C/C++ support for Visual Studio Code is provided by a Microsoft C/C++ extension to enable cross-platform C and C++ development on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Install the extension
- Step 4: Visual Studio will open a code editor window including some necessary code. Step 5: Now write the above mentioned code and press F5 to run C# code. Step 6: You will see the same output in Visual Studio Command Prompt. In this chapter you learned how to write C# code in notepad as well as visual studio environment.
- I found out that I needed to download a C compiler to run C programs on VS-Code, so I downloaded Visual Studio with C from the Microsoft website, which basically installed Visual Studio 2019. The heading on the link said 'Develop C and C applications', so I figured it would at least let me program in C.
- The Visual Studio Code C# extension can generate the assets you need to build and debug. If you missed the prompt when you first opened a new C# project, you can still perform this operation through the Command Palette (View Command Palette) by typing '.NET', and running.NET: Generate Assets for Build and Debug.
- In this video, our expert mentor, two-time GSoC participant, and a GSoC mentor, Arnav Gupta explains ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง ๐ ๐๐ง๐.
Install Visual Studio Code. Install the C/C extension for VS Code. You can install the C/C extension by searching for 'c' in the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
- Open VS Code.
- Select the Extensions view icon on the Activity bar or use the keyboard shortcut (โงโX (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X)).
- Search for
'C++'
. - Select Install.
After you install the extension, when you open or create a *.cpp
file, you will have syntax highlighting (colorization), smart completions and hovers (IntelliSense), and error checking.
Install a compiler
C++ is a compiled language meaning your program's source code must be translated (compiled) before it can be run on your computer. VS Code is first and foremost an editor, and relies on command-line tools to do much of the development workflow. The C/C++ extension does not include a C++ compiler or debugger. You will need to install these tools or use those already installed on your computer.
There may already be a C++ compiler and debugger provided by your academic or work development environment. Check with your instructors or colleagues for guidance on installing the recommended C++ toolset (compiler, debugger, project system, linter).
Some platforms, such as Linux or macOS, have a C++ compiler already installed. Most Linux distributions have the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) installed and macOS users can get the Clang tools with XCode.
C Programming In Vs Code
Check if you have a compiler installed
Make sure your compiler executable is in your platform path (%PATH
on Windows, $PATH
on Linux and macOS) so that the C/C++ extension can find it. You can check availability of your C++ tools by opening the Integrated Terminal (โ` (Windows, Linux Ctrl+`)) in VS Code and trying to directly run the compiler.
Checking for the GCC compiler g++
:
Checking for the Clang compiler clang
:
Note: If you would prefer a full Integrated Development Environment (IDE), with built-in compilation, debugging, and project templates (File > New Project), there are many options available, such as the Visual Studio Community edition.
If you don't have a compiler installed, in the example below, we describe how to install the Minimalist GNU for Windows (MinGW) C++ tools (compiler and debugger). MinGW is a popular, free toolset for Windows. If you are running VS Code on another platform, you can read the C++ tutorials, which cover C++ configurations for Linux and macOS.
Example: Install MinGW-x64
We will install Mingw-w64 via the SourceForge website. You can use this Mingw-w64 link to download the Windows Mingw-w64 installer.
Run the installer, which should be named
mingw-w64-install.exe
in your Download folder.For Architecture select x86_64 and then select Next.
On the Installation Folder page, use the default location for the Destination folder. Copy the location as you will need it later.
Select Next to start the installation.
Add the MinGW compiler to your path
Add the path to your Mingw-w64 bin
folder to the Windows PATH
environment variable by using the following steps:
- In the Windows search bar, type 'settings' to open your Windows Settings.
- Search for Edit environment variables for your account.
- Choose the
Path
variable and then select Edit. - Select New and add the Mingw-w64 destination folder path, with
mingw64bin
appended, to the system path. The exact path depends on which version of Mingw-w64 you have installed and where you installed it. If you used the settings above to install Mingw-w64, then add this to the path:C:Program Filesmingw-w64x86_64-8.1.0-posix-seh-rt_v6-rev0mingw64bin
. - Select OK to save the updated PATH. You will need to reopen any console windows for the new PATH location to be available.
Check your MinGW installation
Run C++ Program In Visual Studio
To check that your Mingw-w64 tools are correctly installed and available, open a new Command Prompt and type:
If you don't see the expected output or g++
or gdb
is not a recognized command, check your installation (Windows Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features) and make sure your PATH entry matches the Mingw-w64 binary location where the compiler tools are located.
Hello World
To make sure the compiler is installed and configured correctly, we'll create the simplest Hello World C++ program.
How To Run C++ Code In Visual Studio 2010
Create a folder called 'HelloWorld' and open VS Code in that folder (code .
opens VS Code in the current folder):
Now create a new file called helloworld.cpp
with the New File button in the File Explorer or File > New File command.
Add Hello World source code
Now paste in this source code:
Now press โS (Windows, Linux Ctrl+S) to save the file. You can also enable Auto Save to automatically save your file changes, by checking Auto Save in the main File menu.
Build Hello World
Now that we have a simple C++ program, let's build it. Select the Terminal > Run Build Task command (โงโB (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+B)) from the main menu.
This will display a dropdown with various compiler task options. If you are using a GCC toolset like MinGW, you would choose C/C++: g++.exe build active file.
This will compile helloworld.cpp
and create an executable file called helloworld.exe
, which will appear in the File Explorer.
Run Hello World
From a command prompt or a new VS Code Integrated Terminal, you can now run your program by typing '.helloworld'.
If everything is set up correctly, you should see the output 'Hello World'.
This has been a very simple example to help you get started with C++ development in VS Code. The next step is to try one of the tutorials listed below on your platform (Windows, Linux, or macOS) with your preferred toolset (GCC, Clang, Microsoft C++) and learn more about the Microsoft C/C++ extension's language features such as IntelliSense, code navigation, build configuration, and debugging.
Tutorials
Get started with C++ and VS Code with tutorials for your environment:
Documentation
You can find more documentation on using the Microsoft C/C++ extension under the C++ section of the VS Code website, where you'll find topics on:
How To Execute Code In Visual Studio
Remote Development
VS Code and the C++ extension support Remote Development allowing you to work over SSH on a remote machine or VM, inside a Docker container, or in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
To install support for Remote Development:
- Install the VS Code Remote Development Extension Pack.
- If the remote source files are hosted in WSL, use the Remote - WSL extension.
- If you are connecting to a remote machine with SSH, use the Remote - SSH extension.
- If the remote source files are hosted in a container (for example, Docker), use the Remote - Containers extension.
How To Run C++ Code In Visual Studio Terminal
Feedback
Run C++ Code In Visual Studio
If you run into any issues or have suggestions for the Microsoft C/C++ extension, please file issues and suggestions on GitHub. If you haven't already provided feedback, please take this quick survey to help shape this extension for your needs.