Compiling and finding errors with as few keystrokes as possible

The problem we're trying to solve is to run the compile script and jump to the first error message as quickly as possible.

emacs

(To learn emacs, start emacs and run the tutorial: Ctrl-H t.)

Put this in your file ~/.emacs. (If you don't have one already, you'll have to create one.)

  (require 'cc-mode) ; automatic mode for C code
  (require 'compile) ; support for compile command
  (setq compile-command "sh compile")

  (global-set-key "\C-c\C-c" 'compile) ; make C-c C-c do compile when
                                       ; not otherwise specified
  (defun bind-compile-key ()
    (local-set-key "\C-c\C-c" 'compile))
  (add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'bind-compile-key) ; make C-c C-c do compile
                                            ; in C mode

To compile, type C-c C-c; to jump to the next error, type C-x `.

vim

(To learn vim, try Learn Vim Progressively—and relive the 1970s with Colonel Austin.)

It looks like you can set the makeprg variable to ./compile and then use vim's :make command. See

Seven habits of effective text editing, by Bram Moolenaar (author of vim)
Marshall Moutenot's .vimrc files (old version here)
Introduction to Programming in C/C++ with Vim

It's not obvious to me just how the :make command works, but Constantin Berzan, who has taken 40, has this advice:

This works best for C. If you have a makefile, :make will call make and take you to the first error. :cc re-displays the error in the status bar, :cn and :cp go to the next and previous errors. To get all the gory details, try :h quickfix.
These commands are probably good enough, but if you want more, you can have it:

You can set up a shortcut for :make, for example I have map :w:make as a line in my ~/.vimrc for F9 to save and compile in one step. If you don't use makefiles, you can customize makeprg, for example :set makeprg=sh compile.
If commands are unambiguous, they can usually be shortened, e.g. :make == :mak, :cclose == :ccl etc.

gedit

The best information I have about gedit seems to involve using the mouse; see

The Gedit source-code builder plugin, an answer I got from stackoverflow

Use the mouse? While you're at it, why not wear a ball and chain?

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