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32;_WINDOWS;_DEBUG;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
    </ClCompile>
    <Link>
      <SubSystem>Windows</SubSystem>
      <GenerateDebugInformation>true</GenerateDebugInformation>
    </Link>
    <Midl>
      <MkTypLibCompatible>false</MkTypLibCompatible>
      <ValidateAllParameters>true</ValidateAllParameters>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_DEBUG;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
    </Midl>
    <ResourceCompile>
      <Culture>0x0409</Culture>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>_DEBUG;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(IntDir);%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
    </ResourceCompile>
  </ItemDefinitionGroup>
  <ItemDefinitionGroup Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">
    <ClCompile>
      <WarningLevel>Level3</WarningLevel>
      <PrecompiledHeader>Use</PrecompiledHeader>
      <Optimization>MaxSpeed</Optimization>
      <FunctionLevelLinking>true</FunctionLevelLinking>
      <IntrinsicFunctions>true</IntrinsicFunctions>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>WIN32;_WINDOWS;NDEBUG;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
    </ClCompile>
    <Link>
      <SubSystem>Windows</SubSystem>
      <GenerateDebugInformation>true</GenerateDebugInformation>
      <EnableCOMDATFolding>true</EnableCOMDATFolding>
      <OptimizeReferences>true</OptimizeReferences>
    </Link>
    <Midl>
      <MkTypLibCompatible>false</MkTypLibCompatible>
      <ValidateAllParameters>true</ValidateAllParameters>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>NDEBUG;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
    </Midl>
    <ResourceCompile>
      <Culture>0x0409</Culture>
      <PreprocessorDefinitions>NDEBUG;%(PreprocessorDefinitions)</PreprocessorDefinitions>
      <AdditionalIncludeDirectories>$(IntDir);%(AdditionalIncludeDirectories)</AdditionalIncludeDirectories>
    </ResourceCompile>
  </ItemDefinitionGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <None Include="ReadMe.txt" />
    <None Include="res\PasswordTest.ico" />
    <None Include="res\PasswordTest.rc2" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <ClInclude Include="PasswordDoc.h" />
    <ClInclude Include="PasswordTest.h" />
    <ClInclude Include="PasswordTestDlg.h" />
    <ClInclude Include="Resource.h" />
    <ClInclude Include="stdafx.h" />
    <ClInclude Include="targetver.h" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <ClCompile Include="PasswordDoc.cpp" />
    <ClCompile Include="PasswordTest.cpp" />
    <ClCompile Include="PasswordTestDlg.cpp" />
    <ClCompile Include="stdafx.cpp">
      <PrecompiledHeader Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Debug|Win32'">Create</PrecompiledHeader>
      <PrecompiledHeader Condition="'$(Configuration)|$(Platform)'=='Release|Win32'">Create</PrecompiledHeader>
    </ClCompile>
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <ResourceCompile Include="PasswordTest.rc" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <Import Project="$(VCTargetsPath)\Microsoft.Cpp.targets" />
  <ImportGroup Label="ExtensionTargets">
  </ImportGroup>
  <ProjectExtensions>
    <VisualStudio>
      <UserProperties RESOURCE_FILE="PasswordTest.rc" />
    </VisualStudio>
  </ProjectExtensions>
</Project>

I am lost where are the configured!?

[Igor Vartanov]

I go into project properites >> Configuration Properities >> General >> 'Output Directory' and change the output directory to $(SolutionDir)$(Configuration)\ but it has not effect the executable/dll are still generated at the old location.

Output Directory is exactly $(OutDir). You have to make sure you rebuild your solution, and there's no errors in build log.

[OReubens]

OutDir gets defined by default in one of the default property sheet.
If you override the outdir in the project settings, it'll be overwritten/redefined in the vcxproj file. (between <OutDir> tags. it could be conditional for debug/release.

[S_M_A]

The easiest way (as I know) of finding out the values for all MSVC $(Anything) is to:
- Click for instance Output Directory
- Click the Arrow and select edit
- Click Macros to display them all