DEV++

5 min readMay 23, 2021

DEV++

This Tutorial Explains the Installation, Working and Features of Dev C++ IDE which is one of the Most Commonly used IDEs for Developing C++ Applications:

first of all, let explain what is dev++

definition

Dev-C++ is a fully featured graphical IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that uses the MinGw compiler system to create Windows as well as Console based C/C++ applications. It can also be used with any other GCC-based compiler like Cygwin however

Dev is free to use software

Features of Dev-C++ IDE

Dev-C++ supports GCC-based compilers including Cygwin, MinGW, etc.

lows to Edit and compile the Resource files.

It provides support for Class Browser as well as Debug variable Browser.
• It has a Project Manager that helps us to manage various projects.
• Also provides print support through its interface.
• We can easily install the add-on libraries using the package manager provided by the IDE.
• This C++ IDE also provides CVS support for source code management
Installing and Configuring C++ IDE
we can get the appropriate installable for dev-C++ IDE from bloodshed.net
steps
1) The first step while we start the installer is to select the language of our choice as shown in the below screenshot.

#2) Once you select the appropriate language, you have to agree to the license agreement that pop-ups next.

#3) Next, we are asked to select the components that we need to install as a part of the dev-C++ installation.

#4) Now the installer prompts the user for the destination folder where the dev-C++ files/libraries etc. are to be copied.

#5 install the software .

LET TALK ON HOW TO USE DEV++

Create A New Project

Click File -> New -> Project.
• A new dialog opens up as shown below.

• Here, we can specify the project name. Make sure to select the “Empty Project” and also to check the “C++ Project” button.

Add Source File(s)

1. Add a new file by clicking

2. Project ->New File or Right-click on Project Name in the project explorer and click New File.

Compile/Build & Execute Project

To compile the project, click Execute -> Compile (or click F9

Debugging In C++ IDE

• Click Execute ->Debug. (or click F5).

• Once the debug is clicked, we get the debug menu in the IDE, as shown below.

A Brief History and Introduction to GCC

the original GNU C Compiler (GCC) is developed by Richard Stallman 1984 to create a complete Unix-like operating system

GCC Versions

• GCC Version 6 (2016):

• GCC Version 7 (2017)

Installing GCC on Windows

For Windows, you could either install Cygwin GCC, MinGW GCC or MinGW-W64 GCC. Read “How to install Cygwin and MinGW, now let talk about MINGW

What is MinGW?

MINGW IS a free and open source software development environment to create Microsoft Windows applications.

Programming language that support MINGW

These include C, C++, Objective-C,

1 installing GNU

Download Minimalist GNU for Windows (MinGW). This is an easy-to-install version of GCC for Windows. Use the following steps to download MinGW.

• Go to https://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw in a web browser.

• Click the green button that says Download.

• Wait for the installer to download automatically.

Install MinGW. Use the following steps to install MinGW:

• Double-click mingw-get-setup.exe in your Downloads folder or web browser.

• Click Install.

• Click Continue.

• MinGW recommends using the default installation folder (C:\MinGW). If you must change the folder, don’t use a folder with spaces in the name (e.g. “Program Files”).

Select which compilers to install. At the minimum, choose Basic Setup on the left panel, then place check marks next to all of the listed compilers in the right main panel. More advanced users can choose All Packages and select additional compilers.

Right-click each package and click Mark for Installation. The Basic Setup has about 7 packages listed in the box at the top. Right-click each one of them (or just the ones you want) and click Mark for Installation. This adds an icon with an arrow next to each one and marks it for installation.

Install the selected packages. It may take your computer several minutes to install all packages. Use the following steps to install the packages that are marked for installation.

• Click the Installation menu in the upper-left corner.

• Click Apply Changes.

• Click Apply.

• Click Close once the installation is done.

Add the path to MinGW to system environment variables. Use the following steps to add the path to MinGW to system environment variables:

• Type environment in the search bar next to the Start menu.

• Click Edit the system environment variables in the search results.

• Click Environment Variables

• Select the Path variable.

• Click Edit beneath the top box (under “User Variables”)

• Click New.

• Type C:\MinGW\bin in the new space. Note that if you installed MinGW to a different directory, enter C:\path-to-that-directory\bin.

• Click OK, and then OK again. Click the one remaining OK button to close the window

Open the command prompt as an administrator. You must be signed in to a Windows account with administrative privileges to open the Command Prompt as an administrator. Use the following steps to open the Command Prompt as an administrator:

• Type cmd in the search bar next to the Start menu.

• Right-click Command Prompt in the search results, then select Run as Administrator.

• Click Yes to allow changes.

Navigate to the folder where your source code is saved. For example, if your source code file called helloworld.c is located in C:\Source\Programs, type cd C:\Source\Programs

Type gcc c –o [program_name].exe [program name].c and press Replace “[program name]” with the name of your source code and application. Once the program is compiled, you’ll return to the command prompt without errors.

• Any coding errors that appear must be corrected before the program will compile.

Type the name of your program to run it. If it’s called hello_world.exe, type that in the command prompt to start your program.

• If you receive an “Access is denied” or “Permission denied” error message when compiling a program or running the output executable file, check the folder permissions and make sure you have full read/write access to the folder

DIFFRENCES BETWEEN GCC AND MINGW

GCC stands for “GNU Compiler Collection” and is a piece of GNU software that includes a compiler with frontends for multiple languages: … MinGW stands for “Minimalist GNU for Windows” It is essentially a tool set that includes some GNU software, including a port of GCC./

Written by Kahumo Chris faradja