Summary

This chapter provides an in-depth look at using IDEs to optimize the programming process, particularly focusing on IDEs that deeply integrate with CMake. It offers a comprehensive guide for both beginners and experienced professionals, detailing the benefits of using an IDE and how to select one that best fits individual or organizational needs.

We started with a discussion on the importance of IDEs in enhancing development speed and code quality, explaining what an IDE is and how it simplifies the various steps involved in software development by integrating tools like code editors, compilers, and debuggers. This was followed by a short reminder about toolchains, where we explained the necessity of their installation if they aren’t present in the system, and we presented a short list of the most common choices.

We discussed how to start with CLion and its unique features, and we took an advanced look at its debugging capabilities. VS Code, a free, cross-platform...