Installing Microsoft C compiler

Information.png Note: This is for EiffelStudio 7.2 and above. For older version of EiffelStudio check out Installing Microsoft C compiler (Visual Studio 2010 and older, or Windows SDK 7.1 and older)

In order to install EiffelStudio in Windows you will need a C/C++ compiler. By default, the installer comes complete with the GCC tool suite, which you can opt to install if no compatible C/C++ was detected on your system.

For users who do not want to use GCC, you will need to install Visual Studio 2012 or later. The guide below assumes you are downloading the Express edition of Visual Studio for Windows Desktop.

Using a Microsoft Visual C/C++ Compiler

Information.png Note: Only Visual Studio versions released prior to a release of EiffelStudio are supported.

Downloading Visual Studio Express

The first thing to do is to download Visual Studio Express for Desktop from Microsoft's web site and then choose between the internet installer or the ISO image.

Simply follow the instructions for the installation. If you are running on a 64-bit system and you are offered a choice of C/C++ compilers, make sure to select the 64-bit compiler if you intend to use the 64-bit version of EiffelStudio, conversely make sure to use the 32-bit compiler with the 32-bit version of EiffelStudio.

Configuring C Compiler to Compile From the Command Line

The EiffelStudio installation provides the espawn tool. The tool lists all the detected versions of the Microsoft C++ compiler it finds on your system, and it will also let you configure your command prompt to use a C/C++ compiler of your choosing.

For example to get the list of C/C++ compilers enter espawn -l which will get you an output similar to the following:

Eiffel Environment Command Spawn Utility - Version: 7.2
Copyright Eiffel Software 1985-2012. All Rights Reserved.
 
Available C/C++ compilers:
 
   VC110 :  Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 VC++ (11.0)
   WSDK71:  Microsoft Windows SDK 7.1 (Windows 7)
   VC100 :  Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 VC++ (10.0)
   VC80  :  Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 VC++ (8.0)

To launch a DOS prompt setup for Visual Studio 2012 enter:

espawn -u:VC110 cmd.exe