Generating Visual Studio Project

Use ​https://github.com/OSGeo/gdal/blob/master/gdal/generate_vcxproj.bat script available in GDAL source code tree to generate project files (​.vcxproj) for Visual Studio ​2015 or later.

The script generates Visual Studio ​External Project (aka ​Makefile Project) generated project. Makefile Project almost entirely relies on build configuration defined in GDAL nmake.opt (or nmake.local) and makefile.vc files.

Usage: generate_vcxproj ^<Visual C++ version^> [32^|64] ^<^(*^) project file name^>
Parameters:
   1 : Visual C++ version is not the same as Visual Studio version ^( =^> 14.0 ^)
   2 : Windows platform 32 for Win32 and 64 for Win64
   3 : Base file name, with no path and no extension ^(*^)
Examples:
   generate_vcxproj 12.0 64 gdal_vs2013 (not guaranteed to work)
   generate_vcxproj 14.0 64 gdal_vs2015

1. Edit nmake.opt (or nmake.local) to configure desired build options.
2. Generate projects: generate_vcxproj.bat 14.0 32 gdal_vs2015
   • gdal_vs2015.vcxproj is generated.
   • If you build source tree checked out from the repository with ​autotest folder included, then also gdal_vs2015_test.vcxproj is generated for makefile in autotest/cpp folder with GDAL C++ tests.
3. Launch Visual Studio IDE
4. Go to File > Open > Project/Solution...
5. Open project gdal_vs2015.vcxproj.
6. Add project gdal_vs2015_test.vcxproj to the solution.
7. Configure Build Dependencies to build the main project before the test project.
8. Optionally, you may also have to add in Windows SDK library paths in the project's "VC++ Directories" configuration properties.
9. Save solution in .sln file.
10. Build.