Skip to content

01c Building Areg SDK with MSBuild

Jump to bottom
Aregtech edited this page Jan 24, 2026 · 1 revision

Building Areg SDK with Microsoft Visual Studio and MSBuild

This guide covers building Areg SDK using Microsoft Visual Studio and MSBuild, including quick build steps and configuration options.

Table of Contents

  1. Prerequisites
  2. Quick Build
  3. Build Configuration
  4. Troubleshooting

Prerequisites

Required Tools

  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2019+ with:
    • Desktop development with C++ workload
    • CMake tools (optional, for CMake-based builds)
    • Clang compiler for Windows (optional)
  • Java 17+ - For code generation tools
  • Git - Version control

Verify Installation

Check MSBuild:

MSBuild -version

Expected output:

Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 17.x.x
...

Check Java:

java -version

Expected output:

openjdk version "17.x.x"
...

Note

MSBuild is installed with Visual Studio and should be in your PATH. If not, launch Developer Command Prompt for VS instead of regular Command Prompt.

Quick Build

Step 1: Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/aregtech/areg-sdk.git
cd areg-sdk

Step 2: Build with Default Settings

Option A: Visual Studio IDE

  1. Open areg-sdk.sln in Visual Studio
  2. Select build configuration (Debug/Release) from toolbar
  3. Build → Build Solution (or press Ctrl+Shift+B)

Option B: MSBuild Command Line

MSBuild ./areg-sdk.sln

Expected output:

Microsoft (R) Build Engine version 17.x.x
...
Build succeeded.
    0 Warning(s)
    0 Error(s)

Time Elapsed 00:02:15.34

Build time: 2-5 minutes depending on configuration.

Binaries location:

.\product\build\msvc-{compiler}\windows-{bits}-{arch}-{config}-{linkage}\bin\

Example:

.\product\build\msvc-cl\windows-64-amd64-release-shared\bin\

Build Configuration

MSBuild supports various configuration options to customize your build.

Configuration Properties

Property Values Default Description
Configuration Debug, Release Debug Build type (optimizations, debugging)
Platform Win32, x64 Win32 Target architecture (32-bit or 64-bit)
AregExtended 0, 1 1 Enable extended features in aregextend library
AregLogs 0, 1 1 Enable logging infrastructure

Tip

Edit msvc_setup.props in the Areg SDK root to set default values for all projects.

Build Examples

Example 1: 64-bit Debug build with extended features, no logging

MSBuild /m /property:Configuration=Debug /property:Platform=x64 /property:AregExtended=1 /property:AregLogs=0 ./areg-sdk.sln

Breakdown:

  • /m - Build using multiple processors (parallel build)
  • Configuration=Debug - Build with debug symbols
  • Platform=x64 - Target 64-bit architecture
  • AregExtended=1 - Include extended library
  • AregLogs=0 - Disable logging system

Example 2: 32-bit Release build with logging, no extended features

MSBuild /m /property:Configuration=Release /property:Platform=Win32 /property:AregExtended=0 /property:AregLogs=1 ./areg-sdk.sln

Breakdown:

  • Configuration=Release - Optimized build
  • Platform=Win32 - Target 32-bit architecture
  • AregExtended=0 - Exclude extended library
  • AregLogs=1 - Enable logging system

Example 3: Clean and rebuild

MSBuild /m /t:Clean,Build /property:Configuration=Release /property:Platform=x64 ./areg-sdk.sln

Common MSBuild Options

Option Description
/m Multi-processor build (faster)
/t:Build Build target (default)
/t:Clean Remove build artifacts
/t:Rebuild Clean + Build
/v:minimal Reduce output verbosity
/v:detailed Increase output verbosity
/maxcpucount:4 Use specific number of processors

Example with multiple options:

MSBuild /m /t:Rebuild /v:minimal /property:Configuration=Release /property:Platform=x64 ./areg-sdk.sln

Configuration Files

msvc_setup.props

Contains default compilation settings and output paths. Located at:

areg-sdk/msvc_setup.props

Key settings you can modify:

  • Output directories
  • Compiler flags
  • Warning levels
  • Optimization settings

nuget.config

Specifies NuGet package sources for dependencies (Google Test Adapter for unit tests). Located at:

areg-sdk/nuget.config

Note

Areg SDK uses Google Test Adapter NuGet package for unit tests. Package directories are defined in nuget.config.

Troubleshooting

MSBuild Not Found

Problem: 'MSBuild' is not recognized as an internal or external command.

Solution:

Option 1: Use Developer Command Prompt

  • Start Developer Command Prompt for VS from Start menu
  • Navigate to areg-sdk directory
  • Run MSBuild commands

Option 2: Add MSBuild to PATH

# Visual Studio 2022 example
set PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin

Option 3: Use full path

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe" ./areg-sdk.sln

Java Not Found

Problem: Build fails with "Java is required for code generation".

Solution:

  1. Verify Java installation:

    java -version

  2. If not installed, download from java.com/download

  3. Ensure Java is in PATH:

    set PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17\bin

Build Errors After Updates

Problem: Build fails after updating Areg SDK or Visual Studio.

Solution:

  1. Clean the solution:

    MSBuild /m /t:Clean ./areg-sdk.sln

  2. Delete build artifacts:

    rmdir /s /q .\product\build

  3. Rebuild:

    MSBuild /m /t:Build ./areg-sdk.sln

NuGet Restore Fails

Problem: NuGet packages (Google Test) fail to restore.

Solution:

  1. Restore packages manually:

    nuget restore ./areg-sdk.sln

  2. Or use MSBuild restore:

    MSBuild /m /t:Restore ./areg-sdk.sln

  3. Check nuget.config file points to valid package sources

Wrong Platform Built

Problem: Build produces 32-bit binaries when 64-bit was expected.

Solution:

Explicitly specify platform:

MSBuild /m /property:Platform=x64 ./areg-sdk.sln

Verify in output:

Project "areg-sdk.sln" (Build target(s)):
  ...
  Platform = x64

Slow Build Times

Problem: Build takes too long.

Solution:

  1. Enable parallel build:

    MSBuild /m /maxcpucount:8 ./areg-sdk.sln

  2. Build only specific project:

    MSBuild /m /t:"areg:Build" ./areg-sdk.sln

  3. Use Release configuration (faster than Debug):

    MSBuild /m /property:Configuration=Release ./areg-sdk.sln

Advanced Topics

Building Specific Projects

Build only the core framework:

MSBuild /m /t:"areg:Build" /property:Configuration=Release /property:Platform=x64 ./areg-sdk.sln

Build only examples:

MSBuild /m /t:"examples:Build" /property:Configuration=Debug /property:Platform=x64 ./areg-sdk.sln

Automated Builds

For CI/CD pipelines, use:

MSBuild /m /t:Rebuild /v:minimal /property:Configuration=Release /property:Platform=x64 /property:AregExtended=1 /property:AregLogs=0 ./areg-sdk.sln

Explanation:

  • /t:Rebuild - Clean build (ensures fresh state)
  • /v:minimal - Reduce log output (easier to parse)
  • Configuration settings suitable for release artifacts

Exit codes:

  • 0 - Success
  • Non-zero - Build failed

Additional Resources

Integration Guides:

Microsoft Documentation:

Areg SDK Resources:

Copyright © 2026, Aregtech

Help us to make docs greater: See something is wrong, unclear or need a help? Submit a change, open a discussion or ask AREG SDK community a question.

Copyright © 2026, Aregtech, www.areg.tech, email: info[at]areg.tech

Quick links

  1. Clone source codes
  2. Preprocessor define symbols
  3. Software build
  4. Build with WSL
  5. AREG Logging System
  6. AREG Multicast Router
  7. Persistence Syntax
  8. Setup a Project

Help to make docs greater!

Clone this wiki locally