OpenGL Linux Template Project

This project template is designed for OpenGL development on Linux, specifically tested on Windows running WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) with Ubuntu. However, it should work on any Ubuntu-based distribution with the required libraries installed.

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Table of Contents

• Setting Up WSL on Windows
• Installing Required Libraries on Ubuntu
• Setting Up VS Code
  • Installing the C++ Extension for VS Code
  • Setting Up VS Code with WSL
• Running the Project
  • Method 1: Using the Run Button
  • Method 2: Using the Build Task
• Project Configuration
• Git Configuration
• Disclaimer

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Setting Up WSL on Windows

If you're using Windows, follow these steps to install WSL and set up Ubuntu:

1. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt in administrator mode (right-click and select "Run as administrator").

2. Run the following command to install WSL and the Ubuntu distribution of Linux:

   wsl --install

3. After the installation is complete, restart your machine.

For more information, visit the official WSL documentation:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install

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Installing Required Libraries on Ubuntu

To run and compile the OpenGL project, you need to install the following libraries:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential libglew-dev libglfw3-dev libgl1-mesa-dev

These commands will install:

• libglew-dev (for GLEW)
• libglfw3-dev (for GLFW)
• libgl1-mesa-dev (for OpenGL)

You also need GCC with C++17 support, which is included in the build-essential package.

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Setting Up VS Code

This section covers how to set up Visual Studio Code for C++ development and to use it with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Installing the C++ Extension for VS Code

Before running the project, you need to install the C++ extension for Visual Studio Code, which provides support for debugging, IntelliSense, and more.

1. Open VS Code.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the Extensions panel.
3. In the search bar, type C++ and install the C/C++ extension by Microsoft (it should be the first result).
4. Once installed, you will have support for IntelliSense, code navigation, and debugging in C++.

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Setting Up VS Code with WSL

To set up Visual Studio Code to work with WSL, follow these steps:

1. Install Visual Studio Code: Download and install VS Code from https://code.visualstudio.com/.

2. Install the WSL Extension:

   1. Open VS Code.
   2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the Extensions panel.
   3. Search for and install the Remote - WSL extension (official Microsoft extension). This extension allows you to open folders in WSL directly from VS Code.

3. Access WSL in File Explorer:

   1. Open File Explorer in Windows.
   2. In the sidebar, you should see Linux (under Quick Access) with the name of your Ubuntu distribution. If it's not there, you can manually access it by navigating to:

   \\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu

   (This assumes you installed the default Ubuntu distribution using wsl --install).

4. It’s good practice to navigate to your home directory inside the WSL filesystem. This is usually located at:

   \\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\home\<your-username>

   You can create a Documents folder, a vscode folder, or any directory of your choice where you can store your projects.

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Running the Project

To compile and run the project, follow either of the two methods below:

Method 1: Using the Run Button

1. Open VS Code in your project folder.
2. Install the C++ Extension (see instructions above if you haven't done so already).
3. Select a source file (e.g., main.cpp).
4. Click the Run button on the top right (the play icon).
5. Select Run ProjectName from the drop-down menu.

Method 2: Using the Build Task

1. Open VS Code in your project folder.
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+B to run the build task. This will compile the project using the build configuration specified in the tasks.json file.
3. After the project builds successfully, press F5 to start debugging or run the project.

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Project Configuration

This template is specifically made for VS Code and includes .vscode configuration files for build and debugging.

After cloning this repository, make sure to replace the placeholder ProjectName with your own project name in the following files:

• .vscode/launch.json:

  "name": "Run ProjectName"
  "program": "${workspaceFolder}/ProjectName"

• .vscode/tasks.json:

  "-o ProjectName" (In the g++ command for the build task)

• main.cpp:

  Window window(800, 600, "ProjectName"); // Change the window title

• .gitignore:

  Replace ProjectName with the name of your executable to ignore it during Git operations.

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Git Configuration

When using Git for your project, you may want to exclude your .vscode folder. Add the following line to your .gitignore file:

.vscode/

This will prevent VS Code-specific settings from being pushed to your repository.

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Disclaimer

I am not a professional developer but someone who struggled to get C++ projects running on Windows using VS Code. After some trial and error, I found this setup to work well and decided to share it. Hopefully, it helps others in a similar situation!