BUG: The ALL_BUILD target should not have any command lines so that it is not always considered out of date. Moved the 'Build all projects' message into the description field instead of an echo in the command field. Moved common implementation of Generate for VS6 and VS7 into the superclass to avoid duplicate code for the ALL_BUILD target. This addresses bug#4556.

Source/cmGlobalVisualStudio6Generator.cxx

@@ -160,30 +160,9 @@ cmLocalGenerator *cmGlobalVisualStudio6Generator::CreateLocalGenerator()
 
 void cmGlobalVisualStudio6Generator::Generate()
 {
-  // add a special target that depends on ALL projects for easy build
-  // of one configuration only.
-  std::vector<std::string> no_depends;
-  const char* no_working_dir = 0;
-  std::map<cmStdString, std::vector<cmLocalGenerator*> >::iterator it;
-  for(it = this->ProjectMap.begin(); it!= this->ProjectMap.end(); ++it)
-    {
-    std::vector<cmLocalGenerator*>& gen = it->second;
-    // add the ALL_BUILD to the first local generator of each project
-    if(gen.size())
-      {
-      gen[0]->GetMakefile()->AddUtilityCommand("ALL_BUILD", true, 
-                                               no_depends, 
-                                               no_working_dir,
-                                               "echo", "Build all projects");
-      }
-    }
-
-  // Fix utility dependencies to avoid linking to libraries.
-  this->FixUtilityDepends();
-
   // first do the superclass method
-  this->cmGlobalGenerator::Generate();
-  
+  this->cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator::Generate();
+
   // Now write out the DSW
   this->OutputDSWFile();
 }

Source/cmGlobalVisualStudio7Generator.cxx

@@ -214,33 +214,9 @@ void cmGlobalVisualStudio7Generator::GenerateConfigurations(cmMakefile* mf)
 
 void cmGlobalVisualStudio7Generator::Generate()
 {
-  // add a special target that depends on ALL projects for easy build
-  // of one configuration only.
-  const char* no_working_dir = 0;
-  std::vector<std::string> no_depends;
-  std::map<cmStdString, std::vector<cmLocalGenerator*> >::iterator it;
-  for(it = this->ProjectMap.begin(); it!= this->ProjectMap.end(); ++it)
-    {
-    std::vector<cmLocalGenerator*>& gen = it->second;
-    // add the ALL_BUILD to the first local generator of each project
-    if(gen.size())
-      {
-      gen[0]->GetMakefile()->
-        AddUtilityCommand("ALL_BUILD", true, no_depends,
-                          no_working_dir,
-                          "echo", "Build all projects");
-      std::string cmake_command = 
-        this->LocalGenerators[0]->GetMakefile()->
-        GetRequiredDefinition("CMAKE_COMMAND");
-      }
-    }
-
-  // Fix utility dependencies to avoid linking to libraries.
-  this->FixUtilityDepends();
-
   // first do the superclass method
-  this->cmGlobalGenerator::Generate();
-  
+  this->cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator::Generate();
+
   // Now write out the DSW
   this->OutputSLNFile();
 }

Source/cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator.cxx

@@ -30,6 +30,37 @@ cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator::~cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator()
 {
 }
 
+//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+void cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator::Generate()
+{
+  // Add a special target that depends on ALL projects for easy build
+  // of one configuration only.
+  const char* no_working_dir = 0;
+  std::vector<std::string> no_depends;
+  cmCustomCommandLines no_commands;
+  std::map<cmStdString, std::vector<cmLocalGenerator*> >::iterator it;
+  for(it = this->ProjectMap.begin(); it!= this->ProjectMap.end(); ++it)
+    {
+    std::vector<cmLocalGenerator*>& gen = it->second;
+    // add the ALL_BUILD to the first local generator of each project
+    if(gen.size())
+      {
+      // Use no actual command lines so that the target itself is not
+      // considered always out of date.
+      gen[0]->GetMakefile()->
+        AddUtilityCommand("ALL_BUILD", true, no_working_dir,
+                          no_depends, no_commands, false,
+                          "Build all projects");
+      }
+    }
+
+  // Fix utility dependencies to avoid linking to libraries.
+  this->FixUtilityDepends();
+
+  // Run all the local generators.
+  this->cmGlobalGenerator::Generate();
+}
+
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 void cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator::FixUtilityDepends()
 {

Source/cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator.h

@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ public:
   cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator();
   virtual ~cmGlobalVisualStudioGenerator();
 
+  /**
+   * Basic generate implementation for all VS generators.
+   */
+  virtual void Generate();
+
 protected:
   virtual void CreateGUID(const char*) {}
   virtual void FixUtilityDepends();