glob-inc (Globally Include)

glob-inc is a simple utility designed to patch necessary MSBuild files, allowing you to globally include third-party libraries in all C/C++ projects in Visual Studio.

This utility reflects my personal approach to organizing third-party libraries when working with C/C++ on Visual Studio. I typically create a directory called 3rdparty, which contains subdirectories for include files and binary libraries. A typical directory structure looks like this:

--> 3rdparty
  |--> include     - All include files are stored here.
  |--> lib         - All library files are stored here.
     |--> x86      - Libraries compiled for x86-32 go here.
     |--> x64      - Libraries compiled for x86-64 go here.
     |--> arm      - Libraries compiled for ARM32 go here.
     |--> arm64    - Libraries compiled for ARM64 go here.

This hierarchical convention is commonly used, and I recommend it. However, if you prefer a different structure, feel free to modify the script to fit your own convention.

Usage

Using glob-inc is straightforward. It doesn’t require any positional arguments. You can run it as-is with:

> glob-inc

However, there are several useful options you might want to leverage.

You can specify the root directory containing the include and library files using the --path option. If not specified, it defaults to C:\3rdparty\.

> glob-inc --path "Your path"

If the specified directories don’t exist, you can instruct the utility to create them by using the -c flag:

> glob-inc --path "Your path" -c

You can also limit the patching process to specific architectures, such as all (all platforms), x86 (both x86-32 and x86-64), x86-32, arm (both arm32 and arm64), arm32, and arm64. The script will then patch the relevant MSBuild files and create the necessary directories for the selected architecture(s).

> glob-inc --path "Your path" -c -px86

Unpatching can be done using the -u, --unpatch option. It unpatches for all the architectures.

> glob-inc -u

You can also define an alias for the script in Windows for invoking it anywhere easily. Use the option -a.

>glob-inc -a

Note

Visual Studio may reset the patched MSBuild files after an update. Therefore, it's recommended to re-run this script whenever you update Visual Studio.