cppnb — C++ Notebook

VS Code Extension · Published by 06Neel

Live on Marketplace VS Code Extension 219 Installs MIT License

219 Installs

C++17 Default Std

5s Cell Timeout

MIT License

About

cppnb brings the Jupyter notebook experience to C and C++ development inside Visual Studio Code. Instead of compiling and running full programs every time, you write code in individual cells — execute them independently, persist state across them, and see inline output instantly.

Ideal for learning C++, experimenting with algorithms, doing competitive programming dry runs, or prototyping data structures — without leaving your editor.

C++ C VS Code API GCC Clang MinGW WSL TypeScript

Key Features

Notebook-style cell execution — run individual cells in isolation

State caching — functions, classes, variables persist across cells

Auto input detection for cin, getline, scanf

Pretty formatted output cards with cppnb.prettyUI

Configurable compiler — supports MinGW, GCC, Clang, WSL

Timeout protection — prevents infinite loops from hanging VS Code

Getting Started

Install MinGW-w64 and make sure g++ is in your system PATH. Verify with where g++ in terminal.

Search cppnb in VS Code Extensions panel or install directly from the Marketplace link above.

Press Ctrl + Shift + P and run C++ Notebook: New Notebook. Save with the .cppnb extension.

Write State Cells (no main()) to define functions and variables, then Run Cells (with main()) to execute and see output.

Example

A State Cell defines a reusable function. A Run Cell calls it with main():

// ── State Cell ──────────────────────────────
int add(int a, int b) {
    return a + b;
}

// ── Run Cell ─────────────────────────────────
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
    cout << add(5, 7) << endl;  // Output: 12
}
                

Settings

Setting	Default	Description
cppnb.compilerPath	C:\MinGW\bin\g++.exe	Path to your g++ compiler
cppnb.std	c++17	C++ standard used for compilation
cppnb.timeoutMs	5000	Execution timeout per cell (ms)
cppnb.extraArgs	[]	Extra arguments passed to g++
cppnb.askForInput	auto	When to prompt for input: auto / always / never
cppnb.prettyUI	true	Show formatted output blocks

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