The Turbo-C++ IDE

You will be using the Turbo C++ "Integrated Development Environment", or IDE, to create, compile, test, and debug (i.e. correct) your C programs. The IDE application is started up using the Turbo C++ icon in Program Manager.

Note that the IDE was developed before Microsoft Windows became standardised; while the IDE uses menus, windows, dialog boxes etc. in much the same way as Microsoft Windows, the details vary significantly. Experiment, and use the on-line help as necessary, to get a better feel for how things behave within the IDE.

The IDE provides various facilities for developing C programs.

It allows editing of C program files. This is an alternative to Notepad. You will probably still find it convenient to use Notepad for creating and editing any text files other than C program files; but it will be handier to use the editor built into the IDE for C program files.

Next the IDE allows programs to be compiled. Compiling means translating the relatively high level instructions of the C program into sequences of the very much simpler and basic instructions that the microprocessor in the PC can actually execute or carry out. During compilation, certain kinds of "warning" and "error" messages may be issued. Error messages mean there is something so badly wrong with the program that compilation cannot even be completed. Warning messages indicate that the compilation could be completed, but the compiler is suspicious that the program still does not make "sense".

The IDE also supports linking. Linking means combining the instructions generated from your particular program with additional "standard" sets of instructions, for doing "standard" things, like arithmetic, or displaying information on the screen, or reading information from disk files etc. These additional instructions are held in "libraries". Your program cannot actually be executed until it has been linked with any required libraries. Linking can also yield further warning and/or error messages.

Note that, even if your program compiles and links without any warning or error messages, this does not at all mean that all errors have been eliminated. It simply means that you have a program which is complete or valid enough to be actually executed: but it may not do anything like what you intended. Indeed, it is virtually unknown for a program of any significance to work properly first time.

So: the IDE also provides various facilities for testing and debugging the program. The program can be simply executed; but it can also be executed one step at a time; or the values of variables can be examined or modified, and so on.