C++ in VS Code on Mac, Windows, Linux

Make sure your set the platform correctly on the bottom right of the VS Code window.

Commands:

F5: Start Debugging (works)

Control-F5: Start without Debugging (works WINDOWS, not working MAC, output shows up in DEBUG CONSOLE)

Not sure if Start without Debugging should work

Control-Shift-B: Build (works)

Terminal | Run task | clean (works, calls make clean)

Mac:

Use built in gcc/llvm and debugger:

• BUILD: WORKING
• DEBUG: WORKING
• Need to install https://github.com/vadimcn/vscode-lldb
• stopAtEntry not working, set your own breakpoint in main()
• Freezes on Mac?
• lldb-mi occasionally freezes on Mac

Linux:

Use built in gcc and debugger

• BUILD: WORKING
• DEBUG: WORKING
• If you want to use clang++ on linux make sure you have libstdc++ installed correctly.
• gdb on Linux won't step into functions/run in functions reliably

Windows:

current test: using Visual Studio Build Tools (cl, nmake)

• BUILD: WORKING
• DEBUG: WORKING
• Set up debug console correctly : microsoft/vscode-cpptools#6794
• lauch.json: "console": "integratedTerminal", Works on all platforms.
• If the VS Build Tools are installed in Program Files x86, edit intelliSenseMode in c_cpp_properties.json to be windows-msvc-x86

Git: Git For Windows Not the Portable Install

• Do you need to install Git strictly AFTER VS Build Tools? Maybe

Which is the easiest compiler tool chain for students to install/use on Windows?

• cygwin
• mingw
• VS Build Tools
  • Install Desktop development with C++
  • Run VS Code from Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022
  • OR: Run VS Code Outside of the Developer Command Prompt
  • Select MSVC v142 - VS 2019 C++ ....
  • Select C++/CLI support for v143....
• msys
• ?

Codespaces

• This repository contains a custom container that installs enscript and ghostscript to easily print source code
• Students can run make -f Makefile_linux printAll to print the code to bin/src.pdf.
• Students can then Right Click on src.pdf and download the PDF locally

Notes

• View pointer as array in debugger
  • For LLDB:
    • /nat *(int(*)[13])pIntArray
  • For GDB:
    • *pIntArray@13 or *pIntArray@ARRAY_SIZE
• Using expressions in the watch panel with LLDB
• lldb should debug gcc compiled code
• vscode-cpptools
• C++ on Windows
• Using CLANG
• Run Without Debugging
• Setup VS Code for C++ (iffy)
• Debugging in VS Code
• Configuring Debugging
• Launch.json schema
• tasks.json schema
• MinGW
• External tools and tasks
• C++20 in Visual Studio Compiler
• Configure default terminal in VS Code
• Working example of Configure default terminal in VS Code. Set args like in tasks.json to invoke VSDevCmd.bat
• Print Extension

Git

• Set local .gitconfig per directory
• Use two GitHub accounts/SSH Keys on one computer)

Key bindings

You can use key bindings to provide the not working Ctrl-F5 Start without Debugging feature:

keybindings.json:

  {
    "key": "Ctrl+F5",
    "command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask",
    "args": "runMe",
    "when": "!inDebugMode"
  }

Create a runMe task in tasks.json which calls the correct Makefile to build and run the executable.

Note that keybindings are a per user setting, not a per project setting.