Reference to an unresolved external symbol On Visual Studio 2010,12 and CodeBlocks

QuesterDesura · October 18, 2014, 8:23am

Hello,

I tried many times to setup modern opengl but every time I failed.
Today I tried it again… and failed again…

My first Attempt was with SDL, Glew, GLM and Visual Studio 2012 C++.
First of all I had Problems with iostream in Visual Studio 2012 so I changed it to 2010 and it worked…

Then I had problems with SDL and after editing plattforms.h where he had problems with winapifamily it worked too

But then he told me Reference to an unresolved external symbol and I have no idea what I am doing wrong

Then I tried it on CodeBlocks with GLFW and Glew and I am Getting the Same Error

This is my code on CodeBlocks:

#define GLEW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WIN32
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WGL
#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3native.h>
int main() {

glfwInit();
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_CONTEXT_VERSION_MAJOR,3);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_PROFILE,GLFW_OPENGL_CORE_PROFILE);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_FORWARD_COMPAT,GL_TRUE);

GLFWwindow* myWindow = glfwCreateWindow(800,600,"Apocalypse Engine",NULL,NULL);

while(true)
{
    glfwSwapBuffers(myWindow);

}

}

My Folder hierarchy:

Apocalypse Engine:
- bin
- obj
- main.cpp and some codeblocks stuff
- include:
  GL…
  GLFW…
- lib:
  - glew32.lib
  - glew32s.lib
  - glfw3.lib
  - glfw3.lib
  - glfw3dll.lib
  - OpenGL32.Lib (from the Folder Window Kits I have taken It)

Compiler: Visual Studio 2010
Linker settings:
- lib\glew32.lib
- lib\glew32s.lib
- lib\glfw3.lib
- lib\glfw3.lib
- lib\glfw3dll.lib
- lib\OpenGL32.Lib
- opengl32.lib (yea i thinked that would be the problems so I added this but still not working :-()
Search Directories-Compiler:
- include
Search Directories-Linker:
- lib

I have no idea what I am doing wrong but It would be awesome if you can help me, because I am trying this since a year(with interruptions of course ;))

(I already programmed with old OpenGL but I got it installed on other PC and I dont have access to that pc and I want modern OpenGL)

Hopefully Waiting for Response

QuesterDesura

PS: 1. I am native German I hope you can understood what I wrote
2. It is Console Application

BinaryFissionGames · October 18, 2014, 12:55pm

What symbol was it? This could help identify what library is having the problem. Please provide the error log.

QuesterDesura · October 18, 2014, 3:30pm

Currently I dont have access to the logs, but tomorrow(today) I have

I know only that on my CodeBlocks Attempt I got this error(unresolved external…) for all GLFW functions called(WindowHint,CreateWindow…)

I think the problem is that I domt have implementend opengl32.lib correctly but I dont kbow what I could make wrong and if my thoughts are correct but anyways thanks for your time, I will post the error today here

QuesterDesura · October 19, 2014, 3:37am

I made serveral Screenshots from my Settings, my Code and the Error and uploaded it in this Folder: www.eigenespcspielselbererstellen.de/images/CodeBlocks/

And because the Error is particularly in German: https://translate.google.de/#de/en/||%3D%3D%3D%20Build%3A%20Debug%20in%20ApocalypseEngine%20(compiler%3A%20Microsoft%20Visual%20C%2B%2B%202010)%20%3D%3D%3D| main.obj||error%20LNK2019%3A%20Verweis%20auf%20nicht%20aufgelöstes%20externes%20Symbol%20"_glfwSwapBuffers"%20in%20Funktion%20"_main".| main.obj||error%20LNK2019%3A%20Verweis%20auf%20nicht%20aufgelöstes%20externes%20Symbol%20"_glfwCreateWindow"%20in%20Funktion%20"_main".| main.obj||error%20LNK2019%3A%20Verweis%20auf%20nicht%20aufgelöstes%20externes%20Symbol%20"_glfwWindowHint"%20in%20Funktion%20"_main".| main.obj||error%20LNK2019%3A%20Verweis%20auf%20nicht%20aufgelöstes%20externes%20Symbol%20"_glfwInit"%20in%20Funktion%20"_main".| bin\Debug\ApocalypseEngine.exe||fatal%20error%20LNK1120%3A%204%20nicht%20aufgelöste%20externe%20Verweise.| ||%3D%3D%3D%20Build%20failed%3A%205%20error(s)%2C%200%20warning(s)%20(0%20minute(s)%2C%200%20second(s))%20%3D%3D%3D%7C

QuesterDesura · October 20, 2014, 1:15am

I guess everyone here has setup OpenGL up ;), so why can’t anyone help me

Nikki_k · October 20, 2014, 8:26am

It looks like you didn’t add the library file for glfw as all missing symbols relate to that.

QuesterDesura · October 20, 2014, 10:05am

I have implemented glfw3.lib as it is told on their webseite and you can see that on this image: http://www.eigenespcspielselbererstellen.de/images/CodeBlocks/CodeBlocksLinker.png
But maybe I done something wrong I don’t know it thats why I am asking ^^

BinaryFissionGames · October 20, 2014, 6:47pm

“The link library for the GLFW DLL is named glfw3dll. When compiling a program that uses the DLL version of GLFW, you need to define the GLFW_DLL macro before any inclusion of the GLFW header. This can be done either with a compiler switch or by defining it in your source code.”

Did you do that? You seem to be including the DLL version.

Have you looked through this page? http://www.glfw.org/docs/latest/build.html

It’s certainly a GLFW3 problem.

QuesterDesura · October 20, 2014, 10:55pm

Still same problem and here is my new Code(bold is new);
#define GLEW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WIN32
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WGL
#define GLFW_DLL
#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3native.h>
int main() {

glfwInit();
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_CONTEXT_VERSION_MAJOR,3);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_PROFILE,GLFW_OPENGL_CORE_PROFILE);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_FORWARD_COMPAT,GL_TRUE);

GLFWwindow* myWindow = glfwCreateWindow(800,600,"Apocalypse Engine",NULL,NULL);

while(true)
{
    glfwSwapBuffers(myWindow);

}

}
I have #define GLEW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WIN32
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WGL
#define GLFW_DLL
#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3native.h>
int main() {

glfwInit();
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_CONTEXT_VERSION_MAJOR,3);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_PROFILE,GLFW_OPENGL_CORE_PROFILE);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_FORWARD_COMPAT,GL_TRUE);

GLFWwindow* myWindow = glfwCreateWindow(800,600,"Apocalypse Engine",NULL,NULL);

while(true)
{
    glfwSwapBuffers(myWindow);

}

}
I #define GLEW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WIN32
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WGL
#define GLFW_DLL
#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3native.h>
int main() {

glfwInit();
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_CONTEXT_VERSION_MAJOR,3);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_PROFILE,GLFW_OPENGL_CORE_PROFILE);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_FORWARD_COMPAT,GL_TRUE);

GLFWwindow* myWindow = glfwCreateWindow(800,600,"Apocalypse Engine",NULL,NULL);

while(true)
{
    glfwSwapBuffers(myWindow);

}

}
#define GLEW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WIN32
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WGL
#define GLFW_DLL
#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3native.h>
int main() {

glfwInit();
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_CONTEXT_VERSION_MAJOR,3);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_PROFILE,GLFW_OPENGL_CORE_PROFILE);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_FORWARD_COMPAT,GL_TRUE);

GLFWwindow* myWindow = glfwCreateWindow(800,600,"Apocalypse Engine",NULL,NULL);

while(true)
{
    glfwSwapBuffers(myWindow);

}

}#define GLEW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_NO_GLU
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WIN32
#define GLFW_EXPOSE_NATIVE_WGL
#define GLFW_DLL
#include <GL/glew.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>
#include <GLFW/glfw3native.h>
int main() {

glfwInit();
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_CONTEXT_VERSION_MAJOR,3);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_PROFILE,GLFW_OPENGL_CORE_PROFILE);
glfwWindowHint(GLFW_OPENGL_FORWARD_COMPAT,GL_TRUE);

GLFWwindow* myWindow = glfwCreateWindow(800,600,"Apocalypse Engine",NULL,NULL);

while(true)
{
    glfwSwapBuffers(myWindow);

}

}
I have glfw3.dll in my Debug Folder and in my lib folder
And as you can see I in the images I have linked glfw3.lib and glfw3dll.lib…

QuesterDesura · October 23, 2014, 12:00am

Still same problem

Luiscl1495 · July 12, 2025, 2:47pm

Hello, good morning.

Currently, my team and I are working on a project for a university course using GLUT and OpenGL with both CodeBlocks and Visual Studio. We’re mainly using Visual Studio 2022, but we encountered similar issues when trying to run a CodeBlocks project in Visual Studio, and vice versa.

What seemed to help was making sure all the correct libraries were properly linked, and in some cases, adding additional library references manually in Visual Studio 2022.

As a team, we found that this was the quickest workaround. However, I would not recommend mixing different IDEs in the same project, so sticking to one environment helps avoid configuration errors like this.