How to run "C++" program in Zed Editor.(for noob)

If you're reading this article, you're likely already familiar with the Zed Editor — a Rust-based, open-source, multiplayer code editor .As an open-source enthusiast, I always try to use and support open-source tools, software or anything, and Zed stands out as a truly next-generation code editor. Designed for speed and collaboration, it delivers an ultra-fast, intelligent, and responsive coding experience by leveraging multiple CPU cores and GPU acceleration.

When I first tried to execute my C++ program in Zed, I encountered a few challenges. Unlike traditional IDEs, Zed is largely script-driven, meaning you need to configure custom tasks via settings to execute programs. Since there’s limited beginner-friendly documentation on this, I wanted to share my experience to help others navigate this process. In this article, I’ll Walk through how to run a C++ program in the Zed Editor, step by step. I am using Fedora 42 as an operating system while testing that script.

Setup C++ Compiler

First, ensure you have a C++ compiler installed, such as g++ or clang++ in your system

Configure Clangd in Zed (Optional for language support):

Zed uses clangd as the language server for C++ support and formatting. You can configure the path to your clangd compiler in settings.json: use this type script.
For accessing settings.jso, open settings from Zed.

"lsp": {
  "clangd": {
    "binary": {
      "path": "/path/to/clangd",
      "arguments": []
    }
  }
}

Create a Task to Compile and Run:

Use Zed's "tasks" feature to automate compiling and running your C++ code. For this follow the steps,

Open the Tasks Configuration:
1.In Zed, open the Command Palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P (Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac).

2.Type zed: open tasks and select it to open the tasks configuration file (tasks.json). This can be a global file (~/.config/zed/tasks.json) for all projects or a local file (.zed/tasks.json) for the current project.

Add a Task Entry:
Inside the JSON array, add a new object representing your task. For example, to compile and run a C++ program:

[
  {
    "label": "Compile, Run, and Extra Commands",
    "command": "g++ $ZED_FILE -o $ZED_STEM && ./$ZED_STEM && echo && echo 'Program finished' && echo",
    "use_new_terminal": false,
    "allow_concurrent_runs": false,
    "reveal": "always",
    "hide": "never",
    "shell": "system"
  }
]

• Here, $ZED_FILE is the current C++ source file.

• $ZED_STEM is that filename without extension, used as the executable name.

• The commands run sequentially:
  1.Compile the C++ file with g++.
  
  2. Run the produced executable.
  3. Print a message (echo 'Program finished').
  
  4. List files in the directory (ls).

If want to extra command to add
Define a new task with a command string that includes multiple shell commands separated by && or ; depending on whether you want them to stop on failure or run regardless

Save the File:
The tasks.json file will save your task.

Run the Task:

1. Open the Command Palette again.
2. Type task: spawn and select your "Compile and Run C++" task.
3. The output of the compilation and running will appear in the integrated terminal.

Now,You can run C++ program in Zed text editor.

How to set Keymap for execute the program:

If you want to set key bindings for execute the program, then maybe these steps helpful for you.

• Open your Zed keymap configuration:Open the command palette with Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P) and typeZed: Open Keymap.

• Add a binding for your custom shortcut:
  then edit keymap.json with this template. Here I write for the snippet the first one
  

[
  {
    "context": "Workspace",
    "bindings": {
      "shift-e": ["task::Spawn", { "task_name": "Compile, Run, and Extra Commands" }]
    }
  }
]

• The task_name string must exactly match the "label" in your tasks.json (including capitalization, spaces, and punctuation).

• "shift-e" is my desired shortcut.

• Save the file and restart Zed.

• Now, pressing shift+e will run your entire C++ program with a single keystroke, just like VS Code's "Run" button, without needing to use the Command Palette

How to create snippet

Follow these steps, to create any snippet for c++ program.

• Open Zed’s command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P).

• Select snippets: configure snippets.

• Choose C++ (c++.json) or create if it doesn't exist

• Paste the above JSON snippet inside the file (make sure it’s valid JSON with commas if you add multiple snippets).

• Save the file.

• In C++ files, type cppmain and press tab to expand.

Let, I am here writing a simple c++ snippet for main function:

{
  "C++ main template": {
    "prefix": "cppmain",
    "body": [
      "#include <bits/stdc++.h>",
      "using namespace std;",
      "",
      "int main()",
      "{",
      "   $0 ",
      "    ",
      "    ",
      "    cout << endl;",
      "    return 0;",
      "}"
    ],
    "description": "C++ main function template with bits/stdc++.h"
  },
  "Another snippet": {
    "prefix": "as",
    "body": ["// Additional snippet here"],
    "description": "Example snippet"
  }
}

So, what we do here:

1. prefix: "cppmain" — This is the trigger text for the snippet.
2. body: An array of strings each representing a line in the snippet.
3. $0 is correctly placed to mark the final cursor position inside the main function.

Just make sure:

• This snippet object is inside the main JSON snippet file for C++ (usually cpp.json).

• If you have multiple snippets in the same file, remember to separate them by commas.