"ifort" cannot find 'link' -- oneAPI needs VS installed

[mic_esp96]

Dear,

this wants to be just a clarification question.

Just switched to a new PC, and got to reinstall all the tools that I need daily, namely the Intel Fortran Compiler.

Was playing with a file to test something ( general variable allocator, that seems to be impossible using Intel Fortran Compiler ), but at the time of launching "ifort.exe", got that "ifort cannot find 'link'. (PS. I was working from CLI)

Only then remembered to call prior to "ifort.exe" the batch script to set up the environment. Done!

Related to this, here it is the question: why is "link.exe" provided by the VisualStudio installation, and not as an independent building tool that comes with Fortran Intel compiler (guess this applies also to C/C++ Intel compilers) ?

Maybe there's a specific reason to this, which I am not aware of.

Thanks

[Steve_Lionel]

Grr - Intel deleted the FAQ page I carefully built up over the years, which has a link to the article you need. Lucky for you it the specific page was in my browser history, as the Intel site search doesn't find it. Installing Microsoft Visual Studio* for Use with Intel® Compilers

[mic_esp96]

Thanks for the reply Steve. However, I was more wondering about the Why and not the How. In the sense, why don't that kit come with Compilers out of the box, so that one can build little projects without needing to have VS installed?

[Steve_Lionel]

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@mic_esp96 wrote:

Thanks for the reply Steve. However, I was more wondering about the Why and not the How. In the sense, why don't that kit come with Compilers out of the box, so that one can build little projects without needing to have VS installed?

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Simple answer - because Microsoft no longer wanted to provide those tools to compiler vendors. You can do a minimal VS install and the Community Edition is free for just about everyone.

[Devorah_H_Intel]

@Steve_Lionel  here is a new URL https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/troubleshooting/intel-fortran-compiler-information-and-frequently-asked-questions.html 

[Devorah_H_Intel]

@Steve_Lionel  thank you for pointing out that FAQ is missing. I have been updating that page as well. I am working with backend to locate it.

[mecej4]

At one time, the Intel Fortran installers for Windows used to come with a Visual Studio Integrated Shell for PCs that did not have VS already installed. That was stopped a few years ago. As you can read at that page, "The Visual Studio Shell is available for Visual Studio 2015, Visual Studio 2013, Visual Studio 2012, and Visual Studio 2010. It is not available for Visual Studio 2017 and later versions."

Furthermore, Intel Fortran does not come in a special edition for "little projects". There is one main package (the OneAPI HPC Toolkit), and that relies on having VS, regardless of whether your project is a two line "Hello World!" program or a huge FEA program.

[mic_esp96]

" Furthermore, Intel Fortran does not come in a special edition for "little projects" ". I was not meaning that at all. Sure, for big projects having a Project Build Tool (i.e. CMake, MSBuild which comes as VS build tool, or whatever) is almost a must.

The point of the question was another one: VS installation is needed in ANY case, without which you cannot even get an executable out of a two line "Hello World" program.

[Steve_Lionel]

Thanks, Devorah! Can this be linked somewhere prominent in this forum? Maybe, many of the pinned posts could be moved to the FAQ and a link to the FAQ put in a pinned post.

[andrew_4619]

A very good idea  Steve, I have been thinking for a while that there are far too many pinned posts now. A FAQ should but a first port of call for common problems.