One-click compilers

Question

Do you know of any compilers that only requires one or two clicks on the source code to compile? Having to configure it to do it doesn't count, nor does having to go to a terminal and write a word or two.

Extra points are given if you can give your own view as to why so few compilers have a gui included, or just a send to compiler listing in explorer!

The reason is that I want to be able to send source to my non-programming friends. Some have sparc computers, some have x64 with multiple cores and so on.

Then they would be able to compile the code and then remove it, saving just the binary that is optimized for their computer.

Answer 1

We have CMake, Makefiles and other build systems (MSBuild). Why should compiler have a gui?

After generating a build with cmake or writing makefiles issuing 'make' is usually sufficient.

Answer 2

I used to use "jikes", IBM's java compiler. It had an incremental mode where you just had to hit return and it would compile everything that had changed. So you'd do some coding in vi, save the file, and alt-tab over to the window with jikes in it, and hit return, and alt-tab back to the vi window.

Now I use Eclipse that compiles on the fly. Sometimes that's good, sometimes it puts ugly red lines all over the code that you haven't finished writing so you know it's not supposed to compile.

Answer 3

So few compilers have a GUI included since it is not a fundamental function of a compiler. A compiler should be usable from a command line, easily integrated into scripts/automation tools and similarly, it should be easy to make GUI tools communicate with it.

In other words, it can be used from a GUI but it is not a GUI type of tool.

Answer 4

Having to configure it to do it doesn't count,

Theres a logic flaw there. Either you configure it, or the installer configures it. It won't just automagically happen all on its own ;)

Answer 5

Btw, may be it is not that you are looking for but qmake utility from qt-lib is a perfect example of "one click" tool :) It creates project and makefiles based on what files you have in current directory. It detect .ui (user interfacec), resources, headers etc... Then you have to just make, make, make...

Exept that, i mean configuration, all compilers and IDEs use one click or keypress to start compilation.

Another q is - how do u deal with the compilation errors. Error highlinght, source navigation - it`s all IDEs functions. And compiler can be a part of IDE, but not on the contraty.

Answer 6

I'm assuming the use of C++.

I feel like what you're really looking for is an IDE that makes compiling simpler. I know Dev-C++ was pretty good about that. Many production-level application probably need at least some configuration of the compiler. That being said, I've often found that a call to "g++ *.cpp -o output.exe" works as a quick and dirty compile...though it won't work in many, many cases. Still, when I was newer to programming most of my projects could compile using that command.

Answer 7

It's called make.

For alternatives, check this list out.