Crun - Shell plugin to compile and run .c files

A convenient shell plugin that streamlines the process of compiling and running C programs in a single command.

Overview

crun is a shell plugin that simplifies the C development workflow by combining compilation and execution into a single command. It automatically handles file paths, applies recommended compiler warnings, uses modern C standards, and passes any additional arguments to your program.

Features

• One-step compile and run - No need for separate compilation and execution commands
• Multiple source file support - Easily compile a main file with multiple library source files
• Automatic output naming - Executable name is derived from the main source file
• Path preservation - Maintains the same directory structure for output files
• Modern C standards - Compiles with C23 standard by default
• Developer-friendly warnings - Automatically adds -Wall and -Wextra compiler flags
• Argument passing - Seamlessly forwards command line arguments to your program
• Informative output - Shows compilation and execution commands for transparency
• Error handling - Provides helpful error messages for common issues

Installation

Add the crun function to your shell configuration file (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.).

Usage

Basic Usage

crun myprogram.c

This will compile myprogram.c into an executable named myprogram and then run it.

Compiling with Library Source Files

crun myprogram.c utils.c math.c

This will compile myprogram.c together with the library source files utils.c and math.c, create an executable named myprogram, and then run it.

Passing Arguments to Your Program

crun myprogram.c utils.c arg1 arg2 "argument with spaces"

The arguments arg1, arg2, and argument with spaces will be passed to your program after it's compiled.

Working with Different Paths

crun ~/projects/c/hello.c ~/libs/utils.c

This will compile ~/projects/c/hello.c with ~/libs/utils.c and create the executable in the same directory as the main file (~/projects/c/hello).

Argument Order Matters

All .c files that appear before the first non-.c argument are treated as source files to compile. Once a non-.c argument is encountered, all remaining arguments (even if they end with .c) are passed to the compiled program.

# utils.c and math.c are compiled, data.txt and test.c are program arguments
crun main.c utils.c math.c data.txt test.c

Compatibility

This function works in Bash and Zsh shells. It requires gcc to be installed and available in your PATH.