Code::Blocks - No default include directory?

[Subhuti]

Hello.

I come from Microsoft Visual Studio 97. I wanted to try to switch to a newer IDE, so I tried the free Visual Studio from Microsoft, but it was a horror to install (took hours!), and it is soooo slow I can't stand it, when coming from the old IDE which is so snappy to work with. Also, I can't find any in-program help on C functions, Windows functions, etc. - it's like they expect one to use a web browser to find information on the functions and general help on C and C++! I would have never been able to learn to program in C if Visual Studio hadn't had the function of being able to search for whatever standard library functions, Window SDK functions, etc., that I wanted to try to learn about. All one had to do was put the cursor on the "command" one wanted to explore and press F1. Then a millisecond later: a nice, compact explanation of what it does and how to use it! Well, I digress.

So I heard that there were other free IDEs available, and I heard Code::Blocks was kind of the easiest or something.

So I installed the version with the MingW compiler built in, and per instructions in https://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/ehchua/programming/howto/CodeBlocks_HowTo.html and https://www.technobyte.org/install-code-blocks-gcc-compiler-first-c-program-windows-10/#comment-380 I tried creating a new empty file in an empty project, and pasting "hello world!" code into it, and hitting "build." I immediately got "iostream not found!"-error.

I then went to the compiler-settings, and saw that no directories were added to the "search directories" tab. So I found the "iostream" file and added that directory to the list. But then it just gave a new error. Something else it couldn't find. I have had the same problem when I tried installing a new SDK in Visual Studio - I had to manually add all kinds of directories. But both the above guides claims it wasn't necessary.

It was only when I found the thread from this site http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/general/79965/ where the poster found the solution, and linked to where he found it, https://www.technobyte.org/install-code-blocks-gcc-compiler-first-c-program-windows-10/#comment-380 that I too could build.

Apparently, I had to choose new project, console application. Only then did it find the required include files.

Can someone please tell me what the reason is for this? Why are the include directories not specified in the "search directories tab"? Why could the compiler find the include files this time, when it couldn't the other times I tried?

I may be able to program a little bit, but there is so much I don't know. Like about makefiles, and libraries, etc. etc. I don't understand any of it. So I hope someone can explain it to me in a way which is not too complicated.

Thank you.

[olfibits]

So I installed the version with the MingW compiler built in, and per instructions in https://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/ehchua/programming/howto/CodeBlocks_HowTo.html and https://www.technobyte.org/install-code-blocks-gcc-compiler-first-c-program-windows-10/#comment-380 I tried creating a new empty file in an empty project, and pasting "hello world!" code into it, and hitting "build." I immediately got "iostream not found!"-error.

Please post the source code and the caused error message. I've got an idea what the error might be.

By the way: iostream is a header file, not a folder. Adding directories to include directories is not the right solution here. You only need it for advanced projects using external libraries and header files having to be added.