[question] Should Visual Studio 17.10 require a profile update to 194?

[rconde01]

What is your question?

Using conan 2.3.1 after updating to Visual Studio 17.10 I got:

xapian-core/1.4.19: Apply patch (file): patches/0001-add-msvc-cl-sh.patch
xapian-core/1.4.19: RUN: "/d/cn2/p/b/xapia3765ba94a5201/b/src/configure" --disable-shared --enable-static --prefix=/ --bindir=${prefix}/bin --sbindir=${prefix}/bin --libdir=${prefix}/lib --includedir=${prefix}/include --oldincludedir=${prefix}/include --datarootdir=${prefix}/res --disable-documentation
conanvcvars.bat: Activating environment Visual Studio 17 - amd64 - winsdk_version=None - vcvars_ver=14.3
[ERROR:vcvars.bat] Toolset directory for version '14.3' was not found.
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat] *** VsDevCmd.bat encountered errors. Environment may be incomplete and/or incorrect. ***
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat] In an uninitialized command prompt, please 'set VSCMD_DEBUG=[value]' and then re-run
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat] vsdevcmd.bat [args] for additional details.
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat] Where [value] is:
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat]    1 : basic debug logging
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat]    2 : detailed debug logging
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat]    3 : trace level logging. Redirection of output to a file when using this level is recommended.
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat] Example: set VSCMD_DEBUG=3
[ERROR:VsDevCmd.bat]          vsdevcmd.bat > vsdevcmd.trace.txt 2>&1

I think a update in the profile to 194 fixes it - but then all packages need to be rebuilt. Is this intended?

Have you read the CONTRIBUTING guide?

• I've read the CONTRIBUTING guide

[memsharded]

Hi @rconde01

Thanks for your question

I think a update in the profile to 194 fixes it - but then all packages need to be rebuilt. Is this intended?

In theory it shouldn't. We have introduced also a fallback in the compatibility.py plugin, so it accepts binaries built with 193 when requesting compiler.version=194, so it should be ok.

[rconde01]

Should I be able to build using 193 in my profile and Visual Studio 17.10?

[memsharded]

Should I be able to build using 193 in my profile and Visual Studio 17.10?

Yes, that is the intent. Conan will define the right version toolset, like v143, version=19.39 to select it (it must be installed in parallel to the latest 19.40).

[memsharded]

Uhmmm, I think I see what you mean, and this could require defining the compiler.update. Because both compiler.version=193 or =194 will map to the same:

set(CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET "v143" CACHE STRING "" FORCE)

Because without the update it is not possible to dissambiguate what specific version is desired.
I'll have a look at this tomorrow with the team.

[rconde01]

So reading https://devblogs.microsoft.com/cppblog/msvc-toolset-minor-version-number-14-40-in-vs-2022-v17-10/

it seems like I can install the sxs toolset. But I guess the post seems to imply I shouldn’t have to. 193 should potentially map to 143. It’s confusing :(

[memsharded]

I have been trying to use simultaneously the 14.39 and 14.40 toolsets, and so far I have not been able to do it:

• When updating to 17.10, Visual will remove 14.39 and install 14.40 toolset. It works for compiler.version=194 but fails for compiler.version=193, as expected
• If I install back the 14.39 toolset besides the 14.40, then Visual will make it the default, so it will be used even if I am specifying compiler.version=194, because as it maps to toolset=v143 and Visual decides to use 14.39 instead of the latest 14.40, it is wrong.
• Removing 14.39 makes again 14.40 the default and usable
• If I try to use an older update like -s compiler.version=193 -s compiler.update=8 then it maps to CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=v143,version=14.38 and it works fine (but with some Visual new warnings regarding some vc .props files, quite weird)

I'd say that this change in the versioning scheme was also complicated for Microsoft themselves and the installation and update of VS toolsets is still not very stable.

[memsharded]

With -c tools.cmake.cmaketoolchain:generator=Ninja it works perfectly (via vcvars), I can create binaries for:

• -s compiler.version=194 => 1940 (maps to latest 194)
• -s compiler.version=193 => 1939 (maps to latest 193, all correct)
• -s compiler.version=193 -s compiler.update=8 => 1938
• -s compiler.version=194 -s compiler.update=0 => 1940

It seems the conjunction with cmake + VS generator (I am using latest CMake 3.29.3)

[memsharded]

I'd say the problem is in CMake, it will not use 14.40 toolset when defined CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=v143 and it probably should, conditioned just on the installation order of Visual Studio installer. I think CMake should pick the latest toolset available (latest version), not the latest chronologically installed.

Also, in the VS installation:

• C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\Microsoft.VCToolsVersion.v143.default.props

<?xml version = "1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> 
<Project ToolsVersion = "4.0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003"> 
  <Import Project="$([System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath($(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)Microsoft.VCRedistVersion.v143.default.props))"/> 
  <PropertyGroup> 
    <VCToolsVersion Condition = "'$(VCToolsVersion)' == ''" >14.39.33519</VCToolsVersion> 
  </PropertyGroup>      
</Project>     

• C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\Microsoft.VCToolsVersion.v143.default.txt

14.39.33519

It is likely that CMake is using these files.

Forcing those 2 files to use the 14.40.YYYYY makes it work (need admin to overwrite the files)
But doing that will break:

conan create . -s compiler.version=193 -s compiler.update=9
-- CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=v143,version=14.39
-- Selecting Windows SDK version 10.0.22621.0 to target Windows 10.0.19045.
-- The CXX compiler identification is unknown
CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:2 (project):
  No CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER could be found.

But weirdly the previous one

conan create . -s compiler.version=193 -s compiler.update=8

keeps working without issues.

[rconde01]

I'm using ninja - so if I read all that correctly, it seems side-by-side will work for me. I'll give it a try. What a mess! :)

[memsharded]

Total mess :(

I am submitting a PR (draft at this moment) in #16332, that tries to automate the correct 193X compiler version for VS 17.10 update when using compiler.version=193, but at the moment that doesn't work (CMake fails with Visual Studio generator)

[rconde01]

Oh barf - i didn't think about the fact that even though I am using ninja - my dependencies might not (and it turns out some aren't)...uh, although maybe would have helped if installed x86 (not arm) toolset...let's see....seems to work!