Small Steps VIII — Build with Several Files

A Folder Is a Project

Create a project and run the whole program.

When your code gets longer

Keep using one file while it is enough. Use a project when you want to separate functions by their jobs. One folder is one project.

Make your first project

1. Choose File → New Project…. 2. Choose where to put it and enter Greeting as its name. 3. Replace the generated main.cpp with the code below and save it.

Example · example.cpp

void small_main()
{
    print("Hello, project!");
}

Choose Run Project. You will see Hello, project!. The name below PROJECT is the folder name. The window title and status bar also identify your project.

For an existing folder, choose File → Open Project (Folder)…, enter that folder, then choose Open This Folder. You do not need a small.project file.

A tab and a project are different

A tab is the file you are reading or editing. Run Project uses all included .cpp files together, regardless of the selected tab. Closing a tab keeps its file in the project. A file from another folder has [Outside Project] on its tab and is not used when running the project.

File → Close Project closes the project without deleting its files.

Find the actual folder

Right-click the project name or a blank area in its file list and choose Show Project in File Explorer. This opens the project folder. Right-click a file or its tab and choose Show in File Explorer to see that file selected. This action is unavailable for files you have not saved yet.

Exercise — Check it yourself

Change the message and save. Close the project, reopen the same folder, and run it.

Exercise starter · exercise_starter.cpp

void small_main()
{
    print("Hello, project!");
}

Hint

Use the menus described above. The solution below is for the one-file practice. Apply the same change to the file with that job in your project.

show solution

void small_main()
{
    print("Welcome back!");
}