The best available Integrated Development Environment for C and C++ is Eclipse CDT. It has all those features you need in your IDE. Here read more about Eclipse CDT. It is quite easy to install CDT on Linux so, we will be discussing how to install CDT on your Windows Computer. Before we proceed make, sure you have a good internet connection. Let us follow the steps:
- Download the latest version of Eclipse CDT: – The CDT Project provides a fully functional C and C++ Integrated Development Environment based on the Eclipse platform. Features include: support for project creation and managed build for various toolchains, standard make build, source navigation, various source knowledge tools, such as type hierarchy, call graph, include browser, macro definition browser, code editor with syntax highlighting, folding and hyperlink navigation, source code refactoring and code generation, visual debugging tools, including memory, registers, and disassembly viewers. Visit the official website of the Eclipse CDT and download the latest version of the CDT. Wait for the download to complete. To download click here.
- Install CDT: – When the download completes open the setup and install the IDE by agreeing the agreement and following the commands.
- Download MinGW Compiler: – After the CDT installation competes, we need to install a complier as windows don’t come with an preinstalled complier. (A compiler is used to compile your program) So, here we are going to use MinGW Compiler. MinGW, a contraction of “Minimalist GNU for Windows“, is a minimalist development environment for native Microsoft Windows applications. MinGW provides a complete Open Source programming tool set which is suitable for the development of native MS-Windows applications, and which do not depend on any 3rd-party C-Runtime DLLs.There are also couple of more compilers that you can use like Cygwin or the Visual C++ Compiler. Click here to download the MinGW Compiler.
- Download MSYS: – MSYS is a collection of GNU utilities such as bash, make, gawk and grep to allow building of applications and programs, which depend on traditionally UNIX tools to be present. It is intended to supplement MinGW and the deficiencies of the cmd shell. Click here to Download Msys.
- Download msysDTK: – msysDTK includes the components autoconf, automake, libtool, autogen, openssl, openssh, cvs, guile, and inetutils. To download msysDTK click here.
- Install MinGW:-Firstly we install the MinGW Compiler by running its setup and downloading the latest repository catalogues
- Install MSYS: – Secondly, we install the MSYS by selecting all the packages and libraries that we require like the GNU C/C++ Compiler. When msys asks for the location of MinGW compiler, enter C:\MinGW or the path where you have installed the MinGW compiler.
- Install msysDTK:- Lastly we install the msysDTK at the directory C:\msys\1.0
- Edit Windows Environment Variables path:-To the proper function of the compiler, we need to edit the path of windows environment paths to inform the system the location of MinGW Compiler and msys. Precaution:– Take complete care while you do it, one mistake in this step will cause you lots of problem. Follow this simple path to edit the environment variables: Click the Windows Start button > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables > Click on the path to edit it.
To edit the path Copy the following, paste it at the end of the string of Variable value, and do not forget those semicolons:-
;C:\MinGW\bin;C:\msys\1.0\bin;C:\MinGW\msys\1.0\bin
After editing click Ok and save those settings and reboot your computer. (Refer to the screenshot)
- Check Compiler:-Time to check your compiler. Open the Command Prompt and enter the following gcc –version or g++ –version
If you see as show in the screenshot, Bingo, you just successfully install the MinGW compiler!
- Test Your IDE with “Hello World!”:- Open Eclipse CDT Click File > New C Project > (Enter the project name and select the compiler) Finish. Write a Hello World program (You can use the screenshot…) or any other you like. Then to compile it, click the little hammer (Debug) in the tool bar and then Run the program. Now you can see those two words being displayed on the output windows. Great we just install Eclipse CDT IDE on Windows OS.
If you have, any doubts or problems comment below and let me know I will try my best to help you Good Luck.
Note: – All rights of names of the softwares mentioned in the post are reserved to the respective owners of the respective softwares.
Shirish Kadam 
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