🛠️ C and C++ Smart Build Setup for VS Code (Windows)

This repository provides a ready-to-use automated build system for beginners and intermediate users of C and C++ in Visual Studio Code on Windows. It smartly detects file types, applies appropriate compilers, and offers debug/release build modes, all configurable through PowerShell and VS Code's tasks.json.

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📌 Purpose

Many C/C++ learners struggle to configure compilers or toggle between C and C++ projects in VS Code. This repo simplifies that process by:

• Automatically selecting gcc for .c files and g++ for .cpp files.
• Supporting both debug and release modes.
• Enabling smooth debugging via GDB.
• Helping users focus on coding rather than configuration.

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📂 What's Included?

• ✅ smart_build.ps1: A PowerShell script that intelligently compiles based on file type and build mode.
• ✅ .vscode/tasks.json: Pre-configured tasks for building in debug or release.
• ✅ .vscode/launch.json: A GDB-based debugging setup for MSYS2 users.
• ✅ main.c and main.cpp: Classic "Hello, World" examples for both languages.

All files are bundled for convenience so programmers can start writing and running C/C++ code immediately without setup headaches.

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🚀 Quick Start

1. ✅ Make sure gcc, g++, and gdb are installed (e.g., via MSYS2).
2. ✅ Clone this repository.
3. ✅ Open the folder in VS Code.
4. ✅ Hit Ctrl+Shift+B to compile in debug mode or run Smart Build (Release) from the task list.
5. ✅ Press F5 to launch the debugger.

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📋 Compiler Check

Run these in terminal to confirm compiler availability:

gcc --version
g++ --version
gdb --version

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🧰 Customize or Reuse

Want to use this setup in all future projects?

1. Move smart_build.ps1 to a global location like C:\scripts\smart_build.ps1.
2. Update the path in .vscode/tasks.json.
3. Copy the .vscode folder into new projects.

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📎 Reference

Installation guide: freeCodeCamp - How to Install C and C++ Compiler on Windows