I’m new to UE. Long time Unix/Linux/C++ developer. I’m looking for a very simple UE app that I can build with just a Makefile and run, then expand as required. I’ve never liked using IDE’s, and I’m not about to start using them now. Sorry. Old school dude here… 40 years of doing things my way.
Please point me to some C++ code and a Makefile and I’ll be off to the races.
Thanks in advance.
Sure, there you go.
Was there something in that Rick Astley music video that was supposed to answer my question?
You’ve just got ‘rickrolled’. Google it if you don’t understand its meaning.
Now to answer you real question… You can use makefile if you wish, but trust me it’s just make development way harder than simply using the IDE.
I can understand your objection of using IDE (I’ve also programmed for very long time, even on those days I wrote x86 code using nothing than debug.com), especially if the IDE in question is heavily bloated.
You can always choose another lighter IDE.
Benefit of IDE: integrated debugging, editing features (most importantly: syntax highlighting, code folding, refactoring, module dependencies handling, syntax hinting, code linting, code suggestion/completion , etc.),
Current app is much different from older days programming when only few of libraries needed to make a program. Today app rely on tons of libraries with complicated dependency tree. IDE (more accurately its integrated automatic build tool) will save you from micro-managing those dependency hell.
More importantly is integrated debugging. Without IDE you need to build entire program, run it, struggle with debug log once it encounter problem, open editor to fix the problem, rebuild it, and run the program from the start, and repeat the process. With IDE, you can simply open debug panel, the problematic line is directly presented to you. You can examine its stack trace along with last state of associated variables, fix the problem on the spot, and continue running the program from that point onward (or simply restart the program after setting break-point right before the problem occurs and trace forward line by line).
Giving yourself a few days to get used to the IDE will saves you countless hours of programming in the future.
If you insist to use the old way… download and install VIsual Studio. Start a new project. A build script will be automatically made. You can leave the IDE and start tinkering on the files it made (use them as starting template).
I used this method ten years ago when writing Android app on my home as hobby project, Android Studio on my mediocre PC that time was painfully slow. Made the ‘skeleton’ app in Android Studio, take files it made as starting template, use Notepad++ to edit the scripts, some CLI tools to build them into an APK, upload the APK using a third party tool, and run it on my physical device (virtual device is out of question, it took more than 15 minutes just to boot).
Once I got a better (decent) PC, I just use Android Studio IDE and those long steps “magically” replaced with a single press of keystroke.