CSCI 235

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Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) ​

Using Visual Studio ​

The full-version Visual Studio (not just Visual Studio Code) will greatly aid your development of C++ programs, like the final project. (Note that Visual Studio on Mac does not support C++, so this is just for Windows users.)

You can download and use Visual Studio Community Edition for free. Knowing how to use Visual Studio is a great job skill!

Here is a 12-minute tutorial on how to use Visual Studio.

When installing Visual Studio, select “Desktop development with C++” as shown in this figure.
Installation settings for Visual Studio

Quick tips for Visual Studio:

  • Select an Empty (C++) project to start a command-line program.
  • Use the built-in debugger (F5) to set breakpoints, watch variables, and step through code.
  • Use CMake projects if you want a cross-platform build setup.

Xcode for macOS ​

Although there is a macOS version of Visual Studio, it does not support C++ development. The default for macOS is Apple's Xcode and the clang toolchain.

Install:

  • Xcode from the App Store (or the Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install)
  • Homebrew (https://brew.sh/) to install additional tools (cmake, gdb/lldb, etc.)

What students should learn (short checklist) ​

Whichever IDE you try, look up and try out the following task.

  • Create and organize a small console C++ project
  • Build from the IDE and from the command line (g++/clang++/MSVC)
  • Use the debugger: set breakpoints, step, inspect variables