Zero Knowledge C/C++ Run Code

A powerful, fast, and user-friendly VS Code extension that allows you to run C and C++ code files directly from the context menu with a single click. No complex configuration needed - just install and start coding!

✨ Features

🚀 Quick Execution

Right-click and Run: Run C/C++ files directly from Explorer/Editor
Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+B (Cmd+Shift+B on macOS)
Auto-save: Saves the file before compile (configurable)

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Compilers: GCC, G++, Clang, Clang++ (auto-detect)
Paths & Flags: Custom compiler path, -Wall, optimization (O1/O2/O3/Os)
Args: Extra compiler and runtime arguments
Terminal: Per-file or single global, with auto-cleanup

🛠️ Developer Experience

Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Real-time Checks: Live scanf “missing &” diagnostics with precise underline
Inline Suggestion: Copilot-style scanf(...) suggestion after int/float/double/char declarations
Snippets: Handy C/C++ templates

📱 Terminal Options

Per-File or Global terminals
Auto-cleanup option

📋 Requirements

System Requirements

VS Code: Version 1.60.0 or higher
Compiler: GCC/G++ or Clang/Clang++ installed and available in PATH
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

Compiler Installation

Windows

# Using Chocolatey
choco install mingw

# Or download from: https://www.mingw-w64.org/

macOS

# Install Xcode Command Line Tools
xcode-select --install

# Or install Homebrew and GCC
brew install gcc

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential gcc g++

Linux (Fedora/RHEL)

sudo dnf install gcc gcc-c++
# or
sudo yum install gcc gcc-c++

🚀 How to Use

Right-click on any .c or .cpp file in the Explorer or Editor
Select "Run C/C++ Code" from the context menu
Your code will compile and execute in a dedicated terminal

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

Open a C/C++ file
Press Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+B (macOS)

Method 3: Code Snippets

Use built-in snippets for quick code structure:

C: Type cmain + Tab for main function template
C++: Type cppmain + Tab for main function template
Additional snippets: cfor, cwhile, cif, cifelse, cswitch, cfunc, cppclass, cppvector, etc.

⚙️ Configuration

Open Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for “C/C++ Run Code”.

Terminal & Build (Grouped, end of Settings)

{
  "run-c-code.closePreviousTerminals": false,   // order 100
  "run-c-code.useNewTerminalPerFile": true,     // order 101
  "run-c-code.useBuildFolder": true,            // order 102
  "run-c-code.saveFileBeforeRun": true          // order 103
}

Compiler Configuration

{
  "run-c-code.compilerType": "auto",            // auto, gcc, g++, clang, clang++
  "run-c-code.compilerPath": "",                // Custom compiler path
  "run-c-code.enableWarnings": true,            // Enable -Wall warnings
  "run-c-code.optimizationLevel": "none",       // none, O1, O2, O3, Os
  "run-c-code.additionalCompilerArgs": "",      // Extra compiler flags
  "run-c-code.runArgs": ""                      // Runtime arguments
}

Developer Features

{
  "run-c-code.enableSyntaxCheck": false,        // Enable scanf & checking
  "run-c-code.saveFileBeforeRun": true          // Auto-save before run
}

Gemini AI Features (Experimental)

1. Text Improvement

{
  "run-c-code.experimental.enableGeminiRefactor": false, // Toggle AI features
  "run-c-code.geminiApiKey": "",                        // Your API key
  "run-c-code.geminiModel": "gemini-2.5-flash-lite",    // Default model
  "run-c-code.geminiOutputLanguage": "english",         // Output language (english/bangla)
  "run-c-code.geminiLineLength": 76,                    // Max characters per line
  "run-c-code.geminiExtraRules": ""                     // Additional custom rules
}

Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+E (macOS: Cmd+Alt+E) on selected text
Supports: C, C++, Python, and .txt files
Language Support: Choose between English or Bangla (বাংলা) output
Line Length: Set maximum characters per line (default: 76)

2. Smart Variable Renamer 🆕

Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+R (macOS: Cmd+Alt+R)
Two Modes:
- Quick Fix (💡) - Default, Recommended
  - Shows blue underlines on poorly named variables
  - Click lightbulb or press Ctrl+. to see suggestions
  - In-context, professional approach
  - One-click rename with WorkspaceEdit
- Quick Pick - Classic menu style
  - Shows all suggestions in a selection menu
  - Multi-select with Space, Enter to apply
What it does:
- Analyzes your code for poorly named variables (x, y, a, b, temp, etc.)
- Suggests meaningful, descriptive names using AI
- Shows which lines each variable appears on
- Lets you choose which renames to apply
Works with: Entire file or selected code
Supports: C, C++, Python

Example (Quick Fix Mode):

// Before - you'll see blue underline under 'x' and 'calc'
int x = 10;
float y = calc(x);

// Click 💡 lightbulb → "Rename 'x' to 'student_count'"
// After one click
int student_count = 10;
float average_score = calculate_average(student_count);

Settings:

{
  "run-c-code.variableRenamerMode": "quickFix"  // or "quickPick"
}

Models available (RPD): gemini-2.0-flash (200), gemini-2.0-flash-lite (200), gemini-2.5-flash-lite (1k, default), gemma-3-2b (14k), gemini-2.5-flash (250).

Arguments & Optimization (Together)

Control runtime args, extra compiler flags, and optimization in one place.

{
  "run-c-code.runArgs": "",
  "run-c-code.additionalCompilerArgs": "",
  "run-c-code.optimizationLevel": "none"
}

See more

English

Run-c-code: Run Args: Command line arguments passed to your executable at runtime.
- Example: "run-c-code.runArgs": "-n 10 --verbose input.txt"
- Windows run: & ".\\build\\your.exe" -n 10 --verbose input.txt
- macOS/Linux run: ./build/your -n 10 --verbose input.txt
Run-c-code: Additional Compiler Args: Extra compiler flags appended to the compile command.
- Examples:
  - C standard: "-std=c11"
  - Debug + macro: "-g -DDEBUG"
  - Include path: "-Iinclude"
- Resulting command (illustrative): gcc file.c -Wall -O2 -std=c11 -g -DDEBUG -Iinclude -o build/file.exe
Run-c-code: Optimization Level: Chooses the compiler optimization level.
- Values: none, O1, O2, O3, Os
- Example: "run-c-code.optimizationLevel": "O2" → adds -O2 during compilation.

বাংলা

Run-c-code: Run Args: আপনার প্রোগ্রাম রান করার সময় যে আর্গুমেন্টগুলো পাস হবে।
- উদাহরণ: "run-c-code.runArgs": "-n 10 --verbose input.txt"
- Windows: & ".\\build\\your.exe" -n 10 --verbose input.txt
- macOS/Linux: ./build/your -n 10 --verbose input.txt
Run-c-code: Additional Compiler Args: কম্পাইল কমান্ডে অতিরিক্ত ফ্ল্যাগ যোগ করে।
- উদাহরণ:
  - C স্ট্যান্ডার্ড: "-std=c11"
  - ডিবাগ + ম্যাক্রো: "-g -DDEBUG"
  - ইনক্লুড পাথ: "-Iinclude"
- কমান্ড (উদাহরণ): gcc file.c -Wall -O2 -std=c11 -g -DDEBUG -Iinclude -o build/file.exe
Run-c-code: Optimization Level: কম্পাইলারের অপ্টিমাইজেশন লেভেল ঠিক করে।
- অপশন: none, O1, O2, O3, Os
- উদাহরণ: "run-c-code.optimizationLevel": "O2" দিলে কম্পাইলের সময় -O2 যুক্ত হবে।

Build Folder Behavior

By default, executables are created in a build/ subfolder beside the source and run from the parent directory.

{
  "run-c-code.useBuildFolder": true            // Compile to build/ and run as ./build/<exe>
}

When disabled (false), the executable is created and run in the same folder as the source (legacy behavior).

📥 Installation

From VSIX (Recommended)

Download zero-knowledge-c-run-code-0.1.6.vsix
Open VS Code
Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Command Palette)
Type "Install from VSIX" and select
Choose the downloaded .vsix file

From Source

git clone https://github.com/masudranaxpert/zero-knowledge-c-run-code.git
cd zero-knowledge-c-run-code
npm install
npm run package
# Install the generated .vsix file

From VS Code Marketplace

Coming soon - submit to marketplace

🐛 Troubleshooting

Compiler Not Found

Error: 'gcc' is not recognized as an internal or external command

Solution: Install GCC and ensure it's in your PATH

# Check if GCC is installed
gcc --version

# Add to PATH (Windows)
set PATH=%PATH%;"C:\MinGW\bin"

# Add to PATH (Linux/macOS)
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

Permission Issues (Linux/macOS)

chmod +x your_program

Terminal Doesn't Open

Check VS Code terminal settings
Try restarting VS Code
Verify extension is enabled

📝 Release Notes

0.1.6

🆕 Smart Variable Renamer: AI-powered tool to suggest better variable/function names
- Quick Fix Mode (💡): Shows blue underlines with lightbulb suggestions (default)
- Quick Pick Mode: Classic menu-based selection
- One-click rename with WorkspaceEdit
🆕 Text File Support: Gemini refactor now works with .txt files
🆕 Language Selection: Choose between English and Bangla (বাংলা) output
🆕 Line Length Control: Set maximum characters per line (default: 76)
🛠️ Enhanced Formatting: Better multi-line comment and text formatting
🌐 Bilingual Support: Full support for English and Bangla (বাংলা)
⌨️ New Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+R for Smart Variable Renamer
🎯 Professional UX: In-context diagnostics and code actions

0.1.5

🆕 Gemini AI Integration: Experimental text refactoring feature
🛠️ Multiple Models: Support for various Gemini models
🔧 Custom Rules: Add your own refactoring rules

0.1.3

🆕 Build Folder Output: Compiles into build/ subfolder and runs via build/<exe>
🛠️ Setting: Toggle behavior with run-c-code.useBuildFolder (default: true)

0.1.2

🆕 C++ Support: Full C++ file support with g++
🆕 Multi-Compiler: Support for GCC, G++, Clang, Clang++
🆕 Terminal Management: Per-file terminals with cleanup options
🆕 Code Snippets: Built-in C/C++ code templates
🆕 Syntax Checking: Real-time scanf error detection
🆕 Cross-platform: Improved Windows, macOS, Linux compatibility
🆕 Advanced Settings: Compiler flags, optimization, custom arguments

0.1.1

🆕 C++ Basic Support: Initial C++ file detection
🆕 Compiler Configuration: Basic compiler type selection
🆕 Terminal Options: Global vs per-file terminal modes
🆕 Auto-save: Save files before compilation

0.0.1

🚀 Initial release
✅ C file support with GCC
✅ Right-click context menu
✅ Keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+B)
✅ Terminal integration
✅ Auto-save feature

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with ❤️ for the C/C++ developer community
Thanks to all contributors and testers

📞 Support & Feedback

Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Email: For direct support, check repository contacts

Happy Coding with Zero Knowledge C/C++ Run Code! 🎉

Zero Knowledge C/C++ Run Code

Zero Knowledge

Zero Knowledge C/C++ Run Code

✨ Features

🚀 Quick Execution

🔧 Advanced Configuration

🛠️ Developer Experience

📱 Terminal Options

📋 Requirements

System Requirements

Compiler Installation

Windows

macOS

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

Linux (Fedora/RHEL)

🚀 How to Use

Method 1: Right-click Menu

Method 2: Keyboard Shortcut

Method 3: Code Snippets

⚙️ Configuration

Terminal & Build (Grouped, end of Settings)

Compiler Configuration

Developer Features

Gemini AI Features (Experimental)

1. Text Improvement

2. Smart Variable Renamer 🆕

Arguments & Optimization (Together)

Build Folder Behavior

📥 Installation

From VSIX (Recommended)

From Source

From VS Code Marketplace

🐛 Troubleshooting

Compiler Not Found

Permission Issues (Linux/macOS)

Terminal Doesn't Open

📝 Release Notes

0.1.6

0.1.5

0.1.3

0.1.2

0.1.1

0.0.1

🤝 Contributing

📄 License

🙏 Acknowledgments

📞 Support & Feedback