Is there any way to compile some Windows API code without installing any development environments to Windows?
Does Windows come with a C Compiler built in that I could just write some code in notepad, and run it through a cmd or a batch file?
.NET includes a command line compiler for C#. (not exactly what you asked for, but it might suit you.) I believe .NET is preinstalled on modern versions of Windows. Look in the folder \Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4* and see if you have a file called CSC.EXE. This is the command line compiler for C#.
See
"How can I compile a .NET project without having Visual Studio installed?"
Working with the C# 2.0 Command Line Compiler
Is it possible to install a C# compiler without Visual Studio?
For more information and examples.
You can also get the free version of Visual Studio that supports C++. Download Visual Studio Community 2013
No version of Windows I am aware of comes with a C compiler.
No, Windows does not come with a C compiler.
And I don't mean to sound patronizing, but why do you think it'd make sense for it to come with one? Sure, it'd be handy --- if it were a decent compiler --- but beside that, it is not required for normal OS operation. An optimizing compiler is a complex piece of software that would not see any use at all from most users (since most users aren't developers --- and even they might prefer using a compiler of their choice instead of something that just happened to be around).
I should note that at least some Linux distros also come without a compiler by default (as long as it's not needed as a dependency for something else --- which, granted, can happen easily).
As others have pointed out, Windows does not come with a preinstalled C compiler. There are several good free one available for download (including a freeware version of microsoft visual c), but that does not mean you can't access with Windows API/SDK.
If you need to make API/SDK calls without the requirement you install anything, you can use Windows Script Hosting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Script_Host. It supports a number of languages out of the box, such as Jscript, VBScript, and has the ability to add even more options. Using Windows Script Hosting you can create any call you require into the Windows API/SDK.
Newer versions of windows have started to move towards powershell which is even more powerful -- but is not yet universally available which might mean having to install addition software (which I assume is what you are trying to avoid).
I think you may want Visual Studio Express.
http://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/products/visual-studio-express-vs.aspx
You do not mention which version of Windows. Also Windows API calls are customarily built with Visual C++. Although you could build with C# or VB.NET and wrap the calls. As another poster mentioned, if your version includes a .NET, then there are command line building tools available
I finally was able to successfully install the Windows SDK tools (v.7.1) on my Windows Vista system. I already had the GCC compiler installed and that is what I currently use to compile C code.
Where do I find the documentation for the WinSDK and how should I go about including it in GCC?
I couldn't find any explanations in the release notes or anything. However, if you can find something that explains it, feel free to give me a link.
This might sound weird to you, but you didn't need to download any separate Windows SDK to develop for Windows, because Visual Studio, and MingW/GCC, and others, already commonly include all that most people would need. (Some people would say, that Visual Studio and other tools, ship with their own version of the SDK, but I think that's merely confusing the issue further.)
You need Visual Studio first. And maybe, some day later, you might want to add the Windows SDK add on to it, but it is not intended to be used by itself, or in combination with GCC.
Basically, some of the SDK content duplicates stuff that is already included in Visual C++ and Visual Studio and some of it is additional tools like WinDbg.
Let me explain. The Windows SDK is indeed, useful for doing certain things in Windows that beginners are unlikely to need to do. For example, if you need to integrate with some specialized APIs, the Windows SDK contains a lot of documentation, examples, and a more complete set of header files that weren't included in Visual Studio because they're less frequently used APIs. The core API headers and documentation for Windows are already in Visual Studio, so technically, Visual Studio already contains the core SDK, and the so called SDK is an "auxiliary SDK", or a "low level SDK for purists, advanced users, and certain kinds of systems or native-level programming", but not needed, for most typical end-user applications development.
But if you want to learn Win32 native programming using C or C++, or you just want to write native Windows applications you PROBABLY don't need anything that comes in the SDK, and even then you need Visual Studio first, and the SDK second. Let me explain:
Many tools that let you write pure native Windows applications, provide higher level APIs, including Visual Studio, which gives you MFC or ATL. None of those tools need the SDK to work. The SDK, so called, is more of a "extra crap that we don't ship with visual studio because hardly anybody needs it", which Microsoft abbreviated to SDK. I know. Weird.
You don't need the SDK at all if you intend to use GCC. If you want to write an application for Windows in bare C or bare C++, you can just install mingw if you insist on using gcc and working from the command line.
The normal way to write native applications is to use the free Microsoft Visual C++ Express edition, and you can use it to write either C or C++ apps, and it includes the header files and libraries you need to write almost any native windows application feature you need, without any need for the SDK. Visual Studio is a nice modern IDE, and lots of convenient cool features like code completion and so on. The SDK you downloaded doesn't contain any of that.
Anything you do need to know about the raw Win32 APIs you can learn using the Web format of the MSDN documentation, or the help in Visual Studio. The basic Windows APIs like WinCreateWindow, are documented already in the Visual Studio help and MSDN help, and you don't need the SDK docs for most of the core windows APIs.
If you're just getting started, can I suggest you should just go get the free (but not open source) Visual Studio 2010 Express. That's the recommended way to get started, not the SDK.
I'm quite sure that the Windows 7 SDK that you downloaded is not intended for use with GCC anyways, and if you need a version of windows header files that work with a Gnu C/C++ compiler, any basic Win32 APIs like GDI and the basic Windowing API stuff is already bundled in mingw version of gcc.
You might also want to know about the DDK, which is like the SDK but which is oriented towards Device Driver and native NT-mode development.
I'm currently trying to build a little C app using Eclipse CDT and MinGW, however I've hit a snag.
I'm looking for devicetopology.h among other header files which were introduced as part of the Core Audio API in Windows Vista.
My question is really "why are 4 year old headers still not in the mingw win32api" - not in the ungrateful sense but more along the lines of is there some technical reason why MinGW can't make use of those libraries?
Any missing defs that I've encountered so far I've just defined in my own source, but I'm apprehensive about importing an entire .h file and I'm unsure of where I'd even source such a file other than the Windows SDK which I imagine was designed to compile under VC. I've found a project called PortAudio (http://www.portaudio.com) which has the headers in their SVN but wished to understand the reasons why the headers aren't included in the first place instead of copy paste coding.
I'd just use VS C++ Express to solve this problem, however I missed some of the features which were gimped the last time I used the C# Express version.
Thanks for any help!
To your last comment - what's missing from Visual C++ Express that you get from using MinGW instead? Note that you can also drive the compiler included with VC++ Express (or the compiler that comes with the Windows SDK) from any IDE that supports driving a command-line build - which is what I'd guess you have to do with MinGW, too.
If it's debugging capabilities that you're looking for, the free Debugging Tools for Windows package that comes with the Windows SDK is quite capable (though the VC++ Express debugger is pretty nice, too).
VC++ Express doesn't have MFC, but then again neither does MinGW. So what's missing from VC++ that's hanging you up?
Someone can please answer to me, if have any Editor or Compiler to C language for Windows CE 3.1( Jornada 720 - HPC 2000 ), because i'm a Visual Basic developer and i have buyed a book of C only for play with this language in my free time, and the time that is free to me i'm using my Jornada 720, but remember that i've want something like PocketC or only a compiler but free, and remember to, that i've want it to be onboard, not in to compile in my computer, Thanks. Sorry about my english.
These links might be useful to you:
Google Windows+CE+c+IDE
Free C++ (and C) Programming Tools
Introduction to Development Tools for Windows Mobile-based Devices
eMbedded Visual C++ might be an appropriate tool for you in Windows. I've used it in the past to develop on a Windows CE device.
Neat. I think I had one of those, or something similar. (Unfortunately, mine had a defect where it would reboot if the keyboard flexed.)
Some people install NetBSD on those. You could probably use gcc if you did that. I'd see if I could get Linux or NetBSD running on it.
I don't remember a native C for it, but maybe there's one now. Googling "gcc jornada" turns up some hits. Keep looking.
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I'm fine working on Linux using gcc as my C compiler but would like a Windows solution. Any ideas? I've looked at Dev-C++ from Bloodshed but looking for more options.
You can use GCC on Windows by downloading MingW (discontinued) or its successor Mingw-w64.
You can get Visual C++ Express Edition straight from Microsoft, if you want something targeting Win32. Otherwise MinGW or lcc, as suggested elsewhere.
GCC is ubiquitous. It is trusted and well understood by thousands of folks across dozens of communities.
Visual Studio is perhaps the best IDE ever developed. It has a great compiler underneath it. But it is strictly Windows-only.
If you're just playing, get GCC --it's free. If you're concerned about multiple platfroms, it's GCC. If you're talking serious Windows development, get Visual Studio.
You could always just use gcc via cygwin.
There is another free C compiler for Windows: Pelles C.
Pelles C is a complete development kit for Windows and Windows Mobile. It contains among other things an optimizing C compiler, a macro assembler, a linker, a resource compiler, a message compiler, a make utility and install builders for both Windows and Windows Mobile.
It also contains an integrated development environment (IDE) with project management, debugger, source code editor and resource editors for dialogs, menus, string tables, accelerator tables, bitmaps, icons, cursors, animated cursors, animation videos (AVI's without sound), versions and XP manifests.
URL: http://www.smorgasbordet.com/pellesc/
I personally have been looking into using MinGW (what Bloodshed uses) with the Code Blocks IDE.
I am also considering using the Digital Mars C/C++ compiler.
Both seem to be well regarded.
GCC is not technically a linux specific compiler. Its a standards compliant c/c++ compiler, and I use it for windows programs on a daily basis. Its probably best that you use it until you become more comfortable with something else.
I recommend that you use the MinGW distribution of GCC. That will compile your programs natively for windows, using a standard library, etc.
If you're looking for an IDE, I have two recommendations. Visual Studio is the Microsoft version, and although it has its issues, it is an excellent IDE for working with the code. However, if you're looking for something a bit more lightweight, CodeBlocks is also rather good, and has the added benefit of being able to use basically any compiler you have installed (including several forms of GCC and the Microsoft Compiler that comes with Visual Studio) and being able to open project files fro other IDEs. Plus, it runs on linux too, so you could make that transition even easier on yourself.
I personally prefer GCC, but that's just me. If you really want the Microsoft Solution, VS is the way to go.
You may try Code::Blocks, which is better IDE and comes with MinGW GCC! I have used it and its just too good a freeware IDE for C/C++.
MinGW would be a direct translation off gcc for windows, or you might want to check out LCC, vanilla c (more or less) with an IDE. Pelles C seems to be based off lcc and has a somewhat nicer IDE, though I haven't used it personally. Of course there is always the Express Edition of MSVC which is free, but that's your call.
Most universities give you access to Microsoft Dreamspark.
If you're using GCC/Linux in class, just install Ubuntu. Windows is a terrible platform for C development.
Be careful to use a C compiler, not C++ if you're actually doing C. While most programs in C will work using a C++ compiler there are enough differences that there can be problems. I would agree with the people who suggest using gcc via cygwin.
EDIT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compatibility_of_C_and_C%2B%2B shows some of the major differences
http://www.mingw.org/wiki/HOWTO_Install_the_MinGW_GCC_Compiler_Suite
GCC works fine. Note that MSVC is not necessarily a valid solution because it does not support C99.
I'm late to this party, but for any future C folks on Windows, Visual Studio targets C90 instead of C99, which is what you'd get on *nix. I am currently targeting C99 on Windows by using Sublime Text 2 in tandem with Cygwin.
Cygwin offers full GCC support on Windows; also, the free Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition supports 'legacy' C projects just fine.
Visual C++ Express is a fine and free IDE for Windows which comes with a compiler.
If you are more comfortable with commandline solutions in general and gcc in particular, MinGW or Cygwin might be more up you alley. They are also both free.
There have been a few comments pointing out that C is not C++. While that's true, also true that any C++ compiler will also compile C - usually the compiler mode will be automatically selected based on the filename extension, but every compiler also has an option to force C or C++ mode regardless of the filename.
So choose the free C++ compiler that you're most comfortable with gcc, VC++ Express, Digital Mars, whatever. Use the IDE you like best emacs, vim, VC++ Express, Code::Blocks, Bloodshed - again whatever.
Any of these tools will be more than adequate for learning. Personally, since you're asking about Windows, I'd choose VC++ Express - it's a great IDE, it's free, and it'll compile C programs just fine.
It comes down to what you're using in class.
If the labs and the assignments are in linux, then you probably want a MinGW solution. If they're in windows, get Visual Studio Express.
Can't you get a free version of Visual Studio Student Addition from your school? Most Universities have programs to give free software to students.
You mean Bloodshed's Dev-C++? It's a nice visual IDE for C++ which uses MinGW's gcc for Windows as the back-the-scenes compiler. The project's been abandoned for a while (in my opinion, using Delphi to develop a C++ IDE is a very stupid thing to do to draw developers' attention), however there's nothing that stops you from using it and updating the version of MinGW's gcc it uses to the latest one - besides it's GPL-licensed.
I use either BloodShed's DEV C++, CygWin, or Visual C++ Express. All of which are free and work well. I have found that for me, DEV C++ worked the best and was the least quirky. Each compiler has it's own quirks and deifferences, you need to try out a few and find the one with which you are most comfortable. I also liked the fact that DEV C++ allowed me to change the fonts that are used in the editor. I like Proggy Programming fonts!
Must Windows C++ compilers will work.
Also, check out MinGW.