How to develop in C programming language on Linux

Diagnostics: Clang provides more user-friendly and precise error and warning messages than GCC, making it easier to understand and fix issues in your code.

Compilation speed: Clang is generally faster at compiling code than GCC, which can be advantageous for large projects or when using an IDE with real-time code analysis.

Static analysis tools: Clang’s infrastructure enables powerful static analysis tools such as Clang-Tidy and Clang Static Analyzer, which can help identify potential issues in your code.

Modular design: LLVM has a more modular design, which allows for easier integration with other tools and development of custom optimization passes.

Language support: Clang has better support for the latest C++ standards and features. However, it lacks support for some languages that GCC supports, such as Fortran and Ada.

Maturity: GCC has been around for a longer time and is more mature. As a result, it has better support for a wider range of architectures, operating systems, and programming languages.

Optimization: GCC often produces more optimized code, resulting in faster run-time performance, especially on older hardware and architectures.

Language support: GCC supports a wide range of programming languages, including C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Ada, D, Go, and others.

License: GCC is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), while LLVM/Clang uses a more permissive University of Illinois/NCSA Open Source License.

If you prioritize user-friendly error messages, faster compilation speed, or the latest C++ features, you might prefer LLVM/Clang.

If you need better optimization, support for a wider range of programming languages, or compatibility with a wider range of architectures, GCC might be the better choice.

In many cases, you can have both compilers installed on your system and switch between them as needed. This can be helpful for testing your code’s compatibility and performance across different compilers.

GCC/Clang:

Make:

GDB:

Valgrind:

Ctags:

CMake:

Static analyzers:

Code formatters:

Version control systems:

C Programming:

Linux Programming:

GNU Toolchain:

Vim:

Online resources:

Install Vim on your Linux system using the package manager.

Install the gcc compiler and related development tools using the package manager.

Install a plugin manager for Vim, such as Vundle or Pathogen.

Install the following Vim plugins using your chosen plugin manager:

Create a .vimrc file in your home directory to configure Vim. Add the following lines to enable the plugins and set some basic configuration:

set nocompatible
filetype plugin indent on
syntax on
set tabstop=4
set softtabstop=4
set shiftwidth=4
set expandtab
set number
set mouse=a

" Plugin settings
call vundle#begin()
Plugin 'VundleVim/Vundle.vim'
Plugin 'ycm-core/YouCompleteMe'
Plugin 'scrooloose/nerdtree'
Plugin 'tpope/vim-fugitive'
call vundle#end()

" YouCompleteMe settings
let g:ycm_global_ycm_extra_conf = '~/.vim/bundle/YouCompleteMe/third_party/ycmd/cpp/ycm/.ycm_extra_conf.py'
let g:ycm_error_symbol = '>>'
let g:ycm_warning_symbol = '--'
let g:ycm_show_diagnostics_ui = 0
let g:ycm_autoclose_preview_window_after_completion = 1
let g:ycm_min_num_of_chars_for_completion = 1
let g:ycm_key_invoke_completion = '<C-Space>'
let g:ycm_collect_identifiers_from_comments_and_strings = 1
let g:ycm_complete_in_comments_and_strings = 1
let g:ycm_complete_in_strings = 1
let g:ycm_semantic_triggers = {'c': ['.']}
let g:ycm_semantic_triggers_enabled = {'c': 1}

" NERDTree settings
map <C-n> :NERDTreeToggle<CR>

" vim-fugitive settings
map <Leader>gs :Git<CR>

Create a new C file in Vim using the following command:

vim main.c

Start coding your C program in Vim. Use the following command to compile your program:

:!gcc % -o %< && ./%<

Organize your project directory:

Create source files and header files:

Writing the C code:

Building the C project:

Running the C project:

Debugging the C project:

Version control:

Source and header files: Organize your source files (.c) and header files (.h) in separate directories, typically named src and include, respectively. This makes it easier to navigate and manage your code.

Subdirectories: Divide your code into logical modules or components, and place the related source and header files into corresponding subdirectories within the src and include directories.

Makefile: Include a Makefile in the root directory of your project to automate the build process. This makes it easy to compile and link your source files and manage dependencies.

Documentation: Create a docs directory to store your project’s documentation, such as design documents, user guides, and API references.

Tests: If your project includes unit tests or other test code, organize them in a separate directory, typically named tests.

Configuration files: Place configuration files, such as .gitignore, in the root directory of your project.

Third-party libraries: If your project uses third-party libraries, store them in a separate directory, typically named libs or external.

my_project/
├── Makefile
├── .gitignore
├── include/
│   ├── module1/
│   │   ├── file1.h
│   │   └── file2.h
│   └── module2/
│       ├── file3.h
│       └── file4.h
├── src/
│   ├── module1/
│   │   ├── file1.c
│   │   └── file2.c
│   └── module2/
│       ├── file3.c
│       └── file4.c
├── tests/
│   ├── module1_tests.c
│   └── module2_tests.c
├── docs/
│   ├── design.md
│   └── user_guide.md
└── libs/
    └── third_party_library/

Indentation: Use consistent indentation, either spaces or tabs, throughout your code. Typically, a 4-space indentation is used.

Braces: Choose a brace style, such as K&R or Allman, and use it consistently throughout your code.

Naming conventions: Use descriptive names for variables, functions, and types. Follow a consistent naming convention, such as lower_snake_case for variables and functions, and UpperCamelCase for types.

Comments: Write meaningful comments for functions, complex code blocks, and non-obvious code. Use the C-style /* …​ */ for multi-line comments and // for single-line comments.

Header file inclusion guards: Use header file inclusion guards or #pragma once to prevent multiple inclusions of the same header file.

Error handling: Use consistent error handling mechanisms, such as returning error codes or using assert().

Function and variable declarations: Organize your function and variable declarations in a consistent manner. For example, declare one variable per line and place function return type on a separate line.