C++ Team Blog

Improving code generation time with C++ Build Insights

Kevin CadieuxJuly 21, 2020Jul 21, 202007/21/20

Code generation time is a significant contributor to total build time for optimized builds. During this step of the compilation process, source code is passed through several algorithms that transform your program into an optimized version that can be executed more efficiently. In general, the optimization of a C++ function happens quickly and

Visual Studio Code C++ Extension July 2020 Update: Doxygen comments and Logpoints

Julia ReidJuly 20, 2020Jul 20, 202007/20/20

The July 2020 update of the Visual Studio Code C++ extension is now available. This latest release offers brand new features, such as the visualization of Doxygen comments and support for Logpoints while debugging (GDB/LLDB), along with a bunch of enhancements and bug fixes. To find out more about all the changes, check out our release notes o

Initial Support For C++20 Ranges

Casey CarterJuly 15, 2020Jul 15, 202007/15/20

We are happy to announce that Visual Studio 2019 version 16.6 contains the first user-visible pieces of C++20 Ranges support. We’ve been working on support machinery for a few releases now, but in this release the tip of the iceberg has finally broken the surface of the water and there are now some tools available for users. The Ra

C++ Linux development with Visual Studio: incremental build improvements and expanded shell support

ErikaJuly 8, 2020Jul 8, 202007/8/20

Visual Studio 2019 allows C++ developers to target both Windows and Linux (including the Windows Subsystem for Linux) from the comfort of a single IDE. Visual Studio 2019 version 16.7 Preview 3 introduces two features specific to Linux development: improved build incrementality for MSBuild-based Linux projects, and support for a wider range of

C++20 Features and Fixes in VS 2019 16.1 through 16.6

Stephan T. Lavavej - MSFTJuly 2, 2020Jul 2, 202007/2/20

What's New We've been busy implementing C++20 features in MSVC's compiler and Standard Library, and migrating the latter to microsoft/STL on GitHub - in fact, we've been so busy that we haven't posted a C++ toolset changelog since the VS 2019 16.0 toolset changelog. So, here are the compiler features and STL features/fixes that have shipped

Linux development with Visual Studio: first-class support for gdbserver, improved build times with Ninja, and updates to the Connection Manager

ErikaJune 2, 2020Jun 2, 202006/2/20

With Visual Studio 2019 you can build and debug C++ projects on a remote Linux system or the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). You can get started with Linux development in Visual Studio using MSBuild-based Linux projects or our native support for CMake. CMake lets you use the same source code and build scripts to target multiple platforms an

Profiling template metaprograms with C++ Build Insights

Kevin CadieuxMay 28, 2020May 28, 202005/28/20

The use of templates in C++ programs can sometimes lead to longer builds. C++ Build Insights puts tools at your disposal for analyzing template usage patterns and their associated impact on build time. In this article, we show you how to use the vcperf analysis tool and the C++ Build Insights SDK to understand and fix problematic template patt

Join us this week at Microsoft Build digital event

Marian Luparu [MSFT]May 18, 2020May 18, 202005/18/20

We are looking forward to this week's main event, Microsoft Build 2020. Build 2020 starts tomorrow Tuesday, May 19 and will run for 48 continuous hours as a digital-only event that is open to anyway around the world, at no cost. This is the first major tech conference to go full-digital with an experience designed from the ground-up for a virt

Visual Studio Code C++ extension: May 2020 update

Julia ReidMay 14, 2020May 14, 202005/14/20

The May 2020 update of the Visual Studio Code C++ extension is now available. This latest release offers brand new features—ARM and ARM64 IntelliSense modes and C++ language-specific code folding—along with a bunch of enhancements and bug fixes. To find out more about all the changes, check out our release notes on GitHub. ARM and ARM64 I

Faster builds with PCH suggestions from C++ Build Insights

Kevin CadieuxMay 8, 2020May 8, 202005/8/20

The creation of a precompiled header (PCH) is a proven strategy for improving build times. A PCH eliminates the need to repeatedly parse a frequently included header by processing it only once at the beginning of a build. The selection of headers to precompile has traditionally been viewed as a guessing game, but not anymore! In this article,