Tools

Table of contents

Build automation
- CMake
Version control
- Git
Compilation and compilers
- GCC
- Clang
- MSVC
- Circle
Linking and linkers
IDE
- Visual Studio
- Visual Studio Code
Code analysis and optimization tools
Debugging
- GDB
  - Pretty printers
AI tools
C++ tests and quizes

Build automation

CMake

🔗

Include Google Benchmark/Test in C++ project – Software Engineering Blog

🎥

F.Castelli. Introduction to CMake – SwedenCpp (2018)
D.Pfeifer. Effective CMake – C++Now (2017)
M.Ropert. Using modern CMake patterns to enforce a good modular design – CppCon (2017)
J.Turner. Episode 78: Intro to CMake – C++ Weekly (2017)

Version control

Git

🎥

E.Campidoglio. Git hidden gems – NDC Oslo (2023)
C.Schafer. Git tutorial for beginners

❔

How to make Git “forget” about a file that was tracked but is now in .gitignore? – Stack Overflow
When should I use git pull --rebase? – Stack Overflow

Compilation and compilers

🔗

A.O’Dwyer. Always read the first error message first (2023)

🎥

V.Romeo. Improving C++ compilation times: Tools & techniques – ACCU (2023)

⚓

C++ compiler support – C++ reference

GCC

🔗

M.Jones GCC hacks in the Linux kernel (2008)
M.Davis. An introduction to creating GCC plugins (2011)
F.Aboukhadijeh. GCC Easter egg: C++ undefined defined behavior (2010)

❔

Linux kernel’s __is_constexpr macro – Stack Overflow
What are the GCC predefined macros for the compiler’s version number? – Stack Overflow

🔉

M.Deters. Episode 61: Internals of GCC – Software Engineering Radio (2007)

⚓

Semantics of floating point math in GCC – GCC Wiki

Clang

🔗

E.Bendersky. Dumping a C++ object’s memory layout with Clang (2012)

MSVC

🔗

Compiler limits (2021)

⚓

*Compiler options: /fp (specify floating-point behavior) – Visual C++ documentation

Circle

🔗

Circle C++ compiler

Linking and linkers

See also Libraries – Assembly, low-level programming, and OS internals.

🔗

D.Drysdale. Beginner’s guide to linkers (2009)

❔

What do linkers actually do with multiply-defined inline functions? – Stack Overflow

🎥

N.Friedman. What C++ developers should know about globals (and the linker) – CppCon (2017)

📖

J.R.Levine. Linkers and loaders – Morgan-Kauffman (1999)

IDE

Visual Studio

🔗

A.Rich. Troubleshooting tips for IntelliSense slowness

Visual Studio Code

🔗

Code analysis and optimization tools

🎥

H.Matthews. Optimising a small real-world C++ application – ACCU (2019)

Online compilers

🔗

Compiler explorer

🎥

M.Godbolt Compiler explorer: Behind the scenes – CppCon (2019)

Intel Architecture Code Analyzer (IACA)

What is IACA and how do I use it? – Stack Overflow

Valgrind

🎥

J.Turner. Episode 86: Valgrind compiler optimization – C++ Weekly (2017)

Debugging

🔗

Debugging stack traces from crash dumps – Microsoft

❔

Creating a SIGSEGV for debug purposes – Stack Overflow
When and why will an OS initialise memory to 0xCD, 0xDD, etc. on malloc/free/new/delete? – Stack Overflow

🎥

B.Steagall. Back to basics: Debugging techniques – CppCon (2021)
H.Matthews. Optimising a small real-world C++ application – ACCU (2019)
G.Law. Debugging Linux C++ – CppCon (2018)
Unusual memory bit patterns

GDB

🔗

Debugging with GDB

❔

Identify source file name for a symbol in gdb debugger – Stack Overflow

Pretty printers

🔗

Sec. 10.9: Pretty printing – Debugging with GDB
Sec. 23.2.2: Python API – Debugging with GDB
D.Haguenauer. Writing custom GDB pretty-printers (2018)
Pretty printing. Part I, Part II (2008)
Make debugging easier with custom pretty-printers (2010)
R.Sonderfeld. GDB pretty printers for Boost

AI tools

🎥

A.Alexandrescu. Robots are after your job: Exploring generative AI for C++ – CppCon (2023)

C++ tests and quizes

🔗

A.S.Knatten. C++ quiz
J.Nieminen. Test your C++ knowledge