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Mac Environment Setup

Setting up homebrew, g++, and VSCode on Mac.

To run the following commands, open a terminal with cmd+space and search for Terminal.app.

Install Homebrew​

Homebrew is a package manager for macOS. It allows you to install and manage software packages from the command line.

Get it here or run the following command in a terminal:

danger

Do not run this command while logged into the lab machines with ssh. Run it locally from your Mac's terminal.

bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/utk-eecs-crumpton-tas/cs102-downloads/main/scripts/install-brew-safe.bash)"

Keep homebrew and all of its packages up to date with the following command:

brew update && brew upgrade

Install GCC​

GCC is a compiler for C and C++.

brew install gcc

GCC will be run with the command g++-14 instead of g++. On a Mac, g++ points to the Apple Clang C++ compiler, which is not the same as GCC.

g++-14 -std=c++11 -o lab0 lab0.cpp

Download VSCode​

To install VSCode, you can download it from here or run the following command in a terminal:

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

VSCode Extensions​

To add extensions to vscode, hit cmd+shift+x.

Search for and install the following extensions:

  • ms-vscode.cpptools-extension-pack aka C/C++ Extension Pack

VSCode Explorer​

Hit cmd+shift+p and type shell command and select Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH

This will allow you to open vscode from the command line with the command code.

On your system, create a directory for your cs102 files, such as ~/cs102.

mkdir ~/cs102

Open VSCode from the command line with the command:

code ~/cs102

You should see all your files in the file explorer on the left with cmd+shift+e.

You can create a new file such as hello.cpp with the new file icon in the file explorer and put the following code in it:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main() {
  cout << "Hello World!" << endl;
  return 0;
}

VSCode Terminal​

To open a terminal in vscode, hit ctrl+` (control and backtick).

If you have a file explorer open to the side, it should start the terminal session in the directory you have open.

Run pwd to see the current directory:

pwd

Run ls and you should see your hello.cpp file:

ls

You can also compile and run your code from the terminal:

Compile:

g++-14 -std=c++11 -o hello hello.cpp

Run:

./hello

And it should print Hello World! to the terminal.

VSCode Code Formatting​

To format your code in vscode, hit shift+option+f. A prompt will appear asking which formatter you want to use. Select the ms-vscode.cpptools we just installed.

VSCode Settings​

To edit your settings in vscode, hit cmd+shift+p and search for settings. Select Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON).

I recommend the following settings:

{
  // other settings...
  "files.autoSave": "onFocusChange", // Will save your files automatically when you change focus away from the editor
  "editor.formatOnSave": true, // Will automatically format your code when your files are saved
  // other settings...
}