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VIDE Quick Start Guide

V IDE User Guide


The V Integrated Development Environment

VIDE is the V Integrated Development Environment for GNU gcc (Gnu compiler collection), the free Borland C++ Compiler 5.5 for MS-Windows, and the standard Sun Java Development Kit. VIDE is available both as a ready to run package for MS-Windows 9x/NT and Linux, and as part of the V C++ GUI Framework. Executables for MS-Windows 9x/NT and Linux (glibc) are available for download at http://www.objectcentral.com/vide.htm.

If you want to get started using VIDE with C or C++ as quickly as possible, please see the VIDE Quick Start Guide for instructions on installing VIDE and creating your first VIDE project.

VIDE has been designed by a programmer for programmers. It makes the task of developing software for C/C++, Java, and HTML much easier than using command line mode. It is easy to learn, so it is a good tool for the beginner. It also has the critical features needed to enhance the productivity of the experienced programmer.

The source code is available under the GNU Public License (GPL), and many parts of its design reflect the philosophy of GNU and Open Source. Whenever possible, VIDE takes advantage of existing GPL or freely available software. It is designed to use the GNU gcc compiler and the free Sun Java kit. It also uses the GPL ctags program, and the addition of more integrated support for other GNU tools is planned.

VIDE has intentionally followed a minimalist design philosophy. The traditional development environment long favored by many programmers has been to work with each tool individually from a command shell. Thus, the programming environment would include an editor (usually vi or emacs), a compiler, a linker, a make tool, and a debugger. On Unix sytems, all the other standard software tools would also available - grep, ctags, lex, yacc, and so on. With this approach, the developer controls everything through command windows.

VIDE tries to follow this tradition in many respects, while allowing the programmer many of the conveniences of an IDE, and of using a true windowed interface. What this philosophy means in practical terms is that you, the programmer, need to be more aware of what is going on with the tools VIDE supports. VIDE will automatically provide the most common options, but to get at the full power of the underlying compiler, you should understand how a command line compiler would works - which means understanding how it uses command line switches. You may also need to understand a bit of how the make tool really works to get the full power of building projects with makefiles.

It is entirely possible to work with VIDE and never get down to the nitty gritty of the compiler and make program. It is easy to create a new project, add source files, use the standard compiler options, and compile and debug your project without ever needing to alter VIDE defaults. However, you may find that what is going on underneath is not as hidden as it might be in other IDEs, especially when there is a problem such as a missing file or library. You will need to understand what the error messages from the compiler or linker mean.

While VIDE doesn't have every feature found in many commercial development systems, it is an ongoing project, with more features included in each release. And best of all, VIDE is free! And since it is GPLed, you can help add even more features if you want.

The main features in the current release of VIDE include:

The executable version of VIDE is totally freeware. Use it, share it, do whatever you want. The source of VIDE falls under the GNU General Public License, and is normally included with the V GUI distribution. See the file COPYING included with the distribution for more information. Its development is not always in phase with the current V distribution, so there will be additional releases of executable versions as they become available. With the added support for Java, it is likely that the standalone executable version will see broader use than the source version included with V.

This program is provided on an "as is" basis, without warranty of any kind. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is borne by you.

Features that are planned for the near future include:

This document describes how to use VIDE. Because the process is slightly different for C/C++ and Java, there is a brief tutorial section for each language. Following the tutorials, all the commands available from the menus are described.

VIDE Overview

The design of VIDE has been somewhat evolutionary, but you should find that it is not that much different than other IDEs you may have used. Because VIDE is a free, open source program, it probably lacks some of the polish of commercial IDEs. However, it is still quite functional, and it is really easier to develop programs with it than it is to use a command line interface.

Generally, any application you write will consist of various source files (with associated header files for C/C++), and required data files. These files are generally dependent on each other. By defining a VIDE Project for your application, all the file dependencies are automatically handled. The standard tool make is used for C/C++ files, while the JDK Java compiler automatically handles dependencies.

Using VIDE, the normal work cycle goes:

  1. Design your application.
    VIDE currently has no capabilities to help with this stage.
  2. Start VIDE, and create a Project File.
    This will include all source files, compiler options, and other information needed to compile your application.
  3. Build your project.
    This stage compiles your source into object code. Compilation errors are displayed in the status window, and you can simply right-click on the error to go to the offending line in your source code. After making corrections, you repeat this step until all compilation and linking errors are removed.
  4. Run your program.
    You can start your program from within VIDE.
  5. Debug your program.
    VIDE for MS-Windows has integrated support for the gdb debugger for GNU C/C++. Because the DDD debugger available for Linux is so good, VIDE for Linux does not have integrated debugging support, but will automatically launch DDD. There is no support for debugging Borland BCC32 programs.
  6. Write documentation for your application.
    VIDE has syntax highlighting for HTML to make that job easier. You can also automatically launch your web browser to view the resulting HTML pages. Really neat.

VIDE Help System

VIDE is distributed with this complete VIDE documentation. A complete set of HTML documents with useful help topics are available at www.objectcentral.com. VIDE also knows about the documentation that comes with the Sun Java distribution. All this help is easily available from the VIDE Help menu. The vide help system is described in the VIDE command reference.

Debugging with VIDE

VIDE supports GNU gdb and the Sun JDK jdb debuggers. The VIDE interface to the debuggers has been designed to make the most common debugging tasks easy. The goal is to make using the native debuggers as easy as possible for casual users, while maintaining the full power of the debugger for experienced users. VIDE accomplishes this by showing a command window interface to the debugger. You can enter any native debugger command in this window, and thus have full access to all debugger features.

VIDE makes using the debugger easier by providing an easy to use dialog with the most often used commands. Breakpoints are highlighted in yellow. And as you debug, VIDE will open the source file in an editor window and highlight in red the current execution line on breakpoints or steps. It is very easy to trace program execution by setting breakpoints, and clicking on the Step or Next dialog buttons. VIDE also allows you to inspect variable values by highlighting the variable in the source and clicking the print button.

VIDE for MS-Windows

VIDE for Windows is distributed as a self-installing executable file. You might want to create a desktop icon to start VIDE. As of 1.08, VIDE supports drag and drop to edit files. You can make VIDE the default editor for your source files by using the Windows command: Start->Settings->Folder Options->File Types (Windows XP: Start->Control Panel->Folder Options) dialog to associate your source file types (e.g., .c, .h, .cpp) with VIDE.

VIDE for Windows supports two compilers: the GNU gcc compiler in both the MinGW and Cygnus versions, and the free Borland BCC 5.5 compiler. The gcc C/C++/Fortran compiler is quite mature, and works quite well with VIDE. Borland's free compiler is a relatively new release, and all the quirks have not yet been fully documented. Please check the VIDE Borland reference guide for details on using VIDE with BCC 5.5.

You can use a -p=PrefFile switch on the startup to specify an alternate PrefFile.ini file for VIDE preferences. This makes it easier to use both the GNU gcc compiler and the Borland BCC 5.5 compiler on the same system. Add this switch to the "Target:" field of the Shortcut tab of the Properties menu you get when you right-click the desktop icon.

VIDE for Linux

The Linux version of VIDE is distributed as a semi-statically linked binary version for recent versions of Linux. It is based on the new Open Motif version of V, and is statically linked to the V and Open Motif libraries, but dynamically linked to the C/C++ libraries. To install, unzip and untar the distribution. You can install the binary almost anywhere you want.

Because Open Motif doesn't know how to interact with Gnome properly, V apps will start with the default Motif decoration colors. You can get a different color schemes by using the -bg startup switch. This changes all the Motif decorations to be based on the color you specify. For example, starting VIDE with VIDE -bg gray75 gives a nice gray based color scheme. You can make a desktop shortcut with either KDE or Gnome that will automatically use the -bg switch.

Release Notes

Installing VIDE

Executable versions of VIDE are available for both MS-Windows and Linux. The MS-Windows is a self-installing executable, while the Linux version is a gzipped tar file.

VIDE for Windows

After you've downloaded the VIDE setup package, simply run it. You will be given the choice of where to install VIDE. The default is usually fine, but you may want to install it to the same binary directory that your compiler is on.

After you've run setup, you still have two steps.

Create a Desktop Icon

You can run VIDE from the Start menu if you wish, but it is often more convenient to add a desktop icon. Use Explorer to find the VIDE executable, then right-click to create a desktop startup icon for it.

Setting Environment Path

For VIDE to work properly, you must have your Windows PATH environment variable set correctly. The PATH must contain both the path to VIDE, and the path to your compiler. To add the VIDE directory and the compiler's binary directory to your PATH, on Windows9x, edit the file C:\autoexec.bat. Simply add the compiler's binary directory to the PATH command. On NT, you use the system settings menu off the Start menu to change the PATH in the environment.

VIDE with gcc - MinGW or Cygnus

By default, VIDE will work with the GNU gcc compiler. The only requirement is that the gcc binary path be included on the PATH as described above.

VIDE with Borland BCC 5.5

VIDE works quite well with BCC 5.5. However, you must have BCC 5.5 set up correctly first. You also must explicitly tell VIDE where the Borland compiler is. (This is because gcc is supported by default, so you must let VIDE know that you are using Borland's BCC compiler instead.) All the details for setting up BCC 5.5 and using it with VIDE are described in the Borland BCC 5.5 guide. Note especially the following two sections:

VIDE for Linux

The Linux version of VIDE is distributed as a statically linked binary version for recent versions of Linux. It is based on the Motif version of V, and is statically linked to the MetroLink Motif library. To install, unzip and untar the distribution. You can install the binary almost anywhere you want.

General Installation Notes

If you want to use the help files other than VIDE help, you will need to download the separate help file archive. It is best to install the help files in the /vide/help directory. After you've installed the help files, you will need to use the VIDE Options:Editor command to set the path to the help files.

VIDE doe not provide Java help. You will need to find and download the Sun JDK yourself. Then use the VIDE Options->Editor menu command to set the Java directory.

If you are building VIDE from the V distribution, then apply the above comments to the version you build. If you want to use the V appgen program, or the V Icon Editor, you need to get those from the V distribution.

Known VIDE problems

For the X version, errors generated by the compiler are passed via two temporary files. Sometimes these files are not deleted, and are left behind on the hard disk. If two instances of VIDE are running, it is possible to have an access conflict to these files from one of the instances. This can prevent builds with error messages from displaying those messages in the message window.

If g++ has a fatal error, it can hang VIDE. Because all files are saved right before running g++, there is no data loss.

The syntax highlighting doesn't work right for multi-line "/* comment */" style comments. If the lines between the opening "/*" and the closing "*/" have a "*" as the first character (which is the normal convention for Java programs!), syntax highlighting works correctly. Otherwise, those lines will not get the comment highlight. This is purely a cosmetic problem, but is unlikely to be fixed because of difficulties imposed by the internal structure used by the editor. (Note (3Sep99): Gee, I feel better! I was just playing with Microsoft VC++ 6.0, and guess what? Their editor doesn't do /* */ comments right, either! I guess if Microsoft can sell a commercial product that can't do proper syntax highlighting, then I can do it for a free product.)

The tidy/prettyprint command doesn't handle the last case of a switch properly. This won't be fixed. Also note that the formatting is based on the indent of the previous line, so you must start at a known good indent point.

Help make VIDE better!

The V IDE is GPL freeware. It has been written using the V C++ GUI framework. I get no compensation for either V or VIDE, so please don't get too fussy about features or problems. I welcome bug reports and requests for new features, but I make no promises.

My goal for VIDE is to make it a great alternative to Emacs. I know Emacs will do almost anything you would ever want, but the learning curve is huge. VIDE is much more GUI oriented, and I want to keep it simple enough for beginning programmers to use.

So, even more welcome than bug reports would be offers to help add features to VIDE! Since the source code for both V and VIDE are GPL and LGPL, they are available for enhancement. If you would like to make contributions to VIDE, please contact me directly by e-mail. VIDE is currently ahead of the V GUI release cycle, so I will need to provide you with the latest versions of all the source code.

I welcome any contributions or ideas, but right now the following projects:

If you'd like to help on any of these projects, please contact me and I will do everything I can to help you get started.

No Warranty

This program is provided on an "as is" basis, without warranty of any kind. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is borne by you.


V IDE Reference Manual - Version 1.11 - 19April2000
Copyright © 1999-2000, Bruce E. Wampler
All rights reserved.

Bruce E. Wampler, Ph.D.
bruce@objectcentral.com
www.objectcentral.com