Compile C++ with Cygwin - gcc

Question

How do I compile my C++ programs in Cygwin. I have gcc installed. What command should I use? Also, how do I run my console application when it is in a .cpp extension. I am trying to learn C++ with some little programs, but in Visual C++, I don't want to have to create a seperate project for each little .cpp file.

Answer 1

You need to use a command like:
g++ -o prog prog.cpp
That's a simple form that will turn a one-file C++ project into an executable. If you have multiple C++ files, you can do:
g++ -o prog prog.cpp part2.cpp part3.cpp
but eventually, you'll want to introduce makefiles for convenience so that you only have to compile the bits that have changed. Then you'll end up with a Makefile like:
prog: prog.o part2.o part3.o
g++ -o prog prog.o part2.o part3.o
prog.o: prog.cpp
g++ -c -o prog.o prog.cpp
part2.o: part2.cpp
g++ -c -o part2.o part2.cpp
part3.o: part3.cpp
g++ -c -o part3.o part3.cpp
And then, you'll start figuring how to write your makefiles to make them more flexible (such as not needing a separate rule for each C++ file), but that can be left for another question.
Regarding having a separate project for each C++ file, that's not necessary at all. If you've got them all in one directory and there's a simple mapping of C++ files to executable files, you can use the following makefile:
SRCS=$(wildcard *.cpp)
EXES=$(SRCS:.cpp=.exe)
all: $(EXES)
%.exe: %.cpp
g++ -o $# $^
Then run the make command and it will (intelligently) create all your executables. $# is the target and $^ is the list of pre-requisites.
And, if you have more complicated rules, just tack them down at the bottom. Specific rules will be chosen in preference to the pattern rules:
SRCS=$(wildcard *.cpp)
EXES=$(SRCS:.cpp=.exe)
all: $(EXES)
%.exe: %.cpp
g++ -o $# $^
xx.exe: xx.cpp xx2.cpp xx3.cpp
g++ -o $# $^
echo Made with special rule.

Answer 2

You will need g++. Then try g++ file.cpp -o file.exe as a start. Later you can avoid much typing by learning about Makefiles.

Answer 3

if you want to use cygwin you should use the normal gcc syntax
g++ -o foobar foobar.cpp
but that doesn't really play well with Visual C++. I advise you to take a look into Eclipse CDT if you prefer using GCC over the visual C++ compiler.

Answer 4

What I do to compile a cpp program:
g++ -Wall Test.cpp -o Test
-Wall enables warning and error messages to be shown
-o Test creates an Test.exe after compilation
If you want to compile files separately:
g++ -Wall -c File1.cpp
g++ -Wall -c File2.cpp
Now create an executable with the combined object files as:
g++ -Wall File1.o File2.o -o File.exe
This way you can compile your header files and you can include in your application programs.