Zig is a modern programming language designed with a focus on simplicity, safety, and performance. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps to create a simple Zig project, modify the source code, and run the project.
Step 1: Create a New Directory and Navigate Into It
First, let’s create a new directory for our project and navigate into it.
mkdir sample-project && cd sample-projectStep 2: Initialize a New Zig Project
Next, we’ll initialize a new Zig project using the zig init command. This command will create a basic project structure with a build.zig file and a src directory containing a main.zig file.
zig initStep 3: Build the Project
Now, let’s build the project using the zig build command. This command will compile the project based on the configuration in build.zig.
zig buildStep 4: Build and Run the Project
To compile and run the project, use the zig build run command.
zig build runThis command will compile and run the project, and you should see the default output from the main.zig file.
Step 5: Navigate to the “src” Directory
Next, navigate to the src directory where the main source file is located.
cd src/Step 6: Modify the “main.zig” File
Open the main.zig file in your preferred text editor (e.g., Vim) and modify it as required. For this example, let’s modify the file to print “Hello, Zig!”.
const std = @import(“std”);
pub fn main() void {
const stdout = std.io.getStdOut().writer();
stdout.print(“Hello, Zig!\n”, .{}) catch {};
}Step 7: Rebuild and Run the Project
Navigate back to the root directory of the project and rebuild it using the zig build run command.
cd ..
zig build runThis will compile and run the modified project, and you should see the output:
Hello, Zig!Conclusion
That’s it! You’ve created a simple Zig project, modified the source code, and rebuilt the project to see the changes. Zig is a powerful language with a lot of potential, and this guide should give you a good starting point for exploring its features.
