[bug] Using CMakeToolchain + msvc impossible with standard installation of VS2015

[eleftg]

Environment Details

• Operating System+version: Windows ANY
• Compiler+version: cl.exe 19.00 (msvc 19.0 according to settings.yml) from a standard VS2015 installation
• Conan version: 1.41.0
• Python version: 3.8.9

Steps to reproduce

When using the msvc 19.0 compiler of a "standard" Visual Studio 2015 installation ("standard" meaning that it's not the "MSVC v140 - VS 2015 C++ Build Tools (v14.00)" included in later editions VS2017 & VS2019), the CMakeToolchain crashes while calling the generated conanvcvars.bat. By examining the latter (see below), it turns out the argument -vcvars_ver is passed to the vcvarsall.bat activation script. However, that particular version of the script doesn't expect such an argument - since it was added from VS2017 onwards for activating older toolsets in newer versions of Visual Studio - so it errors out.

@echo off
set "VSCMD_START_DIR=%CD%" && call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat"  amd64 -vcvars_ver=14.0

whereas the correct call should be:

@echo off
set "VSCMD_START_DIR=%CD%" && call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat"  amd64

Logs

Configuration (profile_host):
[settings]
arch=x86_64
build_type=Debug
compiler=msvc
compiler.cppstd=14
compiler.runtime=dynamic
compiler.runtime_type=Debug
compiler.version=19.0
os=Windows
[options]
*:shared=True
[build_requires]
[env]
CC=cl
CXX=cl
Configuration (profile_build):
[settings]
arch=x86_64
build_type=Debug
compiler=msvc
compiler.cppstd=14
compiler.runtime=dynamic
compiler.runtime_type=Debug
compiler.version=19.0
os=Windows
[options]
[build_requires]
[env]
CC=cl
CXX=cl
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Forced build from source
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable (test package): Installing package
Requirements
    zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable from local cache - Cache
Packages
    zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable:75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3 - Build

Installing (downloading, building) binaries...
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Configuring sources in C:\gitlab-runner\builds\9fb8a5b5\0\io\zlib\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\compression\stable\source

zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Copying sources to build folder
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Building your package in C:\gitlab-runner\builds\9fb8a5b5\0\io\zlib\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\compression\stable\build\75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Generator txt created conanbuildinfo.txt
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Calling generate()
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Aggregating env generators
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: Calling build()
zlib/1.2.11@compression/stable: CMake command: cmake -G "Ninja" -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/build/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3/conan_toolchain.cmake" -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/package/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3" "C:\gitlab-runner\builds\9fb8a5b5\0\io\zlib\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\compression\stable\build\75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3\_source_subfolder"

----Running------
> "C:\gitlab-runner\builds\9fb8a5b5\0\io\zlib\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\compression\stable\build\75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3\conanbuild.bat" && cmake -G "Ninja" -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/build/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3/conan_toolchain.cmake" -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/package/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3" "C:\gitlab-runner\builds\9fb8a5b5\0\io\zlib\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\compression\stable\build\75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3\_source_subfolder"
-----------------
Logging command output to file 'C:\gitlab-runner\builds\9fb8a5b5\0\io\zlib\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\compression\stable\build\75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3\_build_subfolder\conan_run.log'
Error in script usage. The correct usage is:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" [option]

  or

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" [option] store

  or

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" [option] [version number]

  or

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" [option] store [version number]

where [option] is: x86 | amd64 | arm | x86_amd64 | x86_arm | amd64_x86 | amd64_arm

where [version number] is either the full Windows 10 SDK version number or "8.1" to use the windows 8.1 SDK

:

The store parameter sets environment variables to support

  store (rather than desktop) development.

:

For example:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" x86_amd64

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" x86_arm store

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" x86_amd64 10.0.10240.0

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" x86_arm store 10.0.10240.0

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" x64 8.1

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC/vcvarsall.bat" x64 store 8.1

:

Please make sure either Visual Studio or C++ Build SKU is installed.

Using Conan toolchain through C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/build/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3/conan_toolchain.cmake.
-- Conan toolchain: Setting BUILD_SHARED_LIBS= ON
-- The C compiler identification is unknown
CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:4 (project):
  The CMAKE_C_COMPILER:

    cl

  is not a full path and was not found in the PATH.

  Tell CMake where to find the compiler by setting either the environment
  variable "CC" or the CMake cache entry CMAKE_C_COMPILER to the full path to
  the compiler, or to the compiler name if it is in the PATH.


-- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!
See also "C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/build/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3/_build_subfolder/CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log".
See also "C:/gitlab-runner/builds/9fb8a5b5/0/io/zlib/.conan/data/zlib/1.2.11/compression/stable/build/75d5ce8d183d5e36dab24b5c22b2e9d17f3981e3/_build_subfolder/CMakeFiles/CMakeError.log".

On a different build node equipped with VS2019 Build Tools + MSVC v140 toolset and using the same profile with the sole addition of tools.microsoft.msbuild:vs_version=16, it worked just fine.

However, I would expect conan to do the right thing (stopping short of specifying -vcvars_ver) also when activating a "traditional" VS2015 installation.

[memsharded]

Hi @eleftg

You are correct. #9889 should fix it (in case you want to run from that source branch to validate), and it will be released in 1.42 very soon.

[eleftg]

Hi @eleftg

You are correct. #9889 should fix it (in case you want to run from that source branch to validate), and it will be released in 1.42 very soon.

Thanks for the lightning-fast response & fix! I'll try testing it as soon as possible and report back.

[eleftg]

Tested it with 1.42.0 and it now works perfectly.

[memsharded]

Tested it with 1.42.0 and it now works perfectly.

Thanks for telling @eleftg!