C is one of the most powerful programming languages and it’s suitable for a wide variety of uses. You can compile C code with a number of different C and C++ compilers. For those wishing to go cross-platform, C and especially C++ iOS app development can be done by some really capable C++ Windows Development IDEs. Using a fast and reliable C++ IDE is very important for beginners and professionals alike since it developers in remembering which language features exist, how to use them, and even detect errors when we get them wrong. Although C++ definitely rules the charts now, the C language is still vert popular among developers.
Today we have there is a great selection when looking for a free C++ IDE. Tools like C++ Builder CE, , Dev-C++, and even the BCC32 command line compiler. Although C++ Builder’s primary purpose is to be the best available C++ IDE which helps developers be at their most efficient and effective possible selves it also quite capable of editing and compiling most C code thanks to C and C++ having a shared lineage.
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Is C++ Builder a C++ IDE?
The C++ Builder is a modern powerful C++ IDE. It has C and C++ compilers allowing you to carry out any variety of professional quality development.
How can I program in the C Language with a free C++ IDE?
You can edit and run C code using C++ Builder. C++ Builder has a free C++ Builder Community Edition. There is also a paid C++ Builder Professional / Architect / Enterprise version too.
1. Download the free C++ Builder Community Edition and install it.
2. In C++ Builder, create a new console application from the File->New->Console Application – C++ Builder menu . Chose C Language as a Source Type and Target Framework as None from the next window and press OK. ,
If you are new to programming, here is a quick introduction to create a simple C Program. C programs are simple text files, which means you can use any editor to edit these kind of programs, but a proper C++ IDE has much more features.
3. When you start coding, first of all, you should include libraries that you wish to use. The C language has many libraries and each of them has commands or functions for specific tasks. For example, the stdio library has standard input and output functions to read from files and similar sources. The signatures for these functions are declared in the stdio.h header. Generally, for beginners, the stdio.h header is enough to enable you to create simple apps. We can include this library header as below,
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#include <stdio.h> |
What does the main function of a C or C++ program do?
Second, you should add a main procedure. This is the main part of the program – hence the name – and it is executed first. In the simplest sense, all other parts of your program are launched from the main section either directly or indirectly. Things get a little more complicated than that once you start to write more complex programs but for now you can think of the main section as the ‘main loop’ where things begin to happen in your program code.
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int main() { } |
How to create a simple hello world C program in the C++ IDE?
After that you should write your lines of program code into this procedure, between the { and } brackets. If you are a beginner, “Hello World” examples are good to understand how the basic feature of a particular programming language works. It is also a good way to understand how to edit text, how the syntax (the rules) of the language work, how to compile and link, how to debug and execute, and how to deploy or release. This full example below is a “Hello World” C example that can be run with C++ Builder.
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#include <stdio.h> int main() { printf("Hello World"); getchar(); return 0; } |
In C and C++, after every command you use you should put a semicolon “;”. In this example above we print a text with printf() function and then we wait to get a character input (key press) with getchar(); functions, then we exit and return 0; which means our main app has run successfully and exits.
In this example above we define main() function as a integer (int) function, that means we should return a integer value. Here, we print a text with printf() function and then we wait to get a character input (key press) with getchar(); function, sometimes this is necessary to see results when running it. Then we exit and return 0; which means our main app successfully ran and exited.
How do I run my program in the C++ IDE?
4. In C++ Builder you can simply press Run Button (without debugging or with debugging) or F9 key to compile and run your code, or you can use Run Menu to compile and run too.
5. If you want to run this program in Console then execute the RAD Studio Command Prompt from the Windows menu in Windows. This will open a Command Console (Terminal) with RAD Studio / C++ Builder configs. After this step, in Terminal, go to folder of your C file and type bcc32 and your file name. For example you can compile your app as below,
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D:\MyApp> bcc32 myapp.c |
How do I run my C program outside of the C++ IDE after it has been compiled?
To run your compiled app you can type compiled excitable file name which has .exe extension of you C file. For example to run compiled myapp.c file write its executable output as below,
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D:\MyApp> myapp.exe |
Note that you can also develop GUI based VCL or FMX C++ apps by using your C codes in your apps too. C++ compilers are generally compatible with the most of the C codes and libraries.
How to program in the C language with a professional C++ IDE?
Although the free C++ Builder Community Edition is extremely powerful it is intended for students, beginners, and startups. If you are a regular business or do not qualify for the free community edition then you can download a free trial of the very latest full RAD Studio C++ Builder version.
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