C++ How to Program, 10/e

1.9 Typical C++ Development Environment

C++ systems generally consist of three parts: a program development environment, the language and the C++ Standard Library. C++ programs typically go through six phases: edit, preprocess, compile, link, load and execute. The following discussion explains a typical C++ program development environment.

Phase 1: Editing a Program

Phase 1 consists of editing a file with an editor program, normally known simply as an editor (Fig. 1.6). You type a C++ program (typically referred to as source code) using the editor, make any necessary corrections and save the program on your computer’s disk. C++ source code filenames often end with the .cpp, .cxx, .cc or .C (uppercase) extensions which indicate that a file ...