From the course: C Essential Training

Getting everything ready - C Tutorial

From the course: C Essential Training

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Getting everything ready

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- [Instructor] To get started with C programming, you need an editor, compiler, and linker. These items are freely available. In fact, you may already have them as part of your computer's operating system. The command line or shell is available in Linux, macOS, and Unix. You can also install a Linux shell in Windows 10. It features all the tools you need or they can easily be obtained from the operating system's package manager. Another option is to obtain an integrated development environment or IDE. This program comes with an editor, compiler, and linker as well as debugging tools and special utilities to help you craft complex programs. Good news, the IDE is free. The IDE I recommend for this course is Code::Blocks. Visit codeblocks.org. This page may be updated, appearing differently from what's shown here. And what you're looking for is the Downloads link. Click it. And on the Downloads page, choose Binaries. For Windows, you want to select the setup EXE file that includes the mingw compiler. This is the link as this course is published. The version number may change in the future. But this is the one you want. Click one of these links over here to obtain the file and install the program. For other operating systems, choose the appropriate link on this page for your OS version or distribution. And remember that the package manager in Linux may be able to install Code::Blocks for you automatically. Obtain the exercise files and source code archive from this course's web page and expand it on your computer. You can do it right on the desktop or in a specific folder, depending on how you organize things. The files are grouped by chapter folder. Specific movies have their own folder. And within each folder, you see the exercise file source code as mentioned in each movie. Each file appears as it's introduced in the course. You can modify the files along with me or make changes on your own as you experiment with the C language. In the Code::Blocks IDE, you can choose to open each file individually or open them all in a group. Click on the various tabs to see the source code file in Code::Blocks. If you're viewing this course on a mobile device or HDTV, just follow along with each movie as I present the topics. And for the most part, the examples are shown like this with the full source code on the screen so you can pause the movie and type things in. The exercise files serve to save you time and provide examples. It's a great way to start your C essential training.

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