How do you compile and run C programs on the Macintosh?

Answer 1

The first step is to install the XCode developer tools that comes with OSX. You can do this by looking on your OSX install disc. There should be a folder for optional installs, and a package for XCode. This will automatically install gcc, a C compiler, on your machine. Next, find the Console in the Utilities folder. It opens a UNIX shell. Move to the directory that your c file is in (you can find more information about UNIX elsewhere if you need to). Let's say your C file is named myfile.c. To compile it, type: gcc myfile.c This will compile your program, and name the compiled program a.out. To run it, type: ./a.out I hope that helps. Brina

Answer 2

In Linux you can use the gcc [Gross C Compiler] compiler for compiling a C program. The file will be compiled and if no errors object file will be created, which can be executed by giving typing './a.out' in the current path. You can also specify a name to the output file. If you specify a name, after compilation a new file will be generated in the name you have specified, with a '.o' extention

For more information on gcc, type

'man gcc' or 'gcc --help' in the shell prompt.

AnswerIn Windows, you will need a compiler/builder like Microsoft Visual C++ Express or Dev-C++, both of which can be downloaded free of charge on the internet. Once you have this set up, open the project in the appropriate program (for help on this see the program's help files), and choose the Build option (or similar) from the menus at the top of the program's window. The Windows executable file (with file extension .exe) will most likely be in the same folder as the project provided there were no errors.

Double click it in Windows Explorer, and it will execute. If it's a command line program, the output may dissappear too quickly to be visible. In this case, press Windows+R to bring up the Run dialog. Type in 'cmd' (no quotes), and the Command Prompt should appear. navigate to the correct directory using 'CD ..' to go up a directory and 'CD [directoryname]' to go into a directory. From there, type the executable file's filename and hit Enter. The program should run.

Answer 3

The exact syntax will vary depending on the compiler you're using.

Using GCC as an example:

gcc -o MyProgram.exe MyProgram.c

MyProgram.exe

Executing the first command above will take a program stored in MyProgram.c and compile it to MyProgram.exe. The second command will run the program.

Answer 4

Xcode and Eclipse are popular choices for developing Mac programs. Compilation is usually achieved with a modified version of the GNU Compiler Collection.

Note that you need both a compiler and a linker to create an executable. Compilation is the process of converting source code into object files. Linking is the process of linking those object files and the required libraries to generate the actual machine code. Although separate processes, most IDEs will perform both with a single command.