Compile and run any programme with Sublime Text, with BOTH input and output

Question

How to compile and run any (language) programme (with one click) from Sublime Text, allowing both input and output?

Answer 1

The following has been tested on Sublime Text 4 (build 4121) with GCC for C on Windows 7, but should be adaptable to other versions/compilers/languages/operating systems.

Sublime Text's build system is meant for building only, not for running. We can, however, run the programme with some cunning, but Sublime Text outputs everything to its own build panel, which is built for output only.

To take input from STDIN, we have to open a command (shell) window. If so, why not have everything (compiler messages, input, output) in there?

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Open Sublime Text and go to Preferences→Browse Packages.... Go into the User folder and create two files as follows:-

• Compile_and_run_C.sublime-build

  /* This calls a Batch script with the source file as the argument. */
  /* This will always execute in the directory where the source file is. */
  
  {
      "shell_cmd": "start C:\\path\\to\\Compile_and_run_C.bat ${file_name}",
      "file_patterns": ["*.c"]
  }
  

• Compile_and_run_C.bat

  rem This script takes one argument, the source file, and compiles and runs it.
  
  @echo off
  
  rem Uncomment the following line if the compiler is not in `PATH` (`setlocal` unnecessary here).
  rem set path=C:\path\to\gcc;%path%
  
  rem Apply compiler options here. 
  rem E.g., a reactionary as myself would write `gcc -ansi -pedantic-errors %1`.
  gcc %1
  rem N.B.: The above line would invoke the compiler with all the default options.
  rem       Since no output file name is specified, it would be `a.exe`!
  
  rem If there were no compilation error, only then the executable would be created.
  rem And, only then, run it.
  rem Delete it, too, if you don't want to clog up your programme folder unnecessarily.
  if %errorlevel%==0 (
      a.exe
      del a.exe
  )
  
  echo:
  
  pause
  exit
  

Restart Sublime Text, load up a C programme, and press Ctrl+B (or F7).

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• What if we run directly, without using a Batch script, such as with "shell_cmd": "‹compile› && ‹run›"?
  This would output to Sublime Text's build panel, which cannot accept input. You have to open a command window with start.
• How about "shell_cmd": "start ‹compile› && ‹run›" then?
  This would compile in a command window but then output to Sublime Text's build panel, which cannot accept input.
• Okay. Then "shell_cmd": "start ‹compile› && start ‹run›"?
  This would spawn different command windows for each command!

Think of the "shell_cmd" as one-shot: start one command (and don't put && ‹other commands›). Make that command a Batch script and do everything else in there.

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After this, you might not need Sublime Text's build panel. To disable it, go to Preferences→Settings and put "show_panel_on_build": false on the right side and save it.

You could always bring up the build panel with Tools→Build Results→Show Build Results (or Shift+Esc).