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Q166474: INFO: VC_EXTRALEAN and WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN

Article: Q166474
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): winnt:4.0,4.1,4.2,5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbMFC kbVC400 kbVC410 kbVC420 kbVC500 kbVC600 kbGrpDSVCCompiler
Last Modified: 04-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual C++, versions 4.0, 4.1 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Enterprise Edition, versions 4.2, 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Professional Edition, versions 4.2, 5.0, 6.0 
- Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Learning Edition, version 6.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

To speed the build process, Visual C++ and the Windows Headers provide the
following new defines:

  VC_EXTRALEAN
  WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN

You can use them to reduce the size of the Win32 header files.

MORE INFORMATION
================

VC_EXTRALEAN and WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN are used to exclude rarely-used services
from Windows headers. VC_EXTRALEAN can only be used in MFC projects, but
WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN can be used in any project.

VC_EXTRALEAN defines the following in AFXV_W32.h:

  WIN32_EXTRA_LEAN
  NOSERVICE
  NOMCX
  NOIME
  NOSOUND
  NOCOMM
  NOKANJI
  NORPC
  NOPROXYSTUB
  NOIMAGE
  NOTAPE

WIN32_EXTRA_LEAN does not do anything. Please refer to Windows.h for information
concerning the NOxxx symbols that are being defined.

Newly-generated Visual C++ 5.0 and later AppWizard applications automatically
benefit from VC_EXTRALEAN. You can also manually define VC_EXTRALEAN to speed
the build process of many older MFC applications.

WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN: Windows Headers use this symbol to exclude rarely-used
header files. Please refer to Windows.H to determine the files that will be
excluded when this symbol is defined. Since MFC defines WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN, all
MFC projects automatically use it.

Non-MFC C++ and C applications can define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN and any applicable
NOservice defines, such as NOSOUND (see DevStudio\Vc\include\Windows.h), to
reduce their build times.

To add these defines, from the Project menu, choose Settings. The Projects
settings dialog box appears. Click the C/C++ tab. In the Category list, select
Preprocessor. Add the desired definitions to the Preprocessor Definitions box.

Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbMFC kbVC400 kbVC410 kbVC420 kbVC500 kbVC600 kbGrpDSVCCompiler 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbVC400 kbAudDeveloper kbVC410 kbVC420 kbVC500 kbVC600 kbVC32bitSearch kbVC500Search
Version           : winnt:4.0,4.1,4.2,5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbinfo

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