Small Steps VII — Share Your Program

Publish Your Program

Build a folder your friends can run.

Make a program to share

Example · example.cpp

void small_main()
{
    print("Hello, friend!");
    input("Press Enter to close.");
}

Choose Try This Code, save it as MyGreeting.cpp, and press Run. The last input waits for Enter so you can read the message. A published console program closes when it finishes; the IDE's automatic exit pause is not included.

Make the Windows folder

1. Choose File → Publish…. The Publish Your Program window opens. 2. Under Save to, use Browse… to choose where to put the new folder. Choose a folder name that does not exist yet, such as MyGreeting-Published. 3. Leave Extra Files — Optional empty for this program and press Publish. 4. When Your program is ready! appears, choose Open Folder. 5. Double-click MyGreeting.exe, read the greeting, then press Enter.

Publish makes a local Windows x64 copy. It does not upload your work to the Internet. Your friends do not need Small C++, Qt, or a compiler installed. The folder also includes your source code, so they can read how you made it.

Choose a new destination folder, then press Publish.

Exercise — Your own greeting

Change the greeting to a message for your friend. Save the program as MyGreeting.cpp and publish to a new folder. Run the new MyGreeting.exe and check your message.

Exercise starter · exercise_starter.cpp

void small_main()
{
    print("Hello, friend!");
    input("Press Enter to close.");
}

Hint

Change the text inside print's quotes. Keep input at the end. Each Publish needs a new destination folder; existing folders are not overwritten.

show solution

void small_main()
{
    print("I made this program for you!");
    input("Press Enter to close.");
}