VC++ 2008 include file directories

[drichird]

In VC++ 2008 Express, I open a new "Hello World" project (CLR Console Application). If I right-click the project in the solution explorer, and select "properties", I get a "... Property Pages" window which shows a line entry for: Configuration Properties / C,C++ / General / Additional Include Directories. It also has a line entry for: Configuration Properties / Resources / General / Additional Include Directories. (Both lines are empty).

If I go to the main menu, and select: Tools / Options / Projects and Solutions / VC++ Directories, and select "Show Directories for Include Files", I see another multiline entry. This one lists many directories, such as:
$(VCInstallDir)Include
....
$(FrameworkSDKDir)Include
....
etc...

Why so many places to specifiy include directories? Could I place my list of include directories in any and/or all of those places? And secondly, where in the IDE can I found out what the environment variables $(VCInstallDir) etc.... are set to? (Without going out to a command window and checking $PATH).

Thanks ahead of time :-)

Rich

[Ancient Dragon]

>>Why so many places to specifiy include directories
Those are not all include directories. Some of them are executables and libraries.

>>And secondly, where in the IDE can I found out what the environment variables $(VCInstallDir) etc
Write a program that displays the variable. But on my system it isn't defined until I get a command prompt. Here is a C program.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#pragma warning(disable: 4996)
int main()
{
    char *p = getenv("VCInstallDir");
    if(p != NULL)
        printf("%s\n", p);
    else
        printf("VCInstallDir not found\n");
    return 0;
}