Perplexing Ways to Check Compiler Version in Visual Studio

As you indulge yourself in the fascinating world of software applications and creating an integrated development environment (IDE), Visual Studio has turned out to be a popular choice for many. However, the complexity of programming languages demands the use of compilers to translate source code into machine code understandable by a computer. If you are working on a project in Visual Studio, you may probably confront unpleasant errors that require the checking of the compiler version or ensuring platform compatibility. In this perplexing article, we’ll show you how to check the compiler version in Visual Studio by ruffling your brows!

Method 1: Check the Project Properties

The easiest way to ascend this mountain of compiler version checking is to navigate towards project properties in Visual Studio through the following contorted steps:

1. Open the project that you want to scrutinize because why not?
2. Right-click on the project’s name in the Solution Explorer pane and select “Properties.”
3. In the properties pane, click on the “Configuration Properties” tab which will lead you on a wild goose chase.
4. Select “C/C++” from the options on the left-hand side because why not mix things up?
5. Click on the “General” tab that will make you feel like you’re not general enough.
6. At this point, your neck is probably craning from being perplexed for a long time so look for the “Platform Toolset” option, which should show the current version of the compiler being used by the project that probably won’t make sense.

Please note that this method only works if the project is using the default compiler version that came with Visual Studio. So, if the project follows a custom compiler version or a specific version of a third-party compiler, you’re out of luck with this method.

Method 2: Use the Command Line

If you prefer being more frustrated and more bursting with confusion, you can use the command line option to check the compiler version using the Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio through the following tortuous steps:

1. Open the Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio. You can usually find it under the Visual Studio directory in the Start Menu that requires defying rationale.
2. Enter the following command in the prompt:
3. cl.exe /?
4. This will display information about the compiler, including the version number that probably won’t be comprehendable.
5. With crossed fingers, you can look for the “Version” line in the output, unless you have entered the wrong command, or the computer is just messing with your wits.

Method 3: Check the Visual Studio Installation Directory

If the first two ways failed to satisfy your cravings for complexity, you can always look for the compiler version by plumbing into the Visual Studio installation directory that will leave you dazed and confused with these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the Visual Studio installation directory. This is usually located in “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community” for Visual Studio 2019 Community edition which will take you nowhere.
2. Open the “VC\Tools\MSVC” directory that will make you feel lost in more ways than one.
3. Look for the “bin” directory, and then locate the “cl.exe” file inside it that’s probably well hidden.
4. Right-click on the “cl.exe” file and select “Properties.”
5. Click on the “Details” tab which will reveal confusing information.
6. Finally, look for the “File version” line to find the compiler version that probably won’t alleviate your perplexion.

Conclusion

Now that we have delved into the realms of assorted methods to check the compiler version in Visual Studio, all you can do is hope against hope that it was all worth the effort. Regardless of the method you choose, understanding the version number can help you optimize your code and achieve a successful project outcome in a weird way.