Monthly Archives: April 2011

Microsoft Build Macros

I hit this same problem every time I start a Visual Studio project.  Well, not every time, but it is a common occurrence. When there are multiple projects involved, it is sometimes necessary to point to different directories.  It is possible to hard code the locations but this is not good sometimes based on needing to move the solution to a shared location.

Quite some time ago, Microsoft invented their own way of dealing with this.  Instead of fixing the locations, it can be specified based on a “macro”.  These macros are defined at:

Macros for Build Commands and Properties

These macros are replaced with the real values during the build. It can be very helpful with regards to a retail versus a debug build. The most common ones I use are $(solutiondir) and $(projectdir). Any good tip is that the names already include the backslash so you will not need to specify that after the macro. Anything entered in as a path in Visual Studio should be relative to a macro unless the path is the same for everyone that might use the build.

The list is fairly extensive so you will probably find what you want. Even if you don’t, there is a way to create your own (which I am not going to cover).

The Age

We are all getting older. There is a time that is called the prime of our lives. Typically it is over before we know it. In computer times, this prime shifts much faster. Being in the right place at the right time is becoming incredibly difficult when the window of time is so small.


The theory is that if you are born in a certain age, there is a chance you will become a part of what your time offers. This is summarized in the book “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.  His theories are much more advanced than what is portrayed here.  In general, he describes a very different view to what brings success.  Typically timing and practice play major roles in competing well in a world that is always changing.

It is easy to conclude that you were not born at the right time.  Based on the examples in the book, it is clear that the computer industry leaders were largely born around 1955.  Anyone around the age of 20 in 1975 was well positioned to take advantage of the emerging personal computer generation.  Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are perfect examples.

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