Using Visual Studio For C++

Using Visual Studio For C Programming
Visual Studio For C++ Tutorial
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C WinForms in Visual Studio 2019 Getting StartedWith Windows Forms, you can create powerful Windows-based applications. The following topics describe in. Install Visual Studio Code. Install the C/C extension for VS Code. You can install the C/C extension by searching for 'c' in the Extensions view (⇧⌘X (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X)). Install Mingw-w64 via the SourceForge website. Click Mingw-w64 to download the.

You can build C and C++ applications on the command line by using tools that are included in Visual Studio. The Microsoft C++ (MSVC) compiler toolset is also downloadable as a standalone package. You don't need to install the Visual Studio IDE if you don't plan to use it.

Note

This article is about how to set up an environment to use the individual compilers, linkers, librarian, and other basic tools. The native project build system, MSBuild, does not use the environment as described in this article. For more information on how to use MSBuild from the command line, see MSBuild on the command line - C++.

Download and install the tools

If you've installed Visual Studio and a C++ workload, you have all the command-line tools. For information on how to install C++ and Visual Studio, see Install C++ support in Visual Studio. If you only want the command-line toolset, download the Build Tools for Visual Studio. When you run the downloaded executable, it updates and runs the Visual Studio Installer. To install only the tools you need for C++ development, select the C++ build tools workload. You can select optional libraries and toolsets to include under Installation details. To build code by using the Visual Studio 2015 or 2017 toolsets, select the optional MSVC v140 or MSVC v141 build tools. When you're satisfied with your selections, choose Install.

How to use the command-line tools

When you choose one of the C++ workloads in the Visual Studio Installer, it installs the Visual Studio platform toolset. A platform toolset has all the C and C++ tools for a specific Visual Studio version. The tools include the C/C++ compilers, linkers, assemblers, and other build tools, and matching libraries. You can use all of these tools at the command line. They're also used internally by the Visual Studio IDE. There are separate x86-hosted and x64-hosted compilers and tools to build code for x86, x64, ARM, and ARM64 targets. Each set of tools for a particular host and target build architecture is stored in its own directory.

To work correctly, the tools require several specific environment variables to be set. These variables are used to add the tools to the path, and to set include file, library file, and SDK locations. To make it easy to set these environment variables, the installer creates customized command files, or batch files, during installation. You can run one of these command files to set a specific host and target build architecture, Windows SDK version, and platform toolset. For convenience, the installer also creates shortcuts in your Start menu. The shortcuts start developer command prompt windows by using these command files for specific combinations of host and target. These shortcuts ensure all the required environment variables are set and ready to use.

The required environment variables are specific to your installation and to the build architecture you choose. They also might be changed by product updates or upgrades. That's why we recommend you use an installed command prompt shortcut or command file, instead of setting the environment variables yourself. For more information, see Set the path and environment variables for command-line builds.

The toolsets, command files, and shortcuts installed depend on your computer processor and the options you selected during installation. The x86-hosted tools and cross tools that build x86 and x64 code are always installed. If you have 64-bit Windows, the x64-hosted tools and cross tools that build x86 and x64 code are also installed. If you choose the optional C++ Universal Windows Platform tools, then the x86 and x64 tools that build ARM and ARM64 code also get installed. Other workloads may install additional tools.

Developer command prompt shortcuts

The command prompt shortcuts are installed in a version-specific Visual Studio folder in your Start menu. Here's a list of the base command prompt shortcuts and the build architectures they support:

Developer Command Prompt - Sets the environment to use 32-bit, x86-native tools to build 32-bit, x86-native code.
x86 Native Tools Command Prompt - Sets the environment to use 32-bit, x86-native tools to build 32-bit, x86-native code.
x64 Native Tools Command Prompt - Sets the environment to use 64-bit, x64-native tools to build 64-bit, x64-native code.
x86_x64 Cross Tools Command Prompt - Sets the environment to use 32-bit, x86-native tools to build 64-bit, x64-native code.
x64_x86 Cross Tools Command Prompt - Sets the environment to use 64-bit, x64-native tools to build 32-bit, x86-native code.

The Start menu folder and shortcut names vary depending on the installed version of Visual Studio. If you set one, they also depend on the installation Nickname. For example, suppose you installed Visual Studio 2019, and you gave it a nickname of Latest. The developer command prompt shortcut is named Developer Command Prompt for VS 2019 (Latest), in a folder named Visual Studio 2019.

The Start menu folder and shortcut names vary depending on the installed version of Visual Studio. If you set one, they also depend on the installation Nickname. For example, suppose you installed Visual Studio 2017, and you gave it a nickname of Latest. The developer command prompt shortcut is named Developer Command Prompt for VS 2017 (Latest), in a folder named Visual Studio 2017.

The Start menu folder and shortcut names vary depending on the installed version of Visual Studio. For example, suppose you installed Visual Studio 2015. The developer command prompt shortcut is named Developer Command Prompt for VS 2015.

To open a developer command prompt window

On the desktop, open the Windows Start menu, and then scroll to find and open the folder for your version of Visual Studio, for example, Visual Studio 2019.
In the folder, choose the Developer Command Prompt for your version of Visual Studio. This shortcut starts a developer command prompt window that uses the default build architecture of 32-bit, x86-native tools to build 32-bit, x86-native code. If you prefer a non-default build architecture, choose one of the native or cross tools command prompts to specify the host and target architecture.

For an even faster way to open a developer command prompt, enter developer command prompt in the desktop search box. Then choose the result you want.

Developer command file locations

If you prefer to set the build environment in an existing command prompt window, you can use one of the command files created by the installer. We recommend you set the environment in a new command prompt window. We don't recommend you later switch environments in the same command window.

The command file location depends on the version of Visual Studio you installed, and on choices you made during installation. For Visual Studio 2019, the typical installation location on a 64-bit system is in Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019edition. Edition may be Community, Professional, Enterprise, BuildTools, or another nickname you supplied.

The command file location depends on the version of Visual Studio you installed, and on choices you made during installation. For Visual Studio 2017, the typical installation location on a 64-bit system is in Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2017edition. Edition may be Community, Professional, Enterprise, BuildTools, or another nickname you supplied.

The command file location depends on the Visual Studio version, and the installation directory. For Visual Studio 2015, the typical installation location is in Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0.

The primary developer command prompt command file, VsDevCmd.bat, is located in the Common7Tools subdirectory. When no parameters are specified, it sets the environment to use the x86-native tools to build 32-bit x86 code.

More command files are available to set up specific build architectures. The command files available depend on the Visual Studio workloads and options you've installed. In Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio 2019, you'll find them in the VCAuxiliaryBuild subdirectory.

More command files are available to set up specific build architectures. The command files available depend on the Visual Studio workloads and options you've installed. In Visual Studio 2015, they're located in the VC, VCbin, or VCbinarchitecture subdirectories, where architecture is one of the native or cross-compiler options.

These command files set default parameters and call VsDevCmd.bat to set up the specified build architecture environment. A typical installation may include these command files:

Command File	Host and Target architectures
vcvars32.bat	Use the 32-bit x86-native tools to build 32-bit x86 code.
vcvars64.bat	Use the 64-bit x64-native tools to build 64-bit x64 code.
vcvarsx86_amd64.bat	Use the 32-bit x86-native cross tools to build 64-bit x64 code.
vcvarsamd64_x86.bat	Use the 64-bit x64-native cross tools to build 32-bit x86 code.
vcvarsx86_arm.bat	Use the 32-bit x86-native cross tools to build ARM code.
vcvarsamd64_arm.bat	Use the 64-bit x64-native cross tools to build ARM code.
vcvarsall.bat	Use parameters to specify the host and target architectures, Windows SDK, and platform choices. For a list of supported options, call by using a /help parameter.

Caution

The vcvarsall.bat file and other Visual Studio command files can vary from computer to computer. Do not replace a missing or damaged vcvarsall.bat file by using a file from another computer. Rerun the Visual Studio installer to replace the missing file.

The vcvarsall.bat file also varies from version to version. If the current version of Visual Studio is installed on a computer that also has an earlier version of Visual Studio, do not run vcvarsall.bat or another Visual Studio command file from different versions in the same command prompt window.

Use the developer tools in an existing command window

The simplest way to specify a particular build architecture in an existing command window is to use the vcvarsall.bat file. Use vcvarsall.bat to set environment variables to configure the command line for native 32-bit or 64-bit compilation. Arguments let you specify cross-compilation to x86, x64, ARM, or ARM64 processors. You can target Microsoft Store, Universal Windows Platform, or Windows Desktop platforms. You can even specify which Windows SDK to use, and select the platform toolset version.

When used with no arguments, vcvarsall.bat configures the environment variables to use the current x86-native compiler for 32-bit Windows Desktop targets. You can add arguments to configure the environment to use any of the native or cross compiler tools. vcvarsall.bat displays an error message if you specify a configuration that's not installed, or not available on your computer.

vcvarsall syntax

vcvarsall.bat [architecture] [platform_type] [winsdk_version] [-vcvars_ver=vcversion]

architecture
This optional argument specifies the host and target architecture to use. If architecture isn't specified, the default build environment is used. These arguments are supported:

architecture	Compiler	Host computer architecture	Build output (target) architecture
x86	x86 32-bit native	x86, x64	x86
x86_amd64 or x86_x64	x64 on x86 cross	x86, x64	x64
x86_arm	ARM on x86 cross	x86, x64	ARM
x86_arm64	ARM64 on x86 cross	x86, x64	ARM64
amd64 or x64	x64 64-bit native	x64	x64
amd64_x86 or x64_x86	x86 on x64 cross	x64	x86
amd64_arm or x64_arm	ARM on x64 cross	x64	ARM
amd64_arm64 or x64_arm64	ARM64 on x64 cross	x64	ARM64

platform_type
This optional argument allows you to specify store or uwp as the platform type. By default, the environment is set to build desktop or console apps.

winsdk_version
Optionally specifies the version of the Windows SDK to use. By default, the latest installed Windows SDK is used. To specify the Windows SDK version, you can use a full Windows 10 SDK number such as 10.0.10240.0, or specify 8.1 to use the Windows 8.1 SDK.

vcversion
Optionally specifies the Visual Studio compiler toolset to use. By default, the environment is set to use the current Visual Studio compiler toolset.

Use -vcvars_ver=14.2x.yyyyy to specify a specific version of the Visual Studio 2019 compiler toolset.

Use -vcvars_ver=14.16 to specify the latest version of the Visual Studio 2017 compiler toolset.

Use -vcvars_ver=14.1x.yyyyy to specify a specific version of the Visual Studio 2017 compiler toolset.

Use -vcvars_ver=14.0 to specify the Visual Studio 2015 compiler toolset.

To set up the build environment in an existing command prompt window

At the command prompt, use the CD command to change to the Visual Studio installation directory. Then, use CD again to change to the subdirectory that contains the configuration-specific command files. For Visual Studio 2019 and Visual Studio 2017, use the VCAuxiliaryBuild subdirectory. For Visual Studio 2015, use the VC subdirectory.
Enter the command for your preferred developer environment. For example, to build ARM code for UWP on a 64-bit platform, using the latest Windows SDK and Visual Studio compiler toolset, use this command line:
vcvarsall.bat amd64_arm uwp

Create your own command prompt shortcut

Open the Properties dialog for a developer command prompt shortcut to see the command target used. For example, the target for the x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2019 shortcut is something similar to:

%comspec% /k 'C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019CommunityVCAuxiliaryBuildvcvars64.bat'

Open the Properties dialog for a developer command prompt shortcut to see the command target used. For example, the target for the x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2017 shortcut is something similar to:

%comspec% /k 'C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2017CommunityVCAuxiliaryBuildvcvars64.bat'

Open the Properties dialog for a developer command prompt shortcut to see the command target used. For example, the target for the VS2015 x64 Native Tools Command Prompt shortcut is something similar to:

%comspec% /k 'C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0VCvcvarsall.bat' amd64

The architecture-specific batch files set the architecture parameter and call vcvarsall.bat. You can pass the same options to these batch files as you would pass to vcvarsall.bat, or you can just call vcvarsall.bat directly. To specify parameters for your own command shortcut, add them to the end of the command in double-quotes. For example, here's a shortcut to build ARM code for UWP on a 64-bit platform, using the latest Windows SDK. To use an earlier compiler toolset, specify the version number. Use something like this command target in your shortcut:

%comspec% /k 'C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019CommunityVCAuxiliaryBuildvcvarsall.bat' amd64_arm uwp -vcvars_ver=14.16

%comspec% /k 'C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2017CommunityVCAuxiliaryBuildvcvarsall.bat' amd64_arm uwp -vcvars_ver=14.0

%comspec% /k 'C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0VCvcvarsall.bat' amd64 -vcvars_ver=12.0

Adjust the path to reflect your Visual Studio installation directory. The vcvarsall.bat file has additional information about specific version numbers.

Command-line tools

To build a C/C++ project at a command prompt, Visual Studio provides these command-line tools:

CL
Use the compiler (cl.exe) to compile and link source code files into apps, libraries, and DLLs.

Link
Use the linker (link.exe) to link compiled object files and libraries into apps and DLLs.

NMAKE
Use NMAKE (nmake.exe) on Windows to build C++ projects based on a traditional makefile.

When you build on the command line, the F1 command isn't available for instant help. Instead, you can use a search engine to get information about warnings, errors, and messages. You can also download and use the offline help files. To use the search in docs.microsoft.com, enter your query in the search box at the top of any article.

Command-line project management tools

The Visual Studio IDE uses a native project build system based on MSBuild. You can invoke MSBuild directly, or use the native project system without using the IDE:

MSBuild
Use MSBuild (msbuild.exe) and a project file (.vcxproj) to configure a build and invoke the toolset indirectly. It's equivalent to running the Build project or Build Solution command in the Visual Studio IDE. Running MSBuild from the command line is an advanced scenario and not commonly recommended. Starting in Visual Studio version 16.5, MSBuild doesn't use the command-line environment to control the toolset and libraries used.

DEVENV
Use DEVENV (devenv.exe) combined with a command-line switch such as /Build or /Clean to execute certain build commands without displaying the Visual Studio IDE. In general, DEVENV is preferred over using MSBuild directly, because you can let Visual Studio handle the complexities of MSBuild. Starting in Visual Studio version 16.5, DEVENV does not use the command-line environment to control the toolset and libraries used.

In this section

These articles show how to build apps on the command line, and describe how to customize the command-line build environment. Some show how to use 64-bit toolsets, and target x86, x64, ARM, and ARM64 platforms. They also describe use of the command-line build tools MSBuild and NMAKE.

Walkthrough: Compiling a native C++ program on the command line
Gives an example that shows how to create and compile a C++ program on the command line.

Walkthrough: Compile a C program on the command line
Describes how to compile a program written in the C programming language.

Walkthrough: Compiling a C++/CLI program on the command line
Describes how to create and compile a C++/CLI program that uses the .NET Framework.

Walkthrough: Compiling a C++/CX program on the command line
Describes how to create and compile a C++/CX program that uses the Windows Runtime.

Set the path and environment variables for command-line builds
How to set environment variables to use a 32-bit or 64-bit toolset to target x86, x64, ARM, and ARM64 platforms.

NMAKE reference
Provides links to articles that describe the Microsoft Program Maintenance Utility (NMAKE.EXE).

MSBuild on the command line - C++
Provides links to articles that discuss how to use msbuild.exe from the command line.

Related sections

/MD, /MT, /LD (Use run-time library)
Describes how to use these compiler options to use a Debug or Release run-time library.

C/C++ compiler options
Provides links to articles that discuss the C and C++ compiler options and CL.exe.

MSVC linker options
Provides links to articles that discuss the linker options and LINK.exe.

Additional MSVC build tools
Provides links to the C/C++ build tools that are included in Visual Studio.

Prerequisites

Using Visual Studio For C Programming

To successfully complete this tutorial, you must do the following steps:

Install Visual Studio Code.
Install the C/C++ extension for VS Code. You can install the C/C++ extension by searching for 'c++' in the Extensions view (⇧⌘X (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X)).
Install Mingw-w64 via the SourceForge website. Click Mingw-w64 to download the Windows Mingw-w64 installer.
1. Run the installer.
2. For Architecture select x86_64 and then select Next.
3. On the Installation Folder page, use the default installation folder. Copy the location as you will need it later.
4. Select Next to start the installation.
Add the path to your Mingw-w64 bin folder to the Windows PATH environment variable by using the following steps:
1. In the Windows search bar, type 'settings' to open your Windows Settings.
2. Search for Edit environment variables for your account.
3. Choose the Path variable and then select Edit.
4. Select New and add the Mingw-w64 destination folder path to the system path. The exact path depends on which version of Mingw-w64 you have installed and where you installed it. If you used the settings above to install Mingw-w64, then add this to the path: C:Program Filesmingw-w64x86_64-8.1.0-posix-seh-rt_v6-rev0mingw64bin.
5. Select OK to save the updated PATH. You will need to reopen any console windows for the new PATH location to be available.

Check your MinGW installation

To check that your Mingw-w64 tools are correctly installed and available, open a new Command Prompt and type:

Visual Studio For C++ Tutorial

If you don't see the expected output or g++ or gdb is not a recognized command, check your installation (Windows Control Panel > Programs) and make sure your PATH entry matches the Mingw-w64 binary location where the compilers are located.

Create Hello World

From a Windows command prompt, create an empty folder called projects where you can place all your VS Code projects. Then create a sub-folder called helloworld, navigate into it, and open VS Code in that folder by entering the following commands:

The 'code .' command opens VS Code in the current working folder, which becomes your 'workspace'. As you go through the tutorial, you will see three files created in a .vscode folder in the workspace:

tasks.json (build instructions)
launch.json (debugger settings)
c_cpp_properties.json (compiler path and IntelliSense settings)

Add a source code file

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In the File Explorer title bar, select the New File button and name the file helloworld.cpp.

Add hello world source code

Now paste in this source code:

Now press ⌘S (Windows, Linux Ctrl+S) to save the file. Notice how the file you just added appears in the File Explorer view (⇧⌘E (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+E)) in the side bar of VS Code:

You can also enable Auto Save to automatically save your file changes, by checking Auto Save in the main File menu.

The Activity Bar on the far left lets you open different views such as Search, Source Control, and Run. You'll look at the Run view later in this tutorial. You can find out more about the other views in the VS Code User Interface documentation.

Note: When you save or open a C++ file, you may see a notification from the C/C++ extension about the availability of an Insiders version, which lets you test new features and fixes. You can ignore this notification by selecting the X (Clear Notification).

Explore IntelliSense

In your new helloworld.cpp file, hover over vector or string to see type information. After the declaration of the msg variable, start typing msg. as you would when calling a member function. You should immediately see a completion list that shows all the member functions, and a window that shows the type information for the msg object:

You can press the Tab key to insert the selected member; then, when you add the opening parenthesis, you will see information about any arguments that the function requires.

Build helloworld.cpp

Next, you'll create a tasks.json file to tell VS Code how to build (compile) the program. This task will invoke the g++ compiler to create an executable file based on the source code.

From the main menu, choose Terminal > Configure Default Build Task. In the dropdown, which will display a tasks dropdown listing various predefined build tasks for C++ compilers. Choose g++.exe build active file, which will build the file that is currently displayed (active) in the editor.

This will create a tasks.json file in a .vscode folder and open it in the editor.

Your new tasks.json file should look similar to the JSON below:

The command setting specifies the program to run; in this case that is g++. The args array specifies the command-line arguments that will be passed to g++. These arguments must be specified in the order expected by the compiler. This task tells g++ to take the active file (${file}), compile it, and create an executable file in the current directory (${fileDirname}) with the same name as the active file but with the .exe extension (${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe), resulting in helloworld.exe for our example.

Note: You can learn more about tasks.json variables in the variables reference.

The label value is what you will see in the tasks list; you can name this whatever you like.

The 'isDefault': true value in the group object specifies that this task will be run when you press ⇧⌘B (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+B). This property is for convenience only; if you set it to false, you can still run it from the Terminal menu with Tasks: Run Build Task.

Running the build

Go back to helloworld.cpp. Your task builds the active file and you want to build helloworld.cpp.
To run the build task defined in tasks.json, press ⇧⌘B (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+B) or from the Terminal main menu choose Run Build Task.
When the task starts, you should see the Integrated Terminal panel appear below the source code editor. After the task completes, the terminal shows output from the compiler that indicates whether the build succeeded or failed. For a successful g++ build, the output looks something like this:
Create a new terminal using the + button and you'll have a new terminal with the helloworld folder as the working directory. Run dir and you should now see the executable helloworld.exe.
You can run helloworld in the terminal by typing helloworld.exe (or .helloworld.exe if you use a PowerShell terminal).

Note: You might need to press Enter a couple of times initially to see the PowerShell prompt in the terminal. This issue should be fixed in a future release of Windows.

Modifying tasks.json

You can modify your tasks.json to build multiple C++ files by using an argument like '${workspaceFolder}*.cpp' instead of ${file}. This will build all .cpp files in your current folder. You can also modify the output filename by replacing '${fileDirname}${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe' with a hard-coded filename (for example '${workspaceFolder}myProgram.exe').

Debug helloworld.cpp

Next, you'll create a launch.json file to configure VS Code to launch the GDB debugger when you press F5 to debug the program.

From the main menu, choose Run > Add Configuration... and then choose C++ (GDB/LLDB).
You'll then see a dropdown for various predefined debugging configurations. Choose g++.exe build and debug active file.

VS Code creates a launch.json file, opens it in the editor, and builds and runs 'helloworld'.

The program setting specifies the program you want to debug. Here it is set to the active file folder ${fileDirname} and active filename with the .exe extension ${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe, which if helloworld.cpp is the active file will be helloworld.exe.

By default, the C++ extension won't add any breakpoints to your source code and the stopAtEntry value is set to false.

Change the stopAtEntry value to true to cause the debugger to stop on the main method when you start debugging.

Note: The preLaunchTask setting is used to specify task to be executed before launch. Make sure it is consistent with the tasks.json file label setting.

Start a debugging session

Go back to helloworld.cpp so that it is the active file.
Press F5 or from the main menu choose Run > Start Debugging. Before you start stepping through the source code, let's take a moment to notice several changes in the user interface:

The Integrated Terminal appears at the bottom of the source code editor. In the Debug Output tab, you see output that indicates the debugger is up and running.
The editor highlights the first statement in the main method. This is a breakpoint that the C++ extension automatically sets for you:
The Run view on the left shows debugging information. You'll see an example later in the tutorial.
At the top of the code editor, a debugging control panel appears. You can move this around the screen by grabbing the dots on the left side.

Step through the code

Now you're ready to start stepping through the code.

Click or press the Step over icon in the debugging control panel.
This will advance program execution to the first line of the for loop, and skip over all the internal function calls within the vector and string classes that are invoked when the msg variable is created and initialized. Notice the change in the Variables window on the left.
In this case, the errors are expected because, although the variable names for the loop are now visible to the debugger, the statement has not executed yet, so there is nothing to read at this point. The contents of msg are visible, however, because that statement has completed.
Press Step over again to advance to the next statement in this program (skipping over all the internal code that is executed to initialize the loop). Now, the Variables window shows information about the loop variables.
Press Step over again to execute the cout statement. (Note that as of the March 2019 release, the C++ extension does not print any output to the Debug Console until the loop exits.)
If you like, you can keep pressing Step over until all the words in the vector have been printed to the console. But if you are curious, try pressing the Step Into button to step through source code in the C++ standard library!
To return to your own code, one way is to keep pressing Step over. Another way is to set a breakpoint in your code by switching to the helloworld.cpp tab in the code editor, putting the insertion point somewhere on the cout statement inside the loop, and pressing F9. A red dot appears in the gutter on the left to indicate that a breakpoint has been set on this line.
Then press F5 to start execution from the current line in the standard library header. Execution will break on cout. If you like, you can press F9 again to toggle off the breakpoint.
When the loop has completed, you can see the output in the Integrated Terminal, along with some other diagnostic information that is output by GDB.

Set a watch

Sometimes you might want to keep track of the value of a variable as your program executes. You can do this by setting a watch on the variable.

Place the insertion point inside the loop. In the Watch window, click the plus sign and in the text box, type word, which is the name of the loop variable. Now view the Watch window as you step through the loop.
Add another watch by adding this statement before the loop: int i = 0;. Then, inside the loop, add this statement: ++i;. Now add a watch for i as you did in the previous step.
To quickly view the value of any variable while execution is paused on a breakpoint, you can hover over it with the mouse pointer.

C/C++ configurations

If you want more control over the C/C++ extension, you can create a c_cpp_properties.json file, which will allow you to change settings such as the path to the compiler, include paths, C++ standard (default is C++17), and more.

You can view the C/C++ configuration UI by running the command C/C++: Edit Configurations (UI) from the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+P)).

This opens the C/C++ Configurations page. When you make changes here, VS Code writes them to a file called c_cpp_properties.json in the .vscode folder.

Here, we've changed the Configuration name to GCC, set the Compiler path dropdown to the g++ compiler, and the IntelliSense mode to match the compiler (gcc-x64)

Visual Studio Code places these settings in .vscodec_cpp_properties.json. If you open that file directly, it should look something like this:

You only need to add to the Include path array setting if your program includes header files that are not in your workspace or in the standard library path.

Compiler path

The extension uses the compilerPath setting to infer the path to the C++ standard library header files. When the extension knows where to find those files, it can provide features like smart completions and Go to Definition navigation.

The C/C++ extension attempts to populate compilerPath with the default compiler location based on what it finds on your system. The extension looks in several common compiler locations.

The compilerPath search order is:

First check for the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler
Then look for g++ on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Then g++ for Mingw-w64.

If you have Visual Studio or WSL installed, you may need to change compilerPath to match the preferred compiler for your project. For example, if you installed Mingw-w64 version 8.1.0 using the i686 architecture, Win32 threading, and sjlj exception handling install options, the path would look like this: C:Program Files (x86)mingw-w64i686-8.1.0-win32-sjlj-rt_v6-rev0mingw64bing++.exe.

Next steps

Explore the VS Code User Guide.
Review the Overview of the C++ extension.
Create a new workspace, copy your .vscode JSON files to it, adjust the necessary settings for the new workspace path, program name, and so on, and start coding!

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