using Borland compiler

[Aisthesis]

I've been using MS Visual C++ Express with no problems but feel that it's time to at least get my feet wet with another IDE, and the other one I currently have is Borland's Turbo C++ (2006 version I think, if that matters), but I can't figured out how to use it just to write a simple C++ source code file, then compile and run it (Windows Vista computer, it that's relevant).

I would really appreciate it if someone could walk me through how to do this. My opening screen has on the left 3 windows: Call stack, Watch List, Local Variables. Then in the middle there's the welcome page with the buttons New Project, Open Project, Open File, Help.

I'm assuming that I need to click New Project to get a new project going. When I click that button, a window pops up called "New Items". It has a folder tree under the heading Item Categories on the left side, and the tree shows a folder C++ Builder Projects with 3 subfolders. Then a folder on the same level called Other Files, and another called Web Documents.

On the right side of the screen, I see 3 choices: Code Template (with the Roman helmet that Borland uses as icon), Project group (with another icon) and Text (with an icon that kind of looks like Notepad).

I have no idea what I'm supposed to do in this window--or even if I was even headed in the right direction initially by clicking on "New Project" from the opening window.

I would really appreciate any help that someone might give me in how to get to a code editor where I can write, compile and run code from Borland.

[Salem]

> I'm assuming that I need to click New Project to get a new project going.
Did you try?
And yes, that seems like a good idea.

I've never used it, but most IDEs follow the same workflow pattern (create a project, add files, edit, compile, debug).

There's always pressing the "help" button and having a nice long read...

[Aisthesis]

Yes, I tried doing that. As stated above, I get a window where I don't know how to proceed further.

So, to begin with, after clicking "New Project", what do I do in the window (described above) that comes up?

I have of course tried going through the help menu before asking you guys, but if it does guide you through the process of creating a first simple project (as it surely does), I can't find where.

Surely someone here uses Borland regularly, as it seems to be a major compiler, and this process is surely trivial once you know how to do it.

[cyberfish]

I'm not sure if I would call Borland a "major" compiler. The 2 major ones nowadays seem to be MSVC and GCC.

If you just want to try a different IDE, I recommend GCC-based IDEs like Code::Blocks.

[Aisthesis]

Here's what Borland help says under "Starting a project":

Click "new" from welcome page (Ok, did that) and select the type of application you want to create, or choose File > New > Other.

Ok, I wasn't clear whether a simple project should be done as Code Template, Project Group, or text. So, I highlighted "Other Files" under New Items (that was as close as I could get to File > New > Other) and clicked ok.

Then I get a window in the middle with a txt editor. But if I type in a simple program in the text editor, I can't find a compiler anywhere. Nor can I even find a place to change the default name of my file as "File1.txt." So, this option doesn't seem to produce a very good environment for creating and compiling code.

[Aisthesis]

So, I try another option from help, namely highlighting Code Template and clicking ok (window immediately following a click on "New Project"):

Now the central window shows a template called template1.xml with a bunch of code lines I don't understand at all. So, this option doesn't seem right. I don't even know what an xml file does, so no need to get involved in that.

[Aisthesis]

Yet another option: I click "New Project", then highlight in the next window "Project Group" and click ok.

Now I get pretty much the same screen as the welcome screen, except for this: On the far right, there's a window with the heading Project Manager. Originally, in the box there was only <no project> or something like that. Now, I see "Project Group1" in that window.

I'm guessing that this is the route I need to be taking.

[Aisthesis]

ok, now I have a project "Learn" with various files automatically created (using above method to get there).

I created a file called test1.cpp and added it there. All this code does is just cout << "Hi!\n". And I can compile it with 0 errors.

But now I can't figure out how to get a window where I can watch it run, as in MS Visual C++.

Also, the program seems to want to create a file Unit1.cpp together with Unit1.h with language in them that is pretty much meaningless to me. Should I just exclude these from project or let them stay there?

Anyhow, I just want Learn to be a receptacle for various C++ exercises where I can compile and run the code to see how it works.

I think I'm getting close now. All I really need is a window to watch the program run after being compiled.