GCC on Linux: Some minor issues

[thernstig]

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-linux

From now on, the play button will read from tasks.json to figure out how to build and run your program. You can define multiple build tasks in tasks.json, and whichever task is marked as the default will be used by the play button.

Is the bold incorrect?

Isn't the play button is about launch configurations i.e. launch.json. The current launch configuration contains a preLaunchTask for which task it will run.

Next, you'll create a tasks.json file to tell VS Code how to build (compile) the program. This task will invoke the g++ compiler to create an executable file from the source code.

This line can probably be removed altogether. It mentions tasks.json which has already been described earlier on that page.

[AlexandraKemperMS]

Hi @thernstig, thanks for reaching out. In this case, the bold text is correct. The single file playbutton has too modes, a "run" mode and a "debug" mode. For "run", the play button needs to build your code first. This information is provided by tasks.json. Think of tasks.json as a way to list command line commands in a file - for example, the command on how to build your program. launch.json contains debugging information/settings, or in the case of the playbutton, the playbutton actually creates a "quick debug" configuration on the fly if you do not have a launch.json. Note that the playbutton is a way to quickly run a single file - which is why it chooses the default task in your tasks.json. Please let me know if that clears things up or if you have any further questions.

[thernstig]

@AlexandraKemperMS got it, thanks. What confused me was that I confused the play button up there as being similar to the play button inside the "Run and Debug view" here https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/debugging#_run-and-debug-view.

They look the same, so I though it was the same. But now I see the play button in a .c or .cpp file is actually something your C/C++ extensions adds specifically.

But that means "your" play button uses launch.json whilst the other, identical play button under "Run and Debug" uses tasks.json.

Aside: I still think

vscode-docs/docs/cpp/config-linux.md

Line 266 in 0bdf5b0

Next, you'll create a `tasks.json` file to tell VS Code how to build (compile) the program. This task will invoke the g++ compiler to create an executable file from the source code.

could be removed as creating the tasks.json has been done earlier in that document.

[AlexandraKemperMS]

That's really interesting - you are right, there are two play buttons, which can be confusing. The one on the top right is just for a single file, while the one in the "Run and Debug" view is for your entire project. We need to make this more clear.
Good point about the docs, we can take out that line & should do a full freshness pass.