When using .uprojectdirs compiler errors open in new visual studio

So I set up the .uprojectdirs file so that we can work with the source in our game projects. Now if I attempt a compile through the editor and the compile fails, any error links I click on in the editor output window will not open in the active visual studio that launched the editor. Rather, it’ll generate the “normal” project/sln files for that project and open a new instance of VS instance.

Hi ,

I did a quick set up to try this, but did not see what you were describing. Could you provide some additional information about how you have set up your project?

Hi ,

If you use the .uprojectdirs are you supposed to work from the soution generated for the game project or the engine UE4.sln? Because after setting up the .uprojectdirs file your game is added to UE4.sln which is where I’ve been working out of. If I use the game project sln, the output errors open in the correct instance of visual studio but the game project solution is missing some of the engine directories such as the shaders dir.

Hi ,

I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. What version of Visual Studio are you using?

Also, when you created your project did you create it in the Engine folder, or in another location and then copied it in?

Visual Studio 2013 Ultimate.

I’ve created projects in the engine folder, and outside the engine folder. Both exhibit the same behaviour.

If you are using the uprojectdirs setup should you be using the engine solution or the project one? Should there only be an engine one?

It appears that you should be using the Engine solution. When I created a project within the Engine folder, it automatically opened the Engine solution, and did not have its own solution at all. Trying to generate Visual Studio project files did not give me a solution for the project.

When I copied a project that had been originally made in a different location and placed it within the Engine folder, that was when I had a separate solution file for the project, and opening the project solution instead of the Engine solution meant some of the source folders were missing from the solution.

However, I was not able to see the behavior that you described in Visual Studio when an error appeared. When I deliberately introduced compile errors into both projects, double-clicking on the errors opened the correct file within the Engine solution without opening a new instance of Visual Studio. I tried doing this with both the Error List, as well as in the Output.

Are you using version 4.3 of the Engine?

Ya this is with 4.3. If I make a project outside the engine folder and then move it in. How do I get the correct behavior out of it?

Hi ,

Sorry, I lost track of this post. If you create a project outside of the Engine folder and then move it in, you should be using the Engine’s solution file. Unfortunately I still have not been able to reproduce the behavior you described where clicking on an error message opened a new instance of Visual Studio containing the project’s solution.

If you are still experiencing this issue, would you be able to try creating a new project from one of the template projects and intentionally introduce a build error that causes this behavior, then let me know exactly what steps you followed to get to that point?

So the problem I ran into was that I created the .uprojectdirs file AFTER I created the project in the UnrealEngine directory. It seems like that is the scenario that caused the messup for me. So .uprojedirs must be created first, that’s fine.

Thanks

Kyle