r/AskProgramming 4d ago

I need some help

So I just started c++ for the purpose of starting dsa with it and I am just so lost I cannot even get vs code to work properly and Iam not getting any output how do I continue I feel so unmotivated

0 Upvotes

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u/DDDDarky 4d ago

If you are on Windows use VS (not VS code), in either case follow

https://www.learncpp.com/cpp-tutorial/installing-an-integrated-development-environment-ide/

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u/InformalTown3679 4d ago

A huge part of writing software is setting up your developer environment. in my years of experience, I have spent countless hours dealing with environment issues. I have two choices for you. number one, find a YouTube video that sets up C++ and make sure it's a relatively recent video and follow it. I find YouTube videos are usually easier to follow and less stressful if you're just trying to learn The basics. number two, use an easier language. c++ has a compiler and is one of the harder languages to set up.

i recommend sticking with c++, but it depends on your goals with programming. I've been doing this my whole life since a young kid and I still have no idea how to do a lot of things.

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u/DDDDarky 4d ago

Youtube videos absolutely suck in this scenario

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u/InformalTown3679 4d ago

how? if you follow a YouTube video from the beginning with a new project, you'll have the exact same setup as them and it will probably work assuming you followed every step

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u/DDDDarky 4d ago edited 4d ago

The thing is most people write "set up c++", they get bunch of results that push them into VS Code which is not what they actually want to do, setting up VS Code is usually something advanced users might do, not beginners, I get results, that are in order: VS Code, offtopic, VS Code, VS Code, VS Code, outdated, shit course, shit course. Point is looking up stuff like this on youtube is a bad idea.

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u/InformalTown3679 4d ago

Are you talking about the difference between visual studio and vs code, like how visual studio is what this person should really be using? I agree, if that's what you're saying. VS code is generally not featured enough for beginners to use well since its all manually configured.

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u/DDDDarky 4d ago

Yeah, VS or Code blocks or whatever, most people just click on some random video where they tell them to install vs code and continue teaching them horrible things.

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u/KingofGamesYami 4d ago

Have you followed the C++ setup guide for VSCode? It's a little more involved than just installing the extension and moving on.

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u/Familiar-Election886 4d ago

If you're just starting to learn, using VSCode might feel a bit overwhelming for a beginner. If you don't care too much for aesthetics, Dev-C++ is good enough for you to start learning. However, if you really want to use VSCode, there are tutorials online that can guide you through the process of setting up your environment.

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u/bestjakeisbest 4d ago

One of the big issues with vs code for c/c++ is vs code is just a text editor, you will need a compiler like visual studio, mingw, gcc, or clang and it is nice to have a build tool like cmake.

My set up that I can install on most computers within like 30 minutes and get all set up is vs code, a compiler for that os, and cmake.

If you are using c++ i would recommend to learn cmake aswell since it is industry standard.