Compile and Run C++

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Build Chemeketa project templates with Make. You can also run the compiler yourself to practice the complete command or diagnose a build problem.

Compiler commands by environment

Environment	Compiler command
Codespaces	`g++`
Windows	`g++`
macOS with the required Homebrew GCC	`g++-15`
Linux	`g++`
WSL	`g++`

Compile one source file

Use the appropriate compiler command for your environment:

g++ -g -Wall -Wextra -std=c++20 main.cpp -o program.exe

On macOS, replace g++ with g++-15.

Compile every .cpp implementation file that belongs to the program. Do not list header files as compiler inputs:

g++ -g -Wall -Wextra -std=c++20 main.cpp helper.cpp -o program.exe

Run the program

Bash in Codespaces, macOS, Linux, or WSL:

./program.exe

PowerShell on Windows:

.\program.exe

Build a template with Make

From the project folder, use:

Environment	Command
Windows	`mingw32-make`
Codespaces, macOS, Linux, or WSL	`make`

Template targets include:

make program.exe
make tests.exe
make clean

Not every template contains both executable targets. The Basic Project builds program.exe, the Unit Test Project builds tests.exe, and the Combo Project builds both.

To learn how Makefile rules, prerequisites, and targets work, continue to the Makefile Tutorial.

Common compiler options

-g includes information needed by the debugger.
-Wall -Wextra enables useful warnings.
-std=c++20 selects the course language standard.
-o NAME chooses the executable's filename.
-I FOLDER adds a folder to the header search path.
-c compiles without linking an executable.

Terminal Basics

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Use the terminal to run development tools by typing commands. Codespaces, macOS, Linux, and WSL normally use a Bash-compatible shell. Native Windows development normally uses PowerShell.

Open VS Code's terminal with Terminal > New Terminal. It starts in the folder open in VS Code.

Goal	Bash and PowerShell
Show the current folder	`pwd`
List files	`ls`
Enter a folder	`cd FOLDER_NAME`
Go up one folder	`cd ..`
Refer to the current folder	`.`
Clear the terminal	`clear` in Bash; `Clear-Host` in PowerShell

Put quotation marks around a path containing spaces:

cd "folder with spaces"

It is easier to avoid spaces when naming programming projects.

Useful terminal features

Press Tab to complete a partially typed file or command.
Press Up Arrow and Down Arrow to reuse earlier commands.
Press Ctrl+C to interrupt a program that is running in the terminal.
Use code . to open the current folder in VS Code when the code command is available.

Platform differences

Bash runs a program in the current folder with ./program.exe. PowerShell uses .\program.exe. Paths in Bash use /; native Windows paths normally use \ and a drive letter such as C:.

Once you can navigate to a project folder, use Compile and Run to build a program. Use Input Redirection to send a file to a program.

Command Line Development | Chemeketa CS