Using Projects to Create Applications
A project is defined as a configuration and a group of files that produce a program or final binary file or files. Each project contains at least two configurations — a debug configuration and a retail or release configuration.
Projects are the individual parts of your solution that address different application requirements. Solution definitions include the dependency relationships among projects. They also include information about how to deploy the projects that make up your solution. Between them, the projects in your solution make up an application.
Application Wizards
The best way to create new projects is by using Visual C++ application wizards. For detailed information see, Creating a Project with a Visual C++ Application Wizard.
You can always write programs without using application wizards, but because the wizards provide a complete set of project files and structureby using a wizard to start your project lets you continue immediately to programming functionality. To create an empty project, use the Win32 Project Wizard. You can add your own .cpp files to this project. This method works for simple console applications.
Project Templates
Visual C++ provides project templates for targeting the common language runtime and the .NET Framework class library. These project templates do not provide a user interface; instead, they automatically add the important project references and files.
Code Wizards
After you create the framework of your project, you can use the Visual C++ code wizards to help you add items like classes, members or functions into your programs. For more information, see Adding Functionality with Code Wizards.
Property Pages
Once you create a project and add items, you will also want to specify how your project is built and debugged. To modify your project's settings, see:
Projects have also external aspects that control how they are compiled and deployed. Projects are part of solutions. They are managed by Visual Studio. Various projects in a solution may be coded in any of the languages included with Visual Studio. Four aspects of each project are defined in the larger Visual Studio development environment:
Source control