looking for an easy to install and use c++ compiler
Hi Everyone,
I am looking to get back in to writing some code in C++. I have Visual Studio. I am having problems using Visual Studio. I would like to use another compiler. I have downloaded Netbeans, can't figure it out. I have also downloaded MingGW, also difficult to use.
What I would like is something that I can install and start using without having to jump through all kinds of hoops to get started. I have a couple of books that I want to learn from.
Looking forward to your help.
Thanks
Mark
I am looking to get back in to writing some code in C++. I have Visual Studio. I am having problems using Visual Studio. I would like to use another compiler. I have downloaded Netbeans, can't figure it out. I have also downloaded MingGW, also difficult to use.
What I would like is something that I can install and start using without having to jump through all kinds of hoops to get started. I have a couple of books that I want to learn from.
Looking forward to your help.
Thanks
Mark
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> I am having problems using Visual Studio.
Start by describing your problems.
Because of all your choices, this will be on the "low" side of the number of hoops you have to jump through.
In addition to the compiler, you also need the SDK.
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/windows-10-sdk/
Start by describing your problems.
Because of all your choices, this will be on the "low" side of the number of hoops you have to jump through.
In addition to the compiler, you also need the SDK.
https://developer.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/windows-10-sdk/
and IDE, which is an editor/compiler/debugger/more all in one is usually going to expect you to set up a 'project' because its designed to help you manage a program made from multiple source code files, library files, and so on. It may offer you a variety of choices because you may want to do something besides a one file console program from time to time.
If you just want to dive into code without those features, going without an IDE is really the easy way. For that, and from guessing you use windows from your comment (?), I would just use notepad ++ to edit code and g++ to compile it. I use that setup a lot for smaller programs. I do not know what all flavors there are for g++, I use cygwin's which has a challenging installer and setup for the first time but after that it just works. A batch file to compile small programs (1-3 source files, nothing fancy) and you are all set. As a bonus you can pick up the unix command line tools (they just work from the windows console as if on unix) like grep if you find them useful from the same installer.
If you want some help on how to quickly set up a small project in visual studio, you can ask for that too. This gets you the debugger, which is powerful, and the one button click to run your code, which is nice, but its a hefty tool. It does a lot, but I am confident we can help you with a set of instructions to make a classroom type program in just a couple of clicks to set up a new program/project, once you know what buttons to mash its like 30 seconds to set up a new program.
If you just want to dive into code without those features, going without an IDE is really the easy way. For that, and from guessing you use windows from your comment (?), I would just use notepad ++ to edit code and g++ to compile it. I use that setup a lot for smaller programs. I do not know what all flavors there are for g++, I use cygwin's which has a challenging installer and setup for the first time but after that it just works. A batch file to compile small programs (1-3 source files, nothing fancy) and you are all set. As a bonus you can pick up the unix command line tools (they just work from the windows console as if on unix) like grep if you find them useful from the same installer.
If you want some help on how to quickly set up a small project in visual studio, you can ask for that too. This gets you the debugger, which is powerful, and the one button click to run your code, which is nice, but its a hefty tool. It does a lot, but I am confident we can help you with a set of instructions to make a classroom type program in just a couple of clicks to set up a new program/project, once you know what buttons to mash its like 30 seconds to set up a new program.
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Hi,
Thanks for responding. The problem I am having with Visual Studio is the ". When I downloaded Visual Studio I kept getting apostrophe errors. I have notepad++ when I was compiling my code.
So lets say I write some code in Notepad++. I save the code as .cpp. Then your saying that I can open, then get the code and compile. Will I still have double quote problem? My ultimate goal is to start writing code to create a game. Visual Studio has an IDE that I was using.
I bought some Packt books on game programming. In those books I had to use SFML. I had a lot of difficulty getting it to work.
Thanks for responding. The problem I am having with Visual Studio is the ". When I downloaded Visual Studio I kept getting apostrophe errors. I have notepad++ when I was compiling my code.
So lets say I write some code in Notepad++. I save the code as .cpp. Then your saying that I can open, then get the code and compile. Will I still have double quote problem? My ultimate goal is to start writing code to create a game. Visual Studio has an IDE that I was using.
I bought some Packt books on game programming. In those books I had to use SFML. I had a lot of difficulty getting it to work.
| looking for an easy to install and use c++ compiler |
Any compiler/IDE is easy to use, after spending some time learning to use it.
Whether you continue to use an IDE or go with command-line compiling there is a learning curve to use any tool.
An online tutorial site, Learn C++, has some instructions on using VS, beginning with installing it.
https://www.learncpp.com/cpp-tutorial/installing-an-integrated-development-environment-ide/
I suggest reading all of chapter 0, and later chapters as well. Learn C++ is an excellent tutorial on C++.
Strings (multiple characters) use double quotes, and single characters use single quotes in c++. Quotes inside quotes require a slash, eg string s = "\"to err is human\""; //the \"s are part of the string data, the outer ones are part of C++ language.
apart from THAT, which you may have known, there are alternate quote symbols. MS word is prone to replace real double quotes with the "slanted" double quote symbol which is NOT LEGAL in c++ (syntax, you can have it in data/strings of course). Many other editors use this too, you must replace those with normal quotes for code or they will not work.
If none of that helps, we need to see the error message and offending code sample to help.
apart from THAT, which you may have known, there are alternate quote symbols. MS word is prone to replace real double quotes with the "slanted" double quote symbol which is NOT LEGAL in c++ (syntax, you can have it in data/strings of course). Many other editors use this too, you must replace those with normal quotes for code or they will not work.
If none of that helps, we need to see the error message and offending code sample to help.
> The problem I am having with Visual Studio is the ".
If you're copy/pasting code from some HTML ridden "pretty" web page (or worse, a word document), then everything you choose will have the same problem.
Maybe "paste as text" will fix it, maybe it won't.
https://www.rapidtables.com/web/html/html-codes/htm-code-quote.html
Ultimately, you'll have to fix the "pretty" with the actual ASCII characters.
A - (minus) being replaced with a — (emdash) is another common pitfall.
If you're copy/pasting code from some HTML ridden "pretty" web page (or worse, a word document), then everything you choose will have the same problem.
Maybe "paste as text" will fix it, maybe it won't.
https://www.rapidtables.com/web/html/html-codes/htm-code-quote.html
Ultimately, you'll have to fix the "pretty" with the actual ASCII characters.
A - (minus) being replaced with a — (emdash) is another common pitfall.
you can copy the offending one, and do a replace all, type an normal one to replace with.
visual studio and notepad++ both can fix this without worry. DO NOT use something like word to edit code, or it will mess it up again. This is the difference between a 'smart' word processor and a text editor. Code should be edited in a text editor... even a fancy one like notepad++ ... but you want to avoid the ones that do automatic 'fixes'
visual studio and notepad++ both can fix this without worry. DO NOT use something like word to edit code, or it will mess it up again. This is the difference between a 'smart' word processor and a text editor. Code should be edited in a text editor... even a fancy one like notepad++ ... but you want to avoid the ones that do automatic 'fixes'
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