BUG: Exported Makefile May Be Useless if Custom Build Uses "CD"

• Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Editions, version 5.0

SYMPTOMS

If a custom build step uses the command "CD," the exported makefile does not work.

CAUSE

Makefiles are exported assuming that file paths are relative to the directory with the project file. If a custom build step changes the current directory, the relative file names will not be valid. Developer Studio does not automatically insert a "CD" command to change back to the directory containing the project file after a custom build rule.

RESOLUTION

If you need to change the current directory in a custom build step and use an exported makefile, make sure that you change the current directory back to the project directory.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this bug and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.