Description

This repository is an example of how a codespace can be set up for the development of a C/C++ application.

Setting up a development environment for C/C++ applications is a notoriously difficult task. Working on a complex project may involve installing dozens of system packages, fetching and building external libraries using different build systems, and defining various environment variables so the desired output binaries can be generated. In certain cases, doing all that work may take days, if not weeks, producing a great deal of frustration among developers, especially those joining a new team or organization.

A well-designed codespace addresses this problem head-on: it is the combination of (1) a Docker container with all the necessary system packages, libraries etc. already pre-installed and (2) an editor configured with the optimal settings and plugins which allow a developer to start working on the project's code immediatelly. No manual setup needed. No wrestling with the development environment. No pain!

The definition of a codespace (Docker container + editor configuration) is done via code, and that code resides in the project's repository. Each project will therefore have its own dedicated codespace definition, allowing for maximal flexibility since different projects will have different requirements. Simultaneously working on multiple projects can be done painlessly with codespaces: simply start the codespace for each project and start doing valuable work right away.

Usage instructions

This repository contains the code for a C application taken from jonico/zenofgithub (see the src directory). If you look at that project's README, you will see that there are multiple steps required to set it up, including installing conan, adding an external conan repository and running extra commands to configure the build system (cmake). Additional steps (not mentioned in the README) may also be necessary depending on what is already installed in your system. For instance, you may have to install cmake, or have to install python and pip before installing conan.

What if you did not have to do any of that to make changes in the code and test them? Well, you do not! Simply click Code > Open with Codespaces > New codespace to enter a browser-based development environment containing everything you need to quickly get your work done. Even the build system configuration is done automatically for you, so you will not need to run any cmake commands.

To compile the application, open a terminal (menu icon > Terminal > New Terminal) and run the following commands:

cd build
make
cd bin
./zenofgithub

If you have made no changes to the source code, you will see the following output:

You're not in a git repo so the octocat will stay silent.
Create a git repo and the Zen of GitHub will be revealed to you.

Well, it seems we need to be inside a git repository to have the Octocat speak to us. We can create a git repository right at the bin directory and try again:

git init
./zenofgithub

The Octocat will now share its wisdom with us:

               MMM.           .MMM
               MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
               MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM      _______________________________________
              MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM    |                                       |
             MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM   | Non-blocking is better than blocking. |
            MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM   |_   ___________________________________|
            MMMM::- -:::::::- -::MMMM    |/
             MM~:~ 00~:::::~ 00~:~MM
        .. MMMMM::.00:::+:::.00::MMMMM ..
              .MM::::: ._. :::::MM.
                 MMMM;:::::;MMMM
          -MM        MMMMMMM
          ^  M+     MMMMMMMMM
              MMMMMMM MM MM MM
                   MM MM MM MM
                   MM MM MM MM
                .~~MM~MM~MM~MM~~.
             ~~~~MM:~MM~~~MM~:MM~~~~
            ~~~~~~==~==~~~==~==~~~~~~
             ~~~~~~==~==~==~==~~~~~~
                 :~==~==~==~==~~

Now try making changes to src/zenofgithub.c, compiling the application again using make (inside build) and running it one more time. Did you realize what just happened? You made changes to the source code and tested them, without any setup effort needed!