如何在Travis CI中构建VS2017 C++/VC++17项目及编写YAML配置文件？

Alright, let's break down how to get your VC17 (Visual Studio 2017) C project building smoothly on Travis CI. I’ve tackled this exact setup before, so here’s a step-by-step guide with all the details you need:

Travis CI provides a Windows build environment pre-installed with Visual Studio 2017 Build Tools—this includes everything you need to compile standard C++ projects, no full Visual Studio installation required. If your project relies on specific components like MFC or ATL, you can install them via Chocolatey in the before_install step, but most VC++17 projects work with the default setup.

Create a .travis.yml file in your GitHub repo root with this structure—tweak the values to match your project:

os: windows
language: cpp

# Optional: Define reusable environment variables
env:
  global:
    - SOLUTION_NAME="YourProjectSolution.sln"
    - BUILD_CONFIG="Release"
    - BUILD_PLATFORM="x64"

before_install:
  # Load the VS2017 developer prompt to set up build tools
  - call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\BuildTools\Common7\Tools\VsDevCmd.bat" -arch=%BUILD_PLATFORM%

script:
  # Optional: Clean previous builds to avoid leftover artifacts
  - msbuild /m /p:Configuration=%BUILD_CONFIG% /p:Platform=%BUILD_PLATFORM% /t:Clean %SOLUTION_NAME%
  # Build the solution with parallel processing
  - msbuild /m /p:Configuration=%BUILD_CONFIG% /p:Platform=%BUILD_PLATFORM% %SOLUTION_NAME%

Let’s unpack the critical bits:

• os: windows: Tells Travis to use its Windows build environment instead of Linux/macOS.
• VsDevCmd.bat: This script configures the command line with all necessary environment variables for MSBuild, the VC++ compiler (cl.exe), and other tools. The -arch flag sets your target architecture (x86 for 32-bit, x64 for 64-bit)—make sure this matches your project’s platform settings.
• msbuild commands:
  • /m: Enables multi-core building to speed up the process.
  • /p:Configuration: Sets the build type (typically Release or Debug).
  • /p:Platform: Specifies the target platform (must align with the -arch value from VsDevCmd.bat).
  • /t:Clean: Optional but recommended to ensure a fresh, artifact-free build.

• Confirm your project uses C17: In Visual Studio, go to **C/C > Language > C++ Standard** and select ISO C17 Standard (/std:c17). Travis will respect these project settings during the build—no extra command-line flags needed for MSBuild.
• If you’re using cutting-edge C++17 features, Travis’s environment usually has the latest VS2017 patches, but you can verify build logs or update the Build Tools via Chocolatey if needed.

• Missing VsDevCmd.bat: If the path fails, you might have the full Visual Studio 2017 Community/Professional edition instead of Build Tools. Adjust the path to:

  call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\Common7\Tools\VsDevCmd.bat" -arch=x64
  

  (Replace Community with Professional if that’s your edition.)
• Build Failures: Dig into Travis’s build logs—they’ll show exactly where things went wrong. Common culprits include missing dependencies, mismatched platform targets, or incorrect project settings.
• Slow Builds: Double-check you’re using the /m flag with MSBuild to leverage multiple CPU cores.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Devharsh Trivedi