How do I see a C/C++ source file after preprocessing in Visual Studio?
c, c++, c-preprocessor, debugging, visual-studio-2005
Solution
`cl.exe`, the command line interface to Microsoft Visual C++, has three different options for outputting the preprocessed file (hence the inconsistency in the previous responses about Visual C++):
- `/E`: preprocess to stdout (similar to GCC's -E option)
- `/P`: preprocess to file
- `/EP`: preprocess to stdout without #line directives
If you want to preprocess to a file without #line directives, combine the `/P` and `/EP` options.
Problem
Let's say I have a source file with many preprocessor directives. Is it possible to see how it looks after the preprocessor is done with it?