Attendance

  • Karl
  • Christian
  • Paul
  • Abu
  • Brandon
  • Luke

Meeting Overview

  • Christian created a PowerPoint presentation on VS Code, and why it is objectively better than Dev-C++.

Downsides of Dev-C++

  • “Dev-C++” is an IDE recommended by our professors for assignments. It “just works” for most people, but there are objectively better options.
  • This IDE lacks basic features: Bare-bones syntax highlighting, no git integration, no extensions, and barely supports code completion.
  • There is one notorious bug: The undo/redo tree may become corrupt, causing your file to become slightly corrupt. Be careful!
  • There are better options: They offer more features for productivity and convenience.

We Recommend VS Code

  • “Visual Studio Code” (VS Code) is a cross platform text editor.
  • Do not confuse it with the “Visual Studio” IDE!
  • Supports many programming languages!

Compiling in VS Code

Prerequisites for Compiling C or C++

  • You must use the terminal to compile and run your code. This may be slightly less convenient than Dev-C++’s “run” button. However, familiarity with the terminal is a valuable skill to know!
  • Install the GCC compiler on your computer.
  • Setup your environment variables for Windows.
  • Validate by running the command gcc --version.

Compile C or C++

To compile C code, run the command gcc main.c -o program.exe To compile C++ code, run the command g++ main.cpp -o program.exe To run your code, run the command .\program.exe

Migrate from Dev-C++ to VS Code

  • Open VS Code.
  • Go to File -> Open Folder.
  • Locate your Dev-C++ project folder. (Containing the source files)
  • Select that folder.

Votes

  • No votes were held this meeting.