Installing and setting up an IDE

Choosing the correct environment and tools for C++ programming (or any other programming language) can have a big impact on your coding experience. Modern Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) have a plethora of powerful tools and capabilities that ease and improve the process of developing, compiling, and debugging C++ code. This topic walks you through the possibilities, from operating system differences to IDE selection. It even gets into the "expert mode" of code creation without the need for an IDE.

“Expert mode”: crafting code without an IDE

Before delving into IDEs, you need to understand what you generally need to write and receive finished programs using basic tools. Here is the basic set (in fact, for any programming language, such a minimum set will be approximately the same):

• Text Editor - Choose any text editor you prefer. You can choose from very simple text editors, as well as stuffed with all sorts of plug-ins and add-ons. Also, your preferences may be related to the operating system (although most modern programs are multi-platform). For example, Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, Vim, Sublime.

• C++ Compiler - You'll need a C++ compiler to turn your source code into an executable file. On Linux and macOS, you already have access to the g++ compiler. On Windows, you can install MinGW or another compiler that provides a C++ development environment.

• Terminal - You'll need access to the command-line interface (terminal) of your operating system to compile and run your code.

You can check the health and readiness of the compiler, for this:

• open the terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell);

• If you have Windows, change to the directory where the compiler is installed;

• and execute the command:g++ --version

If you got the output without errors, congratulations, you are ready to create at an expert level 😎

Let's try to create something. The process will look something like this:

1. Writing Code:

   • Open your chosen text editor and create a new file with the .cpp extension.

   • Write your code in this file.

2. Compilation:

   • Open the terminal.

   • Navigate to the directory where your source file is located using the command cd path/to/your/source/file.

   • Compile the source file using the C++ compiler. For example, using g++: g++ yourfile.cpp -o outputfile. This will generate an executable file named outputfile.

3. Execution:

   • After successful compilation, launch your executable file from the terminal: ./outputfile (here, outputfile is the name of your executable file without the extension).

You can manually compile all the files of our program, put them together, and tweak them to get the finished product. But you can delegate all this to special programs - IDEs.

Let's make our life easier - IDE

Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is software that contains everything you need to develop a program. IDEs streamline development with features like code completion, debugging tools, and project management.

But which one? The core concepts covered in this topic should work in all development environments. However, sometimes the code may be partially different in different IDEs. You will have to find more detailed information about working in the IDE of your choice on your own.

Here are some of the best solutions on the market:

• Visual Studio Code (VSCode): Lightweight, customizable, and extensible with C++ extensions.

• CLion: Dedicated C++ IDE by JetBrains with advanced debugging and refactoring capabilities.

• Qt Creator: Ideal for GUI applications, especially if leveraging the Qt framework.

• Visual Studio: Microsoft's powerful IDE, suitable for both Windows and cross-platform development.

Your choice depends on personal preferences, project complexity, and familiarity with the tools.

Installing and setting up CLion

For a comprehensive C++ development experience, let's focus on CLion, which offers a blend of functionality and usability:

Download and Install: Fetch CLion from JetBrains' official website and run the installer. After installing CLion, you should see the "Welcome to CLion" window.

Here, you can open a folder with your code or create a new project. Let's create one:

In the New Project window, you need to enter the path to the folder where you will store the code. The rest can be left by default, as shown in the photo. Then click the create button.

The program initialized the project and created many service files and our main.cpp file in our folder. It even kindly inserted some code there.

The program interface is minimalist and quite understandable. There is a file navigator on the left, and at the top, there are functional keys for building the project, running it, and debugging it. Also, opposite the name of the main() function, there is a green triangle. By clicking on it, you can also choose from different modes of starting the application.

Let's modify the example provided by the IDE:

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    std::cout << "Input your name, please" << std::endl;
    std::string name;
    std::cin >> name;
    std::cout << "Hello, " << name << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

If you try to type the code manually, you will see that the IDE tries to guess what you want to enter and tries to help you.

Now let's run the code. When you run it, a console window opens for interacting with the user (input and output).

Enter your name and press enter.

Debug, release & debugging

CLion has two build configurations: Debug and Release.

The Debug configuration is designed to debug your program. This configuration disables all optimization settings and enables debugging information. This makes your programs larger and slower but makes debugging easier. The "Debug" mode is usually used as the default configuration.

The Release configuration is used during program builds for release. The program is optimized for size and performance and does not contain additional debugging information.

Let's use the debug mode.

Debugging is a crucial part of the software development process. It allows you to find and fix errors in your code, making your programs run smoothly.

Basically, you can step through your code. If you've ever played turn-based computer or board games, then the logic should be clear to you.

Follow these steps to get started with debugging in CLion:

1. Set breakpoints: breakpoints are markers in your code where you want the debugger to pause execution so you can inspect variables and step through the code. To set a breakpoint, click on the left margin of the code editor at the line you want to pause. Where the numbering of lines of code.

2. Start debugging: click the green "Debug" button or press Shift + F9 to start debugging. Your program will now run in debug mode, and it will pause at the breakpoints you've set.

3. Inspect variables: while paused at a breakpoint, you can inspect the values of variables in the "Variables" panel. It's usually located at the bottom of the IDE. You can expand variables to see their contents.

4. Stepping through code: use the controls in the toolbar or the corresponding keyboard shortcuts to step through your code. The basic stepping options are:

   • F8: Step over (execute the current line and pause on the next line).

   • F7: Step into (if the current line calls a function, the debugger will go inside the function).

   • Shift + F8: Step out (if you're inside a function, this will execute the remaining lines of the function and pause after the function call).

5. Resume execution: to continue running your program until the next breakpoint is encountered, click the "Resume Program" button or press F9.

6. Stop debugging: once you've identified and fixed the issue, or if you want to stop debugging, you can click the red "Stop" button.

7. View console output: the "Console" panel displays any output your program generates. This can be helpful for debugging as well.

8. Watch expressions: you can add specific expressions to the "Watches" panel to monitor their values while debugging. This can help you keep an eye on crucial variables.

Remember, debugging might feel a bit overwhelming at first, but with practice, it becomes an essential skill in your coding journey.

Useful tips and hotkeys

Knowing hotkeys greatly increases development speed. Here is a small list that will help you save a lot of time. This is just a drop in the ocean, but a very effective drop:

Here are a few more useful tips:

• Take advantage of CLion's intelligent code completion (Ctrl + Space) to save time while typing. Use the "Quick Documentation" shortcut (Ctrl + Q on Windows, F1 on macOS) to view documentation for functions and classes.

• Explore CLion's refactoring options under the "Refactor" menu.

• Enable code analysis by clicking on the light bulb icon. Address suggestions to improve code quality and adhere to best practices.

• Debugging is crucial; use the built-in debugger with the "Debug" configuration to step through code, set breakpoints (F8), and inspect variables.

Conclusion:

In this guide, you explored the process of installing and setting up an IDE for C++ development. You discussed selecting an appropriate IDE, installing it, configuring essential settings, creating and building projects. You even touched on manually writing and compiling code without an IDE. By following these steps, you can establish a productive C++ development environment tailored to your needs.