Write a Batch File & Make File in Notepad

When writing C++ programs, you often want to set up your command prompt for building by setting the path and drive letter of your project.  Use a batch file to do this.

To compile all your files & run your program, you will accomplish this via a make file.  The batch file can call the make file.

Batch File

Sample batch file:

@echo off
cls
set DRIVE_LETTER=%CD:~0,2%
set PATH=%DRIVE_LETTER%\TDM-GCC-64\bin;%DRIVE_LETTER%\TDM-GCC-64\wxWidgets-3.1.0\lib\gcc510TDM_x64_dll;c:\windows\system32;c:\"Program Files"\KDiff3
set PROJECT_PATH=.
mingw32-make DRIVE_LETTER="%DRIVE_LETTER%" CURRENT_DIR="%PROJECT_PATH%"


For a complete tutorial, visit https://www.tutorialspoint.com/batch_script/batch_script_files.htm

• Save batch files as .bat or .cmd at the end of the file name
• @echo off
• By default, a batch file will display its command as it runs.  
• The purpose of the echo off command is to turn off the display for the whole script, except for the echo off command itself. 
• The @ in front makes the command apply to itself as well
• cls
• clear the screen
• set DRIVE_LETTER=%CD:~0,2%
• Variables can be initialized via the 'set' command
• if the value needs to be numeric in nature then add /A after the word set
• DRIVE_LETTER is the variable name
• %CD:~0,2% is the value that DRIVE_LETTER is being set to
• %CD% prints the current working directory of the batch file or command running it
• %CD:~0,3% will grab the first three characters of the path
• %CD:~0,2% will grab the first two characters of the path
• set PATH=something
• PATH is the variable name
• something is the path.  The example above sets the environment variable to the g++ compiler as well as wxWidgets
• set PROJECT_PATH=.
• PROJECT_PATH is the variable name
• . is the current directory
• mingw32-make DRIVE_LETTER="%DRIVE_LETTER%" CURRENT_DIR="%PROJECT_PATH%
• mingw32-make will call the makefile that is in the specified directory
• same as mingw32-make C: .

Make File

Use a make file to compile all your files & run your program without having to manually type everything in every time (saves you time).

Sample makefile:

# I am a comment.

#You can make variables in make files.  AutomatedMakefile is a variable

AutomatedMakefile = am

#the variable CC will be the compiler to use

CC = g++

#CXXFLAGS are the options I will pass to the compiler

#-Wno-deprecated-declarations tell the compiler to NOT warn about uses of functions, variables, and types marked as deprecated

#-g option allows for debugging tools

CXXFLAGS = -Wno-deprecated-declarations -g -O0

#PROJECT_PATH variable is set to CURRENT_DIR (which is taken from batch file)

PROJECT_PATH = $(CURRENT_DIR)

#COMPILE contains g++ -Wno-deprecated-declarations -g -O0 

COMPILE = $(CC) $(CXXFLAGS) $(INC_DIRS) -c 

LINK = $(CC) $(CXXFLAGS) $(LIB_DIRS)

FILES =PlayerGuessDriver.o Keyboard.o Random.o String.o ReadFile.o

EXECUTABLE = PGD.exe

all: PGD

PGD: $(FILES)

$(LINK) $(FILES) $(LIBS) -o $(EXECUTABLE)

PlayerGuessDriver.o: Keyboard.o Random.o String.o ReadFile.o

$(COMPILE) PlayerGuessDriver.cpp

Keyboard.o:

$(COMPILE) Keyboard.cpp

Random.o:

$(COMPILE) Random.cpp

String.o:

$(COMPILE) String.cpp

ReadFile.o:

$(COMPILE) ReadFile.cpp

COMMON DOS (COMMAND PROMPT) COMMANDS

• CD - change directory
• CLS - clear the screen
• COPY - copy files from one location to anotehr
• DEL - deletes files (not directories)
• DIR - list out the contents of a directory
• DATE - get the system date
• ECHO - display a message
• EXIT - exit the command prompt
• MD - create a new directory in the current location
• MOVE - move files or directories between directories
• PATH - displays or sets the path variable
• PAUSE - prompts the user and waits for a line of input to be entered
• RD - remove directory (must be empty first)
• REN - rename file/directory
• START - starts a program in new window, or opens a document
• TIME - sets or displays the time
• TYPE - prints the contents of a file or files to the output
• CHOICE - provides a list of options to the user
• CMD - invokes another instance of command prompt
• IPCONFIG - displays Windows IP configuration (get your IP address)
• PING - sends ICMP/IP "echo" packets over the network to the specified address
• SHUTDOWN - shuts down a computer, or logs off the current user
• SORT - takes input from a source file and sorts its contents alphabetically, from A to Z or Z to A - prints output on console
• TREE - displays a tree of all subdirectories of the current directory to any level of recursion or depth
• TITLE - sets the title displayed in the console window
• SET - displays the list of environment variables on the current system
• 
  
• The > command is used to redirect the output to a specified file
• The < command is used to run a command USING the specified file