Installing and using MinGW C/C++ tooling - the tutorial

What is this tutorial for?

• This tutorial explains how to install the tools needed to code in C/C++, but not how to code. You'll still need a generic book/tutorial on C/C++.

• This tutorial is primarly for Windows. Most parts can be used for other OSes too.

• We are going to install the Clang compiler (or GCC if you prefer) using MSYS2, Visual Studio Code, Clangd, LLDB-DAP, which I consider to be the best choice. I also explain why I picked those specific tools, and what are the alternatives.

How to read this tutorial?

I recommend following the steps below in order, unless you already have a good idea what you're doing.

If you're new to C/C++, don't binge-read everything at once. Practice writing small programs and read your C/C++ book between the chapters of this tutorial.

Basics:

• Installing a toolchain

• How to compile and run programs in the terminal

• Installing and configuring VSC

Debugging:

• Debugging in a terminal

• Debugging in VSC

Additional information:

(You can read those in any order.)

• Recommended compiler settings

• Compiling programs with multiple source code files

• Using third-party libraries