An IDE, or integrated development environment, makes writing, testing and debugging a program easier. The IDE combines an editor, linker, compiler or interpreter, and debugging tools. The IDE makes the programming process easier. If there is a GUI (graphical user interface), the IDE may also provide tools for designing the user interface.
The programmer writes the source code using a text editor that is part of the IDE. Many IDEs will provide various types of tools to simplify this process. It may have code hinting: after typing one or two letters, a list of choices appears and the programmer can select the next piece of code from a list. The IDE may also display various types of syntax checking much the same way that a word processor indicates spelling and grammar errors.
When the programmer runs the program, the IDE handles any preprocessor directives, compiles and links the program and displays the output. If there are syntax errors, the IDE indicates where the errors are, and usually the type of error.
IDE: Integrated Development Environment