title: How to Link to a .lib file in Visual C++ 2010? Without referencing the project?
body: <p>I just have a problem that I have been trying to fix for the longest time.</p>
  
  <p>I have a static library project in visual c++, and I want another project to be able to link to it. Up until now, I have simply been adding a reference to the static library project, which automatically links the library.</p>
  
  <p>I want to be able to link to the library using only the header files and the .lib file. However, I get a "Unresolved external symbol" error. </p>
  
  <p>I thought I was doing it right - I specified the include directory, the library directory, and went into the linker input properties and provided the lib as an additional dependency.</p>
  
  <p>I am able to reference other static libraries this way (like SDL), so why do I get errors when I try to reference mine?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks for the help.</p>
  
  <p>Is the problem that its not referencing the actual lib file, or is something within the lib itself?
  These are the error messages I get:</p>
  
  <p>Error   2   error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "public: void __thiscall XEngine::XCore::XScreen::init(class XEngine::XCore::XGame &amp;)" (?init@XScreen@XCore@XEngine@@QAEXAAVXGame@23@@Z) referenced in function "void __cdecl XEngine::XEngineInit(class XEngine::XCore::XScreen &amp;,class XEngine::XCore::XGame &amp;)" (?XEngineInit@XEngine@@YAXAAVXScreen@XCore@1@AAVXGame@31@@Z)   C:\Users\Xander Masotto\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Pong\Pong\source.obj  Pong</p>
  
  <p>Error   3   error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "public: __thiscall XEngine::XCore::XScreen::~XScreen(void)" (??1XScreen@XCore@XEngine@@QAE@XZ) referenced in function "void __cdecl XEngine::XEngineInit(class XEngine::XCore::XGame &amp;)" (?XEngineInit@XEngine@@YAXAAVXGame@XCore@1@@Z)  C:\Users\Xander Masotto\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Pong\Pong\source.obj  Pong</p>
  
  <p>Error   4   error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "public: __thiscall XEngine::XCore::XScreen::XScreen(void)" (??0XScreen@XCore@XEngine@@QAE@XZ) referenced in function "void __cdecl XEngine::XEngineInit(class XEngine::XCore::XGame &amp;)" (?XEngineInit@XEngine@@YAXAAVXGame@XCore@1@@Z)   C:\Users\Xander Masotto\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\Pong\Pong\source.obj  Pong</p>