conan.tools.microsoft.VCVars generator does not follow settings.compiler.update

[puetzk]

GenericSystemBlock.get_toolset already has code to combine settings.compiler.version and settings.compiler.update such that compiler.version=193 and compiler.update=7 into a CMakePresets result like

            "toolset": {
                "value": "version=14.37",
                "strategy": "external"
            },

(this doesn't quite work because VSCode also wants to see CMAKE_C_COMPILER=cl, but that's already reported in #13136).

However, conan.tools.microsoft.visual._vcvars_vers does not seem to have similar code to consider settings.compiler.update, so generators="VCVars" will only generate calls like -vcvars_ver=14.3, never -vcvars_ver=14.37 vs -vcvars_ver=14.38. Which means conanbuild.bat won't necessarily get the same minor version that CMakePresets does... or even one that CMake will accept

i.e.

conan new cmake_exe -d name=hello -d version=1.0
conan create . -s compiler.update=7

will fail with

conanvcvars.bat: Activating environment Visual Studio 17 - amd64 - winsdk_version=None - vcvars_ver=14.3
[vcvarsall.bat] Environment initialized for: 'x64'
-- Using Conan toolchain: C:/Users/re41236/.conan2/p/b/hello23b22256ffb21/b/build/generators/conan_toolchain.cmake
-- Conan toolchain: CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=version=14.37
-- Conan toolchain: C++ Standard 14 with extensions OFF
-- Selecting Windows SDK version 10.0.22621.0 to target Windows 10.0.19045.
-- The CXX compiler identification is unknown
CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:2 (project):
No CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER could be found.

conan2 create . -s compiler.update=7 -c tools.cmake.cmaketoolchain:generator=Ninja

is even worse - it just uses compiler.update=8 despite the settings:

The CXX compiler identification is MSVC 19.38.33134.0

In both cases this is because the conanvcvars.bat contains

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC/Auxiliary/Build/vcvarsall.bat" amd64 -vcvars_ver=14.3
rather than
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC/Auxiliary/Build/vcvarsall.bat" amd64 -vcvars_ver=14.37

So the environment finds the latest 14.3x (which is 14.38) and then CMake rejects it as not mathching CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET

Since conan_toolchain.cmake contains set(CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET "version=14.37" CACHE STRING "" FORCE), the msbuild generator knows this is wrong; ninja (as usual) doesn't actually check, and just goes by PATH.

Similarly, a call like conan2 create . -s compiler.version=192 -s compiler.update=9 -c tools.microsoft.msbuild:vs_version=17, which should select C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.29.30133, failed with a CMake error:

Originally posted by @puetzk in #13136 (comment)

[memsharded]

Hi @puetzk

Thanks for reporting.
I am having a look, but I have some questions.

The above steps:

conan new cmake_exe -d name=hello -d version=1.0
conan create . -s compiler.update=8

Uses by default the Visual Studio generator, not the Ninja one, so the VCVars won't be used at all, but I guess that in your setup you have configured it.

However, I am trying to make it work with the Visual Studio CMake generator, as a first step to understand the issue, but:

• Work if compiler.update is the latest and active one installed, in my case 8 and it will use in the toolchain -- Conan toolchain: CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=version=14.38, and all works.
• I have installed in my VS 2022 a previous 14.36 update and now I am trying the same, but it fails with:

-- Conan toolchain: CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=version=14.36
-- Conan toolchain: C++ Standard 14 with extensions OFF
-- Selecting Windows SDK version 10.0.20348.0 to target Windows 10.0.19045.
-- The CXX compiler identification is unknown
CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:2 (project):
  No CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER could be found.

Not sure what would be missing or necessary, maybe CMake cannot properly use previous updates? I have also tried hardcoding the full 14.36.17.6 toolset version, but same result

[Nekto89]

* I have installed in my VS 2022 a previous 14.36 update and now I am trying the same, but it fails with:

-- Conan toolchain: CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=version=14.36
-- Conan toolchain: C++ Standard 14 with extensions OFF
-- Selecting Windows SDK version 10.0.20348.0 to target Windows 10.0.19045.
-- The CXX compiler identification is unknown
CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:2 (project):
  No CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER could be found.

Not sure what would be missing or necessary, maybe CMake cannot properly use previous updates? I have also tried hardcoding the full 14.36.17.6 toolset version, but same result

This is probably caused by bug in Visual Studio that should be fixed in 17.10
https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/MicrosoftVCToolsVersion1436176prop/10385615

[Nekto89]

@memsharded

I've tried to reproduce problem with VCVars on 14.34 which can also work properly with CMakeToolchain.

1. install MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools (v14.34-17.4) together with latest toolset
2. create profile file

[settings]
os=Windows
arch=x86_64
build_type=Release
compiler=msvc
compiler.version=193
compiler.update=4
compiler.cppstd=20
compiler.runtime=dynamic
compiler.runtime_type=Release

3. Run conan install with package that uses VCVars. For example, make

conan install --requires=make/4.4.1 "--build=make/*" -pr:b profile -pr:h profile

======== Input profiles ========
Profile host:
[settings]
arch=x86_64
build_type=Release
compiler=msvc
compiler.cppstd=20
compiler.runtime=dynamic
compiler.runtime_type=Release
compiler.update=4
compiler.version=193
os=Windows

Profile build:
[settings]
arch=x86_64
build_type=Release
compiler=msvc
compiler.cppstd=20
compiler.runtime=dynamic
compiler.runtime_type=Release
compiler.update=4
compiler.version=193
os=Windows


======== Computing dependency graph ========
make/4.4.1: Not found in local cache, looking in remotes...
make/4.4.1: Checking remote: conancenter
make/4.4.1: Downloaded recipe revision c47f1ee3241ca8bd56f97c6ca4d0a082
Graph root
    cli
Requirements
    make/4.4.1#c47f1ee3241ca8bd56f97c6ca4d0a082 - Downloaded (conancenter)

======== Computing necessary packages ========
make/4.4.1: Forced build from source
Requirements
    make/4.4.1#c47f1ee3241ca8bd56f97c6ca4d0a082:723257509aee8a72faf021920c2874abc738e029 - Build

======== Installing packages ========
make/4.4.1: Sources downloaded from 'conancenter'
make/4.4.1: Calling source() in C:\Users\Nekto\.conan2\p\make7fc33d9af3aa9\s\src

-------- Installing package make/4.4.1 (1 of 1) --------
make/4.4.1: Building from source
make/4.4.1: Package make/4.4.1:723257509aee8a72faf021920c2874abc738e029
make/4.4.1: Copying sources to build folder
make/4.4.1: Building your package in C:\Users\Nekto\.conan2\p\b\make225da9dda9f31\b
make/4.4.1: Calling generate()
make/4.4.1: Generators folder: C:\Users\Nekto\.conan2\p\b\make225da9dda9f31\b\build-release\conan
make/4.4.1: Generating aggregated env files
make/4.4.1: Generated aggregated env files: ['conanbuild.bat', 'conanrun.bat']
make/4.4.1: Calling build()
make/4.4.1: Apply patch (file): patches/4.4.1-0001-clang.patch
make/4.4.1: RUN: build_w32.bat --without-guile
conanvcvars.bat: Activating environment Visual Studio 17 - amd64 - winsdk_version=None - vcvars_ver=14.3
[vcvarsall.bat] Environment initialized for: 'x64'

Creating GNU Make for Windows 9X/NT/2K/XP/Vista/7/8/10/11

- Building without Guile

Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.39.33523 for x64
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

Expected version for compiler (in case of --vcvars_ver=14.34):

Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.34.31948 for x64

[memsharded]

This is being fixed by #15588

But I'll probably try to extract the relevant pieces to its own independent PR

[memsharded]

I have extracted #15947

Still very concerning that this doesn't work for CMake. Mostly when setting CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=version=14.36 it will end with No CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER could be found..

I have also updated to latest, and even if the ticket https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/MicrosoftVCToolsVersion1436176prop/10385615 says Fixed In: Visual Studio 2022 version 17.9, the problem still there.

Could you please confirm @puetzk @Nekto89 that you also see the same error for CMake with Visual Studio generator? Any clue about this?

[Nekto89]

I have extracted #15947

Still very concerning that this doesn't work for CMake. Mostly when setting CMAKE_GENERATOR_TOOLSET=version=14.36 it will end with No CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER could be found..

I have also updated to latest, and even if the ticket https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/MicrosoftVCToolsVersion1436176prop/10385615 says Fixed In: Visual Studio 2022 version 17.9, the problem still there.

Could you please confirm @puetzk @Nekto89 that you also see the same error for CMake with Visual Studio generator? Any clue about this?

https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/MicrosoftVCToolsVersion1436176prop/10385615#T-N10588625-N10608841

Ella Zhang [MSFT]
This problem is fixed in Visual Studio 17.10 preview 1, which means the toolset version is 14.40.33521.

I haven't tried to use preview version yet.

[memsharded]

Thanks for the clarification, I was confused because they closed the ticket as solved in 17.9, but I got it, and still failing.

I was trying the suggestions of those tickets manually fixing the .props internal VS files, and that made it work, so this definitely sounds like a VS bug

[memsharded]

Fixed in #15947 for next 2.3 release