Microsoft C++ configure "Run VS Code outside the Developer Command Prompt" doesn't work

[anhq-nguyen]

Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: Yes/No

• VS Code Version: 1.85.0
• OS Version: Windows 11 Home, version 23H2 Build 22631.2715

I followed the exact guide in https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-msvc#_run-vs-code-outside-the-developer-command-prompt

But my code only works when I start VSC with Developer Command Prompt. When I start VSC from a shortcut, it gives error cl.exe is not recognized.... Even when I modified the task's command. Here's my tasks.json:

{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "windows": {
        "options": {
        "shell": {
            "executable": "cmd.exe",
            "args": [
            "/C",
            // The path to VsDevCmd.bat depends on the version of Visual Studio you have installed.
            "\"C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/BuildTools/Common7/Tools/VsDevCmd.bat\"",
            "&&"
            ]
        }
        }
    },
    "tasks": [
        {
            "type": "cppbuild",
            "label": "C/C++: cl.exe build active file",
            "command": "C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/BuildTools/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.38.33130/bin/Hostx86/x86/cl.exe",
            "args": [
                "/Zi",
                "/EHsc",
                "/nologo",
                "/Fe${fileDirname}\\${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe",
                "${file}"
            ],
            "options": {
                "cwd": "${fileDirname}"
            },
            "problemMatcher": [
                "$msCompile"
            ],
            "group": {
                "kind": "build",
                "isDefault": true
            },
            "detail": "Task generated by Debugger."
        }
    ]
}

[AlexandraKemperMS]

Hi @anhq-nguyen, the error message that cl.exe is not recognized usually implies that the C++ Extension doesn't know the path to the cl.exe compiler. Have you added the path of this compiler under Configurations or directly in your c_cpp_properties.json file?

[Neutrino-Sunset]

I'm having the exact same problem, and @AlexandraKemperMS with respect your reply seems to miss the point a bit.

If the global task property override detailed in the section Run VS Code outside the Developer Command Prompt is run then cl.exe will be on the path and so should be locatable.

If VsDevCmd.bat is not correctly run in the build environment, (which is strongly suggested by the fact that even running the build task manually results in the build failing with cl.exe not found), then adding cl.exe to the extension config might make it possible to compile a trivial sample, but that isn't going to solve the bigger problem which is that if VsDevCmd.bat is not run then none of it's other configuration will have been applied including all the Windows SDK and MsBuild settings required to build any non-trivial project.

[Neutrino-Sunset]

It appears that the attempt to escape the spaces in the path to the batch file does not work.

[Neutrino-Sunset]

From https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks#_global-tasks

This doesn't seem to be working.

[Neutrino-Sunset]

The task override can be fixed using this syntax.

But that doesn't solve the problem. Attempting to build still fails.

I've now tried adding the compiler path directly to c_cpp_properties.json, and it still doesn't work.

And I've also now hardcoded the compiler path in the extension settings. And that doesn't work either.

[Neutrino-Sunset]

I've added the path to the compiler to the system path. Now the task at least finds cl.exe but that doesn't help much because even trying to build HelloWorld still fails as the build environment doesn't have any of the paths to the standard headers.

Which is the problem I referred to earlier regarding not running VsDevCmd.bat

[Neutrino-Sunset]

What I'm doing for now is creating a batch file in my C++ project directory that loads the dev envronment and then opens VsCode.

UPDATE

I improved on this by creating the following batch file at a location available on the system PATH. With this I can invoke codecpp on the commandline with any project or directory specified and it opens that directory with the dev tools installed in the environment. I can also pass any other arguments I want too.

[anhq-nguyen]

Hi @anhq-nguyen, the error message that cl.exe is not recognized usually implies that the C++ Extension doesn't know the path to the cl.exe compiler. Have you added the path of this compiler under Configurations or directly in your c_cpp_properties.json file?

Yes I did, here's my c_cpp_properties.json

{
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Win32",
            "includePath": [
                "${workspaceFolder}/**"
            ],
            "defines": [
                "_DEBUG",
                "UNICODE",
                "_UNICODE"
            ],
            "windowsSdkVersion": "10.0.22621.0",
            "compilerPath": "C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/BuildTools/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.38.33130/bin/Hostx86/x86/cl.exe",
            "cStandard": "c17",
            "cppStandard": "c++20",
            "intelliSenseMode": "windows-msvc-x64"
        }
    ],
    "version": 4
}

Besides, when I used Run C/C++ file. I got this error:

[Mobious]

@anhq-nguyen I was having the same issue. Trying to run the program from the top-right run icon (which is added through the C/C++ extension I believe) would fail with the popup: "cl.exe build and debug is only usable when VS Code is run from the Developer Command Prompt for VS.". However, running the program through the VSCode Run menu (or using the F5, ctrl+F5 shortcuts) would succeed in compiling and running the program.

I guess this may be an issue with the extension. Not sure if there's another setting somewhere that will fix the issue, but for now this seems like a fine workaround.

[SimonYansenZhao]

@anhq-nguyen You need to change the task type from cppbuild to shell. But I have the same issue as @Mobious. That is, I can run through the menu, but cannot via the top-right Run button.

[jerrysmatrix]

Launch VsDevCmd.bat for your project directory, and type "code .". Compiler path is: cl.exe

LaunchProject.bat:

@echo off
call "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\2022\\Community\\Common7\\Tools\\VsDevCmd.bat"
code .

[gigberg]

Launch VsDevCmd.bat for your project directory, and type "code .". Compiler path is: cl.exe

LaunchProject.bat:

@echo off
call "C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\2022\\Community\\Common7\\Tools\\VsDevCmd.bat"
code .

Another method, you need both tasks.json and launch.json under .vscode folder:

# tasks.json, copy from https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-msvc#_run-vs-code-outside-the-developer-command-prompt
{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "windows": {
    "options": {
      "shell": {
        "executable": "cmd.exe",
        "args": [
          "/C",
          // The path to VsDevCmd.bat depends on the version of Visual Studio you have installed.
          "\"C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/Common7/Tools/VsDevCmd.bat\"",
          "&&"
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "tasks": [
    {
      "type": "shell",
      "label": "cl.exe build active file",
      "command": "cl.exe",
      "args": [
        "/Zi",
        "/EHsc",
        "/Fe:",
        "${fileDirname}\\${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe",
        "${file}"
      ],
      "problemMatcher": ["$msCompile"],
      "group": {
        "kind": "build",
        "isDefault": true
      }
    }
  ]
}


# launch.json, pay attention to the preLaunchTask name. it's not default value like 'C/C++: cl.exe build active file', you need to modified accroding to your task label  defined in tasks.json, which should be 'cl.exe build active file' in this situation. And you also need to add some symbol to configurations name, such as hyperhen'-', because there is a default hidden configuration name from cpp extension with its default name "C/C++: cl.exe build and debug active file"(no hyperhen)
{
	"version": "0.2.0",
	"configurations": [
	  {
		"name": "-C/C++: cl.exe build and debug active file", // need modification
		"type": "cppvsdbg",
		"request": "launch",
		"program": "${fileDirname}\\${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe",
		"args": [],
		"stopAtEntry": false,
		"cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
		"environment": [],
		"externalConsole": false,
		"preLaunchTask": "cl.exe build active file" // need modification
	  }
	]
  }

Then both cpp extension play button in the right up corner, and vscode run and play button in the left up corner would work as expect.