SDK Question Getting started

[Delta glider]

Ok, absolute noobie here on coding. But my question is what software should I get for programming and what environment should I get as a noobie getting started. I'm using windows vista 32 bit. Thanks.

 

[N_Molson]

Well, most people here use Microsoft Visual Studio. The download is free, there are several versions. Personally I successfully used both 2008 & 2010 with Orbiter.

What's good with the 2008 version is that you can directly use this excellent tutorial in order to set up the development environment :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBRLkN__YIo

It also works with the 2010 version but you have to guess a few things because there are several changes.

 

[Delta glider]

Thank you.
The only thing is that my dad was suggesting using elipse.

 

[jedidia]

The only thing is that my dad was suggesting using elipse.

You probably mean eclipse? If orbiter was written in Java, that would be a great idea... but Visual Studio really is THE go-to IDE when it comes to C++, as long as you don't need anything platform independant. Also, you'll have to fiddle quite a bit with eclipse to succesfully compile for orbiter, while with visual studio it works pretty much out of the box.

 

[N_Molson]

You can even run directly Orbiter through the VS "Debug mode", which is extremely helpful to track your errors.

 

[boogabooga]

Where you are now is where I was a month or two ago.

The answer is Visual Studios 2013 Express Edition. Microsoft will push the "Community" addition, but apparently you don't need it.

What's good with the 2008 version is that you can directly use this excellent tutorial in order to set up the development environment :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBRLkN__YIo

It also works with the 2010 version but you have to guess a few things because there are several changes.

Actually, the appearance of "Property Sheets" in Orbiter 2010 has made that video kind of obsolete. Search Orbiter forum for "property sheets" to see how to set up for Orbiter 2010.

 

[Urwumpe]

You can use Eclipse with the Visual Studio tools... but as you can already see by the sentence: Eclipse alone is completely useless for Orbiter development.

 

[Enjo]

As said, Visual Studio and property sheets for a start.

The only thing is that my dad was suggesting using elipse.

Eclipse has really nice code completition features, but it doesn't leverage multiple cores of the CPU to compile multiple source files simultaneously, same as Visual Studio. For this reason I use CodeBlocks, as my projects have grown much bigger. I only have to setup the compiler to be the Visual Studio, instead of the default GCC. And I can't debug in CodeBlocks.

 

[Delta glider]

P

Where you are now is where I was a month or two ago.

The answer is Visual Studios 2013 Express Edition. Microsoft will push the "Community" addition, but apparently you don't need it.



Actually, the appearance of "Property Sheets" in Orbiter 2010 has made that video kind of obsolete. Search Orbiter forum for "property sheets" to see how to set up for Orbiter 2010.

Trying. Thanks.

 

[Urwumpe]

Trying. Thanks.

If you try learning C++ for Orbiter, don't waste your time on general programming guides for C++. Focus directly on the language and stay in the Orbiter SDK environment. you don't even need the STL for the first steps.

Orbiter is really simple for programming, the less you waste time fighting the language, the more you can concentrate on the problems and solutions.

 

[Delta glider]

Ok then - so no oher programs, just orbiter.

 

[Urwumpe]

Ok then - so no oher programs, just orbiter.

Orbiter and of course the Visual Studio... more is really not needed for getting started. LATER you can look at some more stuff outside Orbiter.