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The Visual Basic command-line compiler is provided as an alternative to compiling programs from the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). The following is a list of the Visual Basic command-line compiler options sorted alphabetically.
Every compiler option is available in two forms: -option and /option. The documentation only shows the -option form.
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| @ (Specify Response File) | Specifies a response file. |
| -? | Displays compiler options. This command is the same as specifying the -help option. No compilation occurs. |
-additionalfile |
Names additional files that don't directly affect code generation but may be used by analyzers for producing errors or warnings. |
| -addmodule | Causes the compiler to make all type information from the specified file(s) available to the project you are currently compiling. |
-analyzer |
Run the analyzers from this assembly (Short form: -a) |
| -baseaddress | Specifies the base address of a DLL. |
| -bugreport | Creates a file that contains information that makes it easy to report a bug. |
-checksumalgorithm:<alg> |
Specify the algorithm for calculating the source file checksum stored in PDB. Supported values are: SHA1 (default) or SHA256. Due to collision problems with SHA1, Microsoft recommends SHA256 or better. |
| -codepage | Specifies the code page to use for all source code files in the compilation. |
| -debug | Produces debugging information. |
| -define | Defines symbols for conditional compilation. |
| -delaysign | Specifies whether the assembly will be fully or partially signed. |
| -deterministic | Causes the compiler to output an assembly whose binary content is identical across compilations if inputs are identical. |
| -doc | Processes documentation comments to an XML file. |
| -errorreport | Specifies how the Visual Basic compiler should report internal compiler errors. |
| -filealign | Specifies where to align the sections of the output file. |
| -help | Displays compiler options. This command is the same as specifying the -? option. No compilation occurs. |
| -highentropyva | Indicates whether a particular executable supports high entropy Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR). |
| -imports | Imports a namespace from a specified assembly. |
| -keycontainer | Specifies a key container name for a key pair to give an assembly a strong name. |
| -keyfile | Specifies a file that contains a key or key pair to give an assembly a strong name. |
| -langversion | Specify language version: 9|9.0|10|10.0|11|11.0. |
| -libpath | Specifies the location of assemblies referenced by the -reference option. |
| -linkresource | Creates a link to a managed resource. |
| -main | Specifies the class that contains the Sub Main procedure to use at startup. |
| -moduleassemblyname | Specifies the name of the assembly that a module will be a part of. |
-modulename:<string> |
Specify the name of the source module |
| -netcf | Sets the compiler to target the .NET Compact Framework. |
| -noconfig | Do not compile with Vbc.rsp. |
| -nologo | Suppresses compiler banner information. |
| -nostdlib | Causes the compiler not to reference the standard libraries. |
| -nowarn | Suppresses the compiler's ability to generate warnings. |
| -nowin32manifest | Instructs the compiler not to embed any application manifest into the executable file. |
| -optimize | Enables/disables code optimization. |
| -optioncompare | Specifies whether string comparisons should be binary or use locale-specific text semantics. |
| -optionexplicit | Enforces explicit declaration of variables. |
| -optioninfer | Enables the use of local type inference in variable declarations. |
| -optionstrict | Enforces strict language semantics. |
| -out | Specifies an output file. |
-parallel[+|-] |
Specifies whether to use concurrent build (+). |
| -pathmap | Specifies how to map physical paths to source path names output by the compiler. |
| -platform | Specifies the processor platform the compiler targets for the output file. |
-preferreduilang |
Specify the preferred output language name. |
| -quiet | Prevents the compiler from displaying code for syntax-related errors and warnings. |
| -recurse | Searches subdirectories for source files to compile. |
| -reference | Imports metadata from an assembly. |
| -refonly | Outputs only a reference assembly. |
| -refout | Specifies the output path of a reference assembly. |
| -removeintchecks | Disables integer overflow checking. |
| -resource | Embeds a managed resource in an assembly. |
| -rootnamespace | Specifies a namespace for all type declarations. |
-ruleset:<file> |
Specify a ruleset file that disables specific diagnostics. |
| -sdkpath | Specifies the location of Mscorlib.dll and Microsoft.VisualBasic.dll. |
| -subsystemversion | Specifies the minimum version of the subsystem that the generated executable file can use. |
| -target | Specifies the format of the output file. |
| -utf8output | Displays compiler output using UTF-8 encoding. |
| -vbruntime | Specifies that the compiler should compile without a reference to the Visual Basic Runtime Library, or with a reference to a specific runtime library. |
| -verbose | Outputs extra information during compilation. |
| -warnaserror | Promotes warnings to errors. |
| -win32icon | Inserts an .ico file into the output file. |
| -win32manifest | Identifies a user-defined Win32 application manifest file to be embedded into a project's portable executable (PE) file. |
| -win32resource | Inserts a Win32 resource into the output file. |
See also
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