INFO: Which Visual C++ Files to Add to Source-Code Control

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This article was previously published under Q156513

SUMMARY

The general rule of thumb for adding files from a Visual C++ project to source-code control is: If the file is text, it is probably OK to add; if the file is binary, it probably should not be added.

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MORE INFORMATION

When checking in files, Visual C++ will automatically prompt you to check in all files in the Project Workspace Pane plus the project makefile (.mak). In most cases, these will simply be the source files needed to open and rebuild your Visual C++ project.

You can add binary files to your Visual C++ project. They will appear in the Project Workspace Pane and Visual C++ will attempt to add them to source-code control. In some cases, this is desirable (for instance, bitmaps) and in other cases, this is not desirable (for instance, import libraries).

Following is a (non-exhaustive) list of file extensions for files that should be added to source-code control under normal circumstances:

.mak, .dsp, .c, .rc, .rc2, .ico, .bmp, .txt, .def, .hpj, .bat, .rtf,
.odl, .inf, .reg, .cnt, .cpp, .cxx, .h, .hpp, .hxx, .inl, .tpl, .vtp,
and .mst.

Usually, these files cannot be easily regenerated. There are issues that need to be considered when sharing a makefile through source-code control. These issues are discussed in the Visual C++ Online documentation. Please see the REFERENCES section below.

Following is a (non-exhaustive) list of file extensions for files that should not be added to source-code control under normal circumstances :

.pch, .mdp, .ncb, .clw, .obj, .exe, .aps, .cpl, .awk, .exp, .lib, .idb,

.opt, .pdb, .map, .res, .ilk, .scc, .bsc, .sbr, .dll, and .tlb.

Usually, these files are automatically regenerated by Visual C++ in opening, editing, and building the project.

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REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

132340 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/132340/EN-US/) Common File Extensions Used by Visual C++

"Maintaining Makefiles Under Source-Code Control" and "Putting Files Under Source-Code Control" from the Visual C++ Online documentation.

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