Getting Started With C++

To setup a C++ programming environment on Windows, you'll need two main components:

• VS Code: A text editor to write your code,
• MinGW: A compiler that turns your C++ code into an executable program.

Follow the steps below to install C++ on Windows:

1. Install VS Code
2. Download MinGW Compiler
3. Run the Installer
4. Add MinGW to System PATH
5. Install C/C++ Extension in VS Code

Here's a detailed explanation of each of the steps.

Step 1: Install VS Code

Go to the VS Code Official website and download the Windows installer. Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the installation process.

Click Finish to complete the installation process.

Step 2: Download MinGW Compiler

Go to MinGW Compiler Download and download the MinGW installation manager.

Step 3: Run the Installer

Now, go to your downloads folder and run the installer you just downloaded. You will be prompted to this screen.

Click on Continue and wait till the download is completed.

Include gcc-core package

During installation, you will be prompted to select the components to install. Mark mingw32-base and mingw32-gcc-g++ for installation, click on installation, and apply changes.

Step 4: Add MinGW to System PATH

Go to the folder, double-click on the MinGW folder, and copy its location.

C:\MinGW\bin

Search environment variable on the terminal. In system properties, click on environment variables. You will be prompted to the screen below.

Then, find the Path variable in the System variables section and click on Edit. Click New and add the path to the bin directory within your MinGW installation (i.e. C:\MinGW\bin)

Finally, close all the dialogues with the Ok button.

Step 5: Install C/C++ Extension in VS Code

Open VS Code and click on Extensions on the left side of the window.

Then, search for C/C++ by Microsoft in the Extensions and click on install.

Now, you are all set to run C++ code inside your VS Code.

To install C++ on your Mac, you'll need two main components:

• VS Code: A text editor to write your code,
• Clang: A default compiler in mac that turns your C++ code into an executable program.

Follow the steps below to install C++ on macOs,

1. Install VS Code
2. Install C++ Extension
3. Check for C++ Compiler

Here is a detailed explanation of each of the steps:

Step 1: Install VS Code

Go to the VS Code official website and download the zipped file. Once the download is complete, open the zipped file.

In Finder, open a new window and navigate to the Applications folder. Drag the VS Code application from the zip file into the Applications folder to install it.

You can now launch VS Code directly from the Applications folder.

Step 2: Install C++ Extension

Open VS Code and click on the Extension in the right side of the screen. Search for C/C++ by Microsoft in the Extensions and click on install.

Step 4: Check for C++ Compiler

The macOS generally comes with Clang installed, which can be used as a C++ compiler. You can verify its installation by typing the following command in the terminal.

clang –-version

If the output on your screen does not match the screenshot above showing the version of Clang, you may need to install Xcode Command Line Tools. You can do this by running the following command in your terminal

xcode-select --install

Now, you are all set to run C++ code inside your VS Code.

Linux has various distributions, and the installation process differs slightly from each other. For now, we will focus on Ubuntu distribution.