CLion

IDEs, short for Integrated Development Environments, represent a valid alternative to command line-based tools by making development tasks quicker and easier. In a few words, an IDE is meant to improve your workflow with the help of advanced but accessible programming tools within a functional GUI.

One such example is CLion, a powerful and full-featured, cross-platform IDE specially developed for C and C++ development. It comes with support for Cmake and other web technologies like JavaScript, HTML and XML, just to name a few.

The application undergoes a typical installation process and, once started, it does not drain your computer's resources. Upon launching the utility, you are greeted by a well-organized main window with a functional and customizable UI.

Regarding its interface, the developers have opted for a classical recipe, with customizable panels and a run-of-the-mill menu bar that neatly packs all of the features.

As expected from a full-featured tool like this, CLion packs both simple and more advanced features meant to make your coding as easier as possible. The app offers multiple features for coding assistance, such as a very customizable code editor with smart and completion and insight views.

Goodies like code generation and refactoring, live code analysis, a powerful debugger and support for Google Test framework are also part of Clion's repertoire. Particularly useful when working on large projects, the app offers an efficient way of finding your way through the code thanks to advanced search functions that take into consideration parameters like symbol, class, file and even hierarchy.

The IDE also provides support for the most common VCSs such as Subversion, CVS, GitHub, Mercurial, Perforce and TFS. If you consider that certain tools are not as precise as you would like, you can also access the command line instantly thanks to its built-in 'terminal'.

It comes as no surprise that CLion saves all your work thanks a local history feature, so you can rest assured that nothing will be lost in unplanned scenarios. You can expand its capabilities thanks to various plugins. This said, thanks to a very comprehensive Settings menu, it is not difficult to see how CLion will make almost everyone happy when it comes to its customizability.

To conclude, CLion is an advanced and powerful IDE for C++ and other programming languages that will surely improve your productivity when coding. The best thing about CLion is not one feature or something specific, but instead, it is represented by the how well it combines functionality, advanced features and customization options under one single roof.