How to Run C++ on a Mac

If you're interested in running C++ on a Mac, there are several things you should know. The ISO standardized language is portable and can be run on multiple platforms, but it's not the only option available. There are also dialects of C++ that are understood by individual compilers, which can make code less portable.

One issue to consider when running C++ on a Mac is that the code may rely on POSIX APIs, which won't compile if they're not available. For example, Windows supports some POSIX APIs, but far from all. Additionally, code that uses the Win32 API won't compile on platforms where it's not available.

Another important consideration is that even if your code is portable, your dependencies may not be. This means that if your code makes assumptions about implementation-defined behavior, it might not be portable. For example, code that assumes a pointer can be stored in an 16-bit wide object on Windows, but typically 32 bits on Linux, will not work correctly.

The C++ standard leaves many things implementation-defined, which means that it's up to the individual platform and compiler how it should behave. However, this also means that there are several caveats to be aware of when running C++ on a Mac.

Fortunately, the C++ language is portable, so you can compile and build your code as you would usually do in Sublime Text using the g++ compiler. To do this, simply go to the 'Build' menu, select 'Set Build System,' and then enter the following command: `/opt/homebrew/bin/g++-11`.

Once you've entered this command, save the file and restart Sublime Text. Then, open the Command Palette and select 'PackageResourceViewer: Open Resource.' Finally, replace all instances of `g++` with the location where g++ is installed on your Mac (`/opt/homebrew/bin/g++-11`).

If you're using an older version of macOS, you may need to install GCC using the command `brew install gcc`. Once you've installed GCC, you can check that it's working correctly by running the command `gcc-11 -version`.

There are several things that I find missing in the default C++ build in Mac Sublime Text (clang), including no bits/stdc++.h header and regular warnings on using the auto keyword. Additionally, using inline comparator functions is not supported. However, with a little bit of configuration, you can use brew's g++ as your default build system without breaking anything.

Overall, running C++ on a Mac requires some knowledge of how different compilers work and how to configure them correctly. With a little bit of effort, however, you should be able to get started with writing and compiling C++ code on your Mac.

How to run c++ on mac