Getting Started with SFML on Visual Studio 2019 for C++ Development

SFML is a straightforward and easy-to-use multimedia library which offers a wide range of features for game development, simulations, and multimedia projects, while Visual Studio 2019 is an integrated development environment and code editor, supporting numerous programming languages such as C++, C#, and Python.

Step 1: Download and Install SFML

The initial step is to download and install the SFML library onto your computer. You can access the latest version of SFML from the official website, https://www.sfml-dev.org/download/sfml/2.5.1/. Choose the appropriate download for your system and extract it to your preferred directory.

Step 2: Create a new Visual Studio Project

To initiate, open Visual Studio 2019 and create a new project. From the file menu, select New Project and select the project type you want. For instance, choose Visual C++ and then Console Application. Set an appropriate name for your project and click Create.

Step 3: Configure Project Settings

After creating the project, the next step is to configure your settings to employ the SFML library. Go to Project > Properties, and choose All Configurations from the drop-down menu. In the Configuration Properties, go to C/C++ > General, and add the path to the include directory of SFML, including the version number. For instance, the inclusion path to SFML 2.5.1 should be ‘C:\SFML-2.5.1\include’.

Afterward, proceed to Linker > General, and add the directory path for the SFML library folder containing the .lib files. For example, in your SFML 2.5.1 installation folder, the library path should be: ‘C:\SFML-2.5.1\lib’.

Step 4: Link SFML Libraries

The next stage is to link the SFML libraries. Go to Linker > Input and add ‘sfml-graphics.lib’, ‘sfml-audio.lib’, ‘sfml-window.lib’, and ‘sfml-system.lib’ to the Additional Dependencies section.

Step 5: Test SFML

Now you’re ready to test whether SFML is working correctly on your Visual Studio 2019. To do this, you can create a simple SFML program that displays a window. See an example below:

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main()
{
  sf::RenderWindow window(sf::VideoMode(800, 600), "SFML Window");

  while (window.isOpen())
  {
       sf::Event event;
       while (window.pollEvent(event))
       {
             if (event.type == sf::Event::Closed)
                  window.close();
        }
        window.clear(sf::Color::White);
        window.display();
  }
  return 0;
}

Compile and run the program. If everything is set up correctly, it will display an empty window with a white background.

Conclusion

Setting up SFML on Visual Studio 2019 for C++ development is relatively easy once you grasp the procedure. You can use the library to create great multimedia projects that run on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Hopefully, this informative article helps you set up SFML on Visual Studio 2019 without any issues. Happy coding!