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Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

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asgard20032
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by asgard20032 »

How is the code completion... remember, i mentioned 3 way code completion work. Is there a tool-tip that also describe function, or only the function prototype?

Also try to understand my point of view: You recommend me Qt creator, but its not the only IDE out there, i want to hear what other people have to say about other IDE, to make a wise choice. Also, Qt creator was made for C++ mainly, although its possible to program in C, it will still invoke g++ for the compiler. Also, can I use other compiler with Qt creator?

Even if the IDE itself is not so big, i won't download only the IDE part, because when I will want to go to C++ and use Qt, I will have to uninstall Qt creator, then download SDK, or download everything separately, or download SDK over it. I prefer installing everything once, so everything is configured correctly.
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codestation
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by codestation »

asgard20032 wrote: Here is the feature I want:

Integration with Mingw32
Eclipse, Netbeans and QTCreator have support for this. Algo give a look to the clang/llvm compiler, it's one of the best out there.
asgard20032 wrote: Intellisens
- Code completion (See below, i have some exigence)
Visual Studio is very good, 2nd place for Eclipse. QTcreator is very good with C++ autocompletion.
asgard20032 wrote: - Template (not code template, but project template. Its alway useful to make a project template with all dependency set up)
Never used this much myself. Any decent IDE could do this.
asgard20032 wrote: - Easy to configure, not to much plugin to install, not to much thing to do with the mingw32 and Mysys installation
On linux Eclipse is almost zero confg (the config is minimal, at least for me), cannot say the same on Windows, specially on the compiler...
asgard20032 wrote: - Debugger
Never has a problem debugging with eclipse. Never tried the netbeans debug frontend for c and the one with QTCreator is ok (don't like it too much).
asgard20032 wrote: - Other traditional thing a IDE got, like easy to configure project option like linking and compiler flag, i never created makefile, and i want to focus on the - program itself, not MAKEFILE. If the IDE create a makefile from the option i put, it will even be better, no need to mess with makefile, and in bonus, the IDE even give me a makefile...
Configure/build is a very important phrase on your projects so it's always a good idea to invest some time on that. The only build system that i can recommend for C++ is CMake (stay away from automake/autohell), works very well at findings dependencies and project building. Generally i write my own makefiles ONLY if the project is small and have almost no deps. For larger projects i prefer cmake.
asgard20032 wrote: - cross-platform
- free
- Auto indentation
The 3 IDE that i have mentioned the entire thread comply with these too.
asgard20032 wrote: For code completion, there is 3 different way a code completion could be implemented.
a) Auto complete
b) Auto complete, and show function prototype
c) Auto complete and show function prototype and also show a small description of the function. (not a man page description, but a very small description. Check that picture: http://www.codelite.org/images/function ... omment.png)
Eclipse and QTCreator can do c), QTCreator can do b) , cannot remember if it does c too.
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asgard20032 wrote: Also, here is bonus not essential, but i really like:
- Integration with visual studio/visual c++ compiler
- Integration with windows SDK's compiler (a 64 bit compiler)
Just use VS if you are looking for that.
asgard20032 wrote: - GUI builder
If you are going cross-platform and don't want to learn a different GUI system for every OS then i can only recommend Qt. For me is the only choice (in both C++ and python projects).
asgard20032 wrote: - Integration with Clang compiler (from what i heard, Clang will soon become a great threat to GCC, great rival)
Have been using eclipse + clang for some time (using cmake to manage it).
asgard20032 wrote: - Be able to hide some portion of code. (See that picture, on left, where there is line number, we can click on arrow to hide a function or a if...else content. : http://www.codelite.org/images/function ... omment.png)
Eclipse has support for this: code folding. Dunno about the others.
asgard20032 wrote: EclipseCDT: I don't like this one, harder to configure, lot of tweak, need to install plugin, in windows, more set up to do to integrate with mingw. But a renowed IDE. Its a good one, but more for tweaker.
I have been selling you Eclipse the whole thread. Haven't used eclipse on Windows in a long time so i don't know about the problems in there. About the "plugin" system of eclipse: thanks to it i can use the same IDE to work in C, C++, Python (and django), Java (and Android), Javascript, HTML and CSS. Also can manage all that code via the integration with Git, SVN, Mercurial, etc.
asgard20032 wrote: Codelite: It look like a good IDE for my need, but i don't know how it compare to other in this list
Cannot comment on this since i have used it for like and hour then uninstalled it. If i need something more advanced i would be using Eclipse, if i need something simpler then i just use Geany or Kate.
asgard20032 wrote: Netbean: I heard lot of this one, look like a Eclipse like IDE, with less tweaking. Cover lot of language, very modular, less thing to set-up. But from what i heard, it has little trouble with C++ and C parsing. I will try to found a link on the trouble with C/C++ parsing.
Never used it outside of Java development (only tried doing a C++ project once and didn't like it)
asgard20032 wrote: Monodevelop: From what i read from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison ... .2FC.2B.2B It also support C/C++, but not on windows.
Didn't knew that it supported more than C#.
asgard20032 wrote: Code::Block: I like this one, but outdated
At least isn't Dev-c++ :lol:
asgard20032 wrote: Microsoft Visual studio/VisualC++: I heard lot of good thing from it. Maybe one of the only good thing that M$ did. I heard it has one of the best intellisens and compiler. Unfortunately, from what I read, the compiler that come with it don't support c99, and the few feature of c99 it support it don't implement it in standard way. So their compiler is #$^#$ for C development. And, if it can integrate with mingw (i dont know if it can), i don't think we can use their debugger.
If you don't care about cross-compiling or getting out of the Windows API and compiler then this is the best one. It works and get the job done.
asgard20032 wrote: Geany: I heard its a good lightweight IDE, but to make it lightweight, they had to cut off in some feature im looking after.
Like Kate, is just an editor with syntax highlighting and some functionality to work with source code. Never used it for projects with more than one source file.
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asgard20032
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by asgard20032 »

Ok i tried a little codelite, on another computer (i don't want to install/uninstall program on my good program... windows is so bad at that, when we uninstall, lot of $%&$%&*@ thing remain in register, appdata, even program file. Even with some utility to clean up after uninstalling program, there is still some **** remaining.

Ok on a evaluation on 10, 10 = my experience with codeblock

Codelite 7/10
+ Contrary to codeblock, not outdated
+ Has more info on function when using code-autocompletion
- Code completion don't work as expected, sometime it work and sometime it don't. For example if i write prin, no result. I erase it and rewrite it, suddently printf appear, i do it again, no more result... a little disappointing .
- No auto-detection of commonly used compiler.
- Configuring a project, to link library and include header, harder than codeblock.
- Template system look neat, but not exactly like i would like. For example, there is not enough template available, also separating library in 2 category, those made with visual studio compiler and mingw.. i don't like. I agree that those library are not directly compatible, but it should not be 2 different template, but more a compiler and linker option. One template, just having to switch compiler.
+ Good integration with GDB
- Can't find the build and run button in the toolbar, have to go in menu. Button available in toolbar are only for build and debug.
- Can't find how to switch from debug to release

codestation, you gave me interest in eclipse again. But contrary to linux, under windows, configuring compiler is not as easy.

Anyone using eclipse under windows can comment on installing the "thing"??

About geany, i only mentioned it, i will never really use it. Don't really like it. Its like a gedit, with code-completion. I prefer using gedit.

One of the thing i fear about eclipse is updating it... If i use it, it will only for C/C++ under windows. Under linux, i will use other language. I won't program in something else than C/C++ under windows, because its the only language i use that need to be compiled before using it. (exception, JAVA, i can compile it under Linux and use it under windows... compiled interpreted language...) Other language i will use, php, javascripe, perl, python, are for apache server = Linux. Python = whatever where i develop it, can run everywhere, so write program in python, run under windows...

And if i ever use C#, either mono or m$ IDE. Both are great choice. Maybe even both.

So now, i will be looking after eclipse. I don't think eclipse will have difficult to beat codelite. Not that codelite was bad, only need some work with code completion. (good code completion, just not always working.)

Anyone got some information on Netbean?

Also, i try to avoid visual studio... their compiler don't follow standard. And i don't want to learn bad standard, since i will get lot of warning and error when compiling under Debian. The only reason i want their compiler support, its because if i came across a project made to compile under it, or need a 64 bit compiler, or one of my partner on a project use it, and need a library compiled to run under it. I prefer mingw32



Like i said, i would like integration with clang, but since under windows, making clang working is not a easy task, i will only use clang on Linux and FreeBSD.

Also, soon, Netbean will get a new stable release, in 1-2 week. So it will be soon the time to try out netbean. For now, I will focus on eclipse.

Also, under linux, using gcc with debian is easy. Using the mingw32 cross-compiler, to compile from Linux->windows, how is the configuration with eclipse? Maybe i would like to cross compile...
Last edited by asgard20032 on Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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asgard20032
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by asgard20032 »

Disappointed by eclipse...
Eclipse CDT, windows
I wrote a small code (10 min), and took me 40 min to finally be able to compile it.
I still can't make autocompletion work.
Everytime i make a change, i have to build clean everything, or the builder say nothing to build, because of the old file
Sometime, even build-> clean don't work, so i have to manually delete object file.
If i try to use a library, like SDL, i have some difficulty with header file. if header file are in MinGW/Include/SDL, and in eclipse i only put MinGW/include, it will say unresolved(don't remember the remain of the sentence)...

EDIT: for the build and build clean issue, i think i found the problem, can't test right now, but i think i have to save file before trying to build again. (someone can confirm that?)
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nisarg_kolhe
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by nisarg_kolhe »

asgard20032 wrote:Disappointed by eclipse...
Eclipse CDT, windows
I wrote a small code (10 min), and took me 40 min to finally be able to compile it.
I still can't make autocompletion work.
Everytime i make a change, i have to build clean everything, or the builder say nothing to build, because of the old file
Sometime, even build-> clean don't work, so i have to manually delete object file.
If i try to use a library, like SDL, i have some difficulty with header file. if header file are in MinGW/Include/SDL, and in eclipse i only put MinGW/include, it will say unresolved(don't remember the remain of the sentence)...

EDIT: for the build and build clean issue, i think i found the problem, can't test right now, but i think i have to save file before trying to build again. (someone can confirm that?)
40 mins! (O_O) It takes just a few seconds for me! And I never had any build clean issue, also if you should try NetBeans, I prefer NetBeans than Eclipse, it also loads faster on my machine! And it also has many options than just C,C++ and Java!
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asgard20032
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by asgard20032 »

asgard20032 wrote:Disappointed by eclipse...
Eclipse CDT, windows
If i try to use a library, like SDL, i have some difficulty with header file. if header file are in MinGW/Include/SDL, and in eclipse i only put MinGW/include, it will say unresolved(don't remember the remain of the sentence)...
My mistake, i think i forgot to specify that SDL.h was in a subfolder... i should have declared it with <SDL/SDL.h> and not <SDL.h>. Ok, now there is still code auto completion that i can't make it working. I wirte print, and eclipse can't even figure out that i want printf, eclipse just offer no choice.

Edit: I think i found a sort of auto completion... but not what i want: Alt + / complete what we are writting with already used statement in the code. For example, if i already used printf and i start to write pri, it will the only choice it will show me. But if i didn't used scanf in the source, and start writing sca, it wont show me scanf since i didnt used it.

Edit: Autocomplete work... had to press CTRL+Space. I don't like that... I saw no option so that autocomplete show result whenever i write something... Pressing CTRL+Space every-time is not what im looking for. Also, its a mess when i press CTRL+Space, it show function, macro, struct, template... everything at once. I saw no option to only show what i want. For example, i would like that when typing normally, it bring some result(by default, all result), then cycle to function only, declared variable only, available datatype, macro only... But the option to cycle don't offer those option.

Also, for the function description, it don't show any until i have selected it... So if i want to know what i function do, i have to select it... its what im looking for, erase it. It should allow us to view description from the autocomplete proposal, not only after selecting it.

Edit: Just tried Netbean... Right when I was trying it, had no difficulty at all to make it work. I felled comfortable with it, how the button was positionned, the option... One thing i didn't like was like eclipse, had to ctrl+space. But it show info about function in the list. Even better, it call man page to show thing. This is a good and bad thing. On linux, its the best thing, but on windows, since there is no man page, no documentation on the function. Other IDE like eclipse, get documentation from comments. Another thing I liked from Netbean was the fact that it organize suggestion in a good order. First it show our own variable and function, then after function from library. Most of the time, when we declare variable, its not to get buried by result from function of other library. Unfortunately, no way to cycle trough result. But since it organize result in a good way, i won't need a cycle option... when i was in code::block, they did the same thing, well organized, no cycle. Lot of sample to try out thing. Had some little trouble configuring msys. mkdir not found, specify make path (this one was easy). So i added PATH to msys/bin, but i realised i had to restart the IDE. One of thing i don't like with that IDE is that it has a strange orange | (verticle line, or horizontal, im alway confuse what is horizontal or vertical) in the source editor.

Currently, Netbean score 8.5/10 (this score is only indicating how I feel in the first few hours compared to experience i had with code::block, 10/10 = how i felled with code::block, so this score will get higher as i get better with netbean. So this is like a first impress score)

Eclipse score 7.5/10 (Not a bad IDE, but i feel a little uncomfortable with it at the moment, maybe with time, i will feel more comfortable.)

codelite was 7/10 because there was some thing buggy like code completion

Edit: It was not a orange line, but a pink line... it is the right margin line. Now that i know its purpose, i won't disable it, can be useful. But i will put a color that won't bother me, a very very very pale green line, almost not visible, but not invisible, i will be able to see it, but it won't disturb me. Had no problem compiling a program using SDL. I really like it. But when i was looking at the makefile... I understand nothing. It generate more complicated makefile than with other IDE.

Edit: Tried Eclipse again, after having tried Netbean, I feel more familiar with Eclipse (since Netbean and Eclipse are similar). Eclipse generate more standard makefile. Also, forget what I said, with eclipse, it also organize the autocomplete. Now the choice is hard between Netbean and Eclipse.
Eclipse 7.5/10 -> 8.5/10. But there is still some thing i don't like from eclipse, for example, i can't change default setting. I can only change project setting. So whenever i create a new project, it take default setting, but i can't change those default setting, so when i create a new project it take the setting i want.

Edit(so many edit lol): Just saw that tomorrow, new major version of Eclipse... Netbean major version, like already said, will also come out in few day... So i should wait for those release to make my choice i think.
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by nisarg_kolhe »

For the auto-complete part, I tried QT Creator and its awesome for code editing! The auto-complete is very sleek, just like one in VB .Net(I saw one guy using it, I never used it myself!) But one thing I noticed in QT was it was very Nokia centric, I feel like the IDE assumes that I'm coding for a Nokia phone! :shock: But its very clean, UI is very nice, and has a great debugger(Which I'm still figuring out how to use it at its best!) BTW I used this link given by Xian - http://qt.nokia.com/downloads/qt-creato ... or-windows Its just 30MB so not very big. :)
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by Xian Nox »

nisarg_kolhe wrote:But one thing I noticed in QT was it was very Nokia centric, I feel like the IDE assumes that I'm coding for a Nokia phone! :shock:
You can easily go without the Mobile stuffs. But yes, the Windows one is rather Nokia-centric (which makes sense since Nokia is the owner).
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by m0skit0 »

Your best IDE is... Linux.
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Re: Help me choose a good IDE for C and C++

Post by Acid_Snake »

Gedit FTW
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