How do I include libraries to a project in Visual Studio?
I am a beginner on C++ and trying to learn about including libraries, and I haven't found documentation about it.
What are the ways of including libraries to a C++ project (Visual Studio). How do I implement them and which is the best way?
I was trying to include the SQLite library to a project. I tried to:
Include the header file in the include folder of the Visual Studio installation folder. It did appear in the External dependencies of my project, so I can do
#include <sqlite3.h>without problems, but I don't know where I should put the implementation (a C file) and how to link it (is it in the linker>Input>Additional dependencies?).
Is it necessary that in order to include a library the file should be a .lib? Because I can't find the .lib for SQLite 3, do I have to include it in the lib folder of my Visual Studio installation?
Note: I am interested on the management of including a library in general. The SQLite 3 part is only because I took it as an example in order to learn how to add them.
Answer
A library is added in two steps
- Adding headers path to the project
- Adding .lib reference
In the first step, you must specify in the project where library headers are header. Usually, the path is specified in the project properties -> C++ -> Additional include directories, and them including files with relative paths.
In the second step you must specify in properties->linker the path where libraries (.lib) are located and the name of the library. With this Visual Studio is able to link the project properly.