Master macOS C/C++ Development: Install VS Code, Configure, and Run Hello World

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MacBook Pro Install VS Code

Download installer: https://code.visualstudio.com/Download

Extract and place into Applications.

Configure C/C++ Development Environment

Official docs: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-clang-mac

Install common C/C++ extensions:

C/C++: language support

C/C++ Clang Command Adapter

C/C++ Extension UI Themes

CMake

CMake Tools

Makefile Tools

Code Runner (for compiling)

CodeLLDB (debug, solves Catalina LLDB issue)

Check Clang/LLVM on macOS.

$ clang --version
Apple clang version 14.0.0 (clang-1400.0.29.202)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin21.6.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin

Install the code command for CLI usage.

Hello World

1. Create project and source

mkdir /workspace/projects
cd /workspace/projects

mkdir helloworld
cd helloworld
code .

Using code creates a .vscode folder with tasks.json (compiler build settings), launch.json (debugger settings), and c_cpp_properties.json (compiler path and IntelliSense settings).

2. Basic syntax

C file types :

.h – header files for declarations.

.c – C source files.

Key program components :

Tokens – keywords, identifiers, constants, strings, symbols.

printf("Hello, World! 
");

The five tokens are:

printf
(
"Hello, World! 
"
)
;

Preprocessor directives

Comments ( // or /* ... */)

Functions

Statements and expressions

Identifiers

Keywords

Semicolon as line terminator

Whitespace lines ignored by the compiler

3. Example code

#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    for (int i=0; i<3; i++)
    {
        std::cout << "hello world" << std::endl;
    }
    return 0;
}

#include <stdio.h> is a preprocessor directive.

int main() is the entry function.

/*...*/ is a comment.

printf(...) prints "Hello, World!".

return 0 ends main and returns 0.

4. Compile and run

Run to see output.

First run generates tasks.json with build parameters.

{
    "tasks": [
        {
            "type": "cppbuild",
            "label": "C/C++: clang++ generate active file",
            "command": "/usr/bin/clang++",
            "args": [
                "-fcolor-diagnostics",
                "-fansi-escape-codes",
                "-g",
                "${file}",
                "-o",
                "${fileDirname}/${fileBasenameNoExtension}"
            ],
            "options": {
                "cwd": "${fileDirname}"
            },
            "problemMatcher": ["$gcc"],
            "group": {
                "kind": "build",
                "isDefault": true
            },
            "detail": "Debugger generated task."
        }
    ],
    "version": "2.0.0"
}

Corresponding compile command:

/usr/bin/clang++ -fcolor-diagnostics -fansi-escape-codes -g /workspace/projects/helloworld/helloworld.cpp -o /workspace/projects/helloworld/helloworld

5. Debug

Click line numbers to set breakpoints.

Enter debug view to start debugging.

Custom debug flow can be configured via a launch.json file.

Original launch.json:

{
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "C/C++: clang++ generate and debug active file",
            "type": "cppdbg",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${fileDirname}/${fileBasenameNoExtension}",
            "args": [],
            "stopAtEntry": false,
            "cwd": "${fileDirname}",
            "environment": [],
            "externalConsole": false,
            "MIMode": "lldb",
            "preLaunchTask": "C/C++: clang++ generate active file"
        }
    ],
    "version": "2.0.0"
}

Custom use of CodeLLDB plugin:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "type": "lldb",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "Debug",
            "program": "${fileDirname}/${fileBasenameNoExtension}.out",
            "args": [],
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
        }
    ]
}

C/C++ configuration

Finally, the UI can set various C/C++ extension options, automatically generating a c_cpp_properties.json file.