Compiling c++ code on Windows using mingw

On Windows, the compiler by default expects an installation of Microsoft Visual Studio Community edition when targeting c++.

However, there's the possibility of using mingw instead, wich is much more quick and lightweight when it comes to installation size and hazzle.

Please keep in mind that mingw isn't the default compiler alternative, and that you might need to dive into the cold c++ sea to get other than basic stuff going.

Setup and usage is very easy:

Installing mingw-w64

See the mingw-w64 download page for details about how to install.

Add -D toolchain=mingw compiler directive

You also have to add the -D toolchain=mingw to your project's .hxml file. Here's an example of how a .hxml-file might look:

# build.hxml example using mingw c++ compiler
-cp src
-main Main
-D toolchain=mingw
-cpp bin-mingw

That's it!