What is IDE?

It was not until 2000, text editors and command-line tools were replaced by IDE. Their domination era has long passed, and IDE is now considered as the best friend of Programmers using Windows.?

There are hundreds of Windows 10 IDEs available to choose from. Consequently, it’s hard for beginners and even seasoned developers to make a selection. This article, we are going to figure out characteristics of some IDEs for Windows 10. Hope it helps!?

So, What Is IDE?

“IDE” is an abbreviation of Integrated Development Environment. It provides a suite of programming tools within a single graphical user interface.

When it comes to Software development, it is far more than just programming. It involves compilation or interpreting, testing, debugging, and packaging. Hence, an IDE makes the facilities required for all these processes readily available.

Differences Between an IDE and a Text Editor?

Beside the usage of manipulating & providing syntax like Text Editor, an IDE includes a compiler, interpreter, or even debugger. Thus, text editors are way more bare-bones and less performance intensive compared to IDE.?

An IDE’s Components

To be considered as an Integrated Development Environment, it must possess 3 significant components: A text editor, a compiler or interpreter, and a debugger.?

In addition, IDEs may also have other components that are useful to a programmer and they may vary depending on the IDE.

1. Text Editor

The must-have component of all IDEs: A text editor. With it, programmers can write and edit the source code of various programs. The text editor’s functionalities include syntax highlighting, automatic spacing and indentation, cut, copy, and paste, and automatic code completion.

The number of supported languages depends on the IDE. Regardless, most IDEs allow you to install extensions that support other languages.

2. Compiler and Interpreter

Source code needs compiling and or interpreting steps to be able to run. Each IDEs focuses on several programming languages and provides first-class support for them. As such, IDEs include compilers and interpreters for them in their installation package.

3. Debugger

Nobody is perfect, and so are programmers. Therefore, everytime there’s a bug with the compiled code, the debugger tools can give coders a hand. Consequently, it can pause the execution of code and inspect for errors and inconsistencies. Moreover, IDEs also notice common errors in the source code before compilation.

4. Other Components

Besides 3 essential components, IDEs also include several quality-of-life segments that aid the software development process including:?

• File Browser: Displays the project structure and file hierarchy.
• Build Automation Tools: Automates everyday development tasks to save time.
• Source Control: Connects to an external source control service like Git or Perforce for file versioning.
• Class Browser: Displays class hierarchies and inheritance chains in object-oriented code bases.
• Dependency Manager: Provides an accessible method of using external binaries and libraries in your project.