Console Applications in Visual C++ 2008

These are the directions to create a console (or text or DOS) mode application in Visual C++ 2008. These directions will work for your single file or multi-file applications in CSIT 802, 832, 836, 839 and 840. These directions will not work for CSIT 861 because in that class you will be creating Windows applications.

Glossary

These steps use some terminology you may not have heard before:

  • Application - A synonym for a program. Word, Excel, Internet Explorer and Doom all are applications. 

  • Extension - The part of the file name after the period. For example, if you name a file teacherhavemercy.doc, the file extension is doc. The file extension usually indicates the application you use to open the file. For example, a doc file usually is opened in Word, an xls file in Excel, etc.

  • Source file - This is a file in which you write C++ code. It has a .cpp extension, which stands for C++.

  • Header file - This is another file that contains C++ code. It has a .h extension, which stands for header. Some header files already are written for you. Others you may write in advanced classes such as CSIT 832, 836 and 840; you likely won't in CSIT 802.

  • Project - A container for the source and header files you write.

  • Solution - A container for one or more projects. In our classes the solution almost always will contain only one project. When so, there is no practical difference difference between a solution and a project.

Steps

OK, enough terminology! Let's get started creating a project

  1. Choose the File > New > Project menu command. This displays the New Project dialog shown in Figure 1. (Ignore the values in the Name, Location and Solution fields; they will be set in steps 4 and 5.)

Figure 1 - New Project dialog

  1. Choose Visual C++ from the list of Project Types, and then the Win32 subfolder.

  2. Choose Win32 Console Project from the list of templates. WARNING: Do not choose the similarly named Win32 Project. If you do, you'll have to start all over.

  3. In Location, using the Browse button, choose an existing folder under which you will create the subfolder in which you will put your project.

  4. In Name, type the name you choose for your project. This name also will be the Solution Name, and the name of the subfolder created to store your project files. Hint: Choose a logical name, such as 839A1 for the first assignment in CSIT 839.

  5. Click the OK button. This will display the Win32 Application Wizard shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - Win32 Application Wizard

  1. Don't click Finish. If you do you may have to start over. Instead, click Application Settings on the left. The appearance of the Win32 Application Wizard then changes to that shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 - Win32 Application Wizard after choosing Application Settings

  1. Make sure under Application Type you choose Console Application (that choice may already be the default). Additionally, under Additional options, uncheck Precompiled Header and check Empty Project. WARNING: These are not the defaults under Additional options. Skipping this step is a common mistake and may require you to start over.

  2. Click the Finish button. Figure 4 shows the new subfolder test and its parent folder A1. (These were the name and location I chose in Steps 4 and 5.)

Figure 4 - Windows Explorer showing newly created subfolder and files

  1. Choose the View > Solution Explorer menu command to display Solution Explorer, which is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5 - Solution Explorer

  1. So far the project is empty. To add a source (*.cpp) file, choose the Project > Add New Item menu command. This will display the Add New Item dialog shown in Figure 6. You also can display the Add New Item dialog by right-clicking Source Files in Solution Explorer to display the shortcut menu shown in Figure 7, and then choosing Add > Add New Item from the shortcut menu.

Figure 6- Add New Item dialog (Default View)

Figure 7 - Shortcut Menu for Source Files

  1. Choose Code from Categories on the left. The Visual Studio installed templates on the right will change to those shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8- Add New Item dialog after choosing Code in Categories

  1. Choose C++ File (.cpp). Generally you will not change the Location, which is the subfolder in which the project files are stored. Type the name of the new .cpp file in the Name box. I chose genghis.cpp. Then click the Add button. Figure 9 shows the new genghis.cpp file in Solution Explorer.

Figure 9 - Solution Explorer showing new .cpp file

In advanced classes, you may need to add additional .cpp files, or h files. You add additional .cpp files following steps 11-13. You would add .h files the same way except that in step 11 you would right-click Header Files in Solution Explorer and in Step 13 you would choose Header File (.h) instead of C++ File (.cpp).

Sometimes you may want to remove a file from your project, though not from your hard drive. If so, right-click that file and choose Exclude from Project from the shortcut menu. This does not remove the file from your hard drive. Choosing Remove will delete the file from your hard drive.

Once your project contains the desired files, then compile all of your project files at once from the Build menu. Build is an incremental compile, Rebuild starts over. It doesn't matter if you build or rebuild the project or the solution, since our solutions only contain one project.

After compiling, run your project from the Debug menu, either with or without debugging.