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 using haxelib

The mingw compiler can be installed using haxelib with the following command:

> haxelib install minimingw

This downloads the mingw compiler into the location where the hxcpp toolchain expects to find ite.

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!