Compiling with SFML - compilation

Question

When I compile with SFML, does the computer running the .exe need to have any of the SFML or other files installed or can it just run the application without worry.
Sorry for the noob question just wondering because I want to use SFML for a programming assignment and this is my first time. Thanks in advance

Answer 1

First of all, your question is a little confusing in that when you say "compile with SFML" it sounds like you are using SFML as a compiler. This is simply impossible as SFML is a library not a compiler so I'm going to assume you mean "compile a program that makes use of SFML".
Second, It sounds like you are compiling from the command line rather than from an IDE but I will answer both. In summary though you will need to "tell" the compiler in some way that you are making use of SFML; just using import is not enough. This is instead done by linking the necessary SFML libraries.
Command Line on Linux
Assuming you have the files downloaded, navigate to their directory (SFML-x. I believe) and use the command sudo make install to install the libraries.
To link files from the command line, you need to use the -l tag for linking (that's dash L, not dash 1). For example, if I made a small program called circle.cpp that makes use of SFML like below:
#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>
int main()
{
sf::RenderWindow window(sf::VideoMode(240, 240), "Test Window");
sf::CircleShape circle(20.f);
circle.setFillColor(sf::Color::Red);
while (window.isOpen())
{
window.clear();
window.draw(shape);
window.display();
}
return 0;
}
Then to compile (using g++ for example), I would just need to write the following command: g++ -c circle.cpp. However, to create the final .exe, I would need to link the outputted circle.o file with the appropriate SFML libary like such: g++ -o circle circle.o -lsfml-graphics.
IDE
IDE's such as Microsoft's Visual Studio are much easier to work with than the command line for SFML. In an IDE, you need to set settings within a section called "External dependencies" to include SFML libraries. You will also need to link the SFML libraries within a "Linker" section. These sections are generally sound in your project settings. See SFML's very good tutorial here for screenshots and such that will make my description a lot more understandable.

Answer 2

I am not 100% sure what you are asking, but I think you are asking how to use and compile SFML.
The best thing you can do is go to the official SFML documentation. It is really well written and explains everything you need to get up and running.
You can find an official tutorial for getting started here:
http://www.sfml-dev.org/tutorials/2.3/start-vc.php (This is for Visual Studio)
If you follow through each step carefully, SFML should run perfectly. Also, if you need Visual Studio, you can download it for free from here:
https://www.visualstudio.com/products/free-developer-offers-vs