[SOLVED] Getting a working C++11 toolchain with OSX & Eclipse without breaking something

Issue

I am currently starting to work seriously with C++. I've heard about the new features of C++11 and I like them. So I wonder whether I should write my new project according to the new standard. My current toolchain (that comes with XCode, I guess) does not support features like the auto keyword for type inference.

> g++

i686-apple-darwin11-llvm-g++-4.2

So I am looking for an easy and safe way to get a C++11 toolchain to try it out. I cannot risk breaking my old toolchain.

I know where to get binaries of GCC 4.8 for Mountain Lion, but I don't know how to install all the files manually (and would rather have a package manager do this for me). This discussion explains how to install GCC via homebrew, but I am affraid that this will overwrite and break my existing toolchain.

Also, I do not know how to configure a new toolchain in Eclipse after installation so I can use it with Eclipse/CDT.

Solution

You can use the homebrew package manager for OSX: Link

Have a look at https://github.com/mxcl/homebrew/wiki/Custom-GCC-and-cross-compilers and more specifically at homebrew dupes which has duplicates (but more recent versions) for software provided by OS X.

For a reasonable C++11 experience you should look for gcc 4.6 or gcc 4.7. When you have installed a recent version of gcc, you can then use it in your Makefiles. Mind you have to compile with -std=c++0x (gcc-4.6) or -std=c++11 (gcc-4.7+).

You can also look here How to enable C++11/C++0x support in Eclipse CDT? if you get syntax errors and warnings for C++11 constructs in Eclipse CDT.

Answered By - muehlbau

Answer Checked By - Marie Seifert (WPSolving Admin)