How to set up and debug a C language environment in Visual Studio Code?

2 years ago
Isabella Edwards
2 minutes

To set up and debug a C language environment in VSCode, you can follow these steps:

  1. To install VSCode: First, make sure you have installed VSCode on your computer. You can download and install it from the official VSCode website (https://code.visualstudio.com/).
  2. Install the C/C++ extension: In VSCode, click on the extensions icon on the left (four square icon), search for and install the “C/C++” extension.
  3. Configure the compiler: In VSCode, click on “File” -> “Preferences” -> “Settings” to open the user settings. In the search box, type “c_cpp_properties”, click on the “Edit in settings.json” link, and add the following content to the settings.json file.
{
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Win32",
            "includePath": [
                "${workspaceFolder}/**"
            ],
            "defines": [],
            "compilerPath": "C:/MinGW/bin/gcc.exe",
            "cStandard": "c11",
            "cppStandard": "c++17",
            "intelliSenseMode": "gcc-x64"
        }
    ],
    "version": 4
}

Please note that the “compilerPath” in the above configuration needs to be modified according to the installation path of your compiler.

  1. To create a C file, in VSCode, click on “File” -> “New File”, and save the file with a “.c” extension, such as “hello.c”.
  2. Write C code: In the newly created C file, write your C code, for example:
#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    printf("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}
  1. Compile and run: Press Ctrl+` (or click on “View” -> “Terminal”) to open the terminal. Enter the following command to compile C code in the terminal.
gcc hello.c -o hello

Next, execute the compiled executable file with the following command:

./hello

You will see the program output result as “Hello, World!” in the terminal.

  1. Debugging C code: Click on the debugging icon (bug icon) on the left side of VSCode, then click on the “Create a debug configuration” button. Select “C++ (GDB/LLDB)” and VSCode will automatically create a “launch.json” file. Add the following configuration to the “launch.json” file:
{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "(gdb) Launch",
            "type": "cppdbg",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/hello",
            "args": [],
            "stopAtEntry": false,
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "environment": [],
            "externalConsole": false,
            "MIMode": "gdb",
            "miDebuggerPath": "C:/MinGW/bin/gdb.exe",
            "preLaunchTask": "build"
        }
    ]
}

Ensure that “miDebuggerPath” matches your GDB debugger path.

  1. Debugging: Clicking the “Start debugging” button or pressing F5 will launch the debugger in VSCode and run your C code. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, and more.

Here are the steps to configure and debug the C language environment in VSCode. Hope it helps you!

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