Back to the Build

Our configuration management team has a machine dedicated to building our app. It took a long time to get them set up so they could successfully perform a build. Now a new contractor is taking over the project. I got word from our CM guy that the new CM guy was having troubles. He kept getting errors from the Microsoft resource file complaining that it could not find an MFC header file.

I researched the problem. The header file is one that comes with the Visual Studio installation. So I figured that the directory which contained this file was not in the path. I also provided our CM team with an include directory that new users need to add to Visual Studio's configuration. I went home hoping that the build problem would be fixed.

Got a call the next day from the new contractor manager. He said they were still having problems with the build I told the manager that I know the full configuration for the build machine. So I told him not to worry. The new CM guy called me up. I made him verify that the required directory was in his path. He said it was. I then asked whether the include directory had been added in Visual Studio while he was logged into the machine as himself. It was not. He added the directory and the problem was gone. They got this done just in time. Today was my last day at my company. In fact, by the time the rebuild had worked, my computer monitor had be repossessed for another project, and I was walked out the building.

For some reason the new contractor has waited until literally the last hour to get the ability to do a build. There may be other things that they are behind schedule on. I hear that they are going to be working this weekend. I got the new manager my home phone number in case they run into any problems. Normally I am not this free with my phone number and time. But hey, they are giving me a job next week so I thought it was the least I could do. I am sure I will have a lot to say after I start up in my new company, but working on the same project I have been on for a long time. Stayed tuned for more stories.