MPLAB Help, programming and compiling

[RedOctober]

Hello. I am new to the whole mentoring scene and am a college student with a fair amount of microcontroller, assembly and C/C++ programming experience. I am playing around with the MPLAB program and trying to learn the "ropes" of it since I never used it before. I heard that MPLAB can compile C but I can't figure out exactly how to do it. I'd appreciate any help here.

-Dan

[Mark McLeod]

Stop me if any of this sounds familiar.
This post might help.

There are 3 parts to programming a FIRST robot.
1) MPLAB v7.2 or earlier (comes with editor, assembler, linker)
2) C18 compiler v2.2 or v2.4 (obtained separately but integrated with MPLAB)
3) IFI_Loader v1.0.10 or 11 (downloads to the Robot Controller)

The current versions of MPLAB and the C18 compiler available on-line do not work with last year's object libraries for the robot controller. See this thread and from IFI :

NOTE: To Compile 2004 or 2005 code, use MPLAB ver 7.20 and C18 Compiler ver 2.40 (newer versions can not be used)

In addition, while MPLAB is free, the C18 compiler must be obtained directly from FIRST or purchased separately.

The best way to approach this is to locate your team's FIRST programming CD from this past year. That has all the pieces you need including the licensed C18 compiler v2.2.
There was a separate release of the latest useable (for FIRST purposes) C18 compiler v2.4 in January that your team may have downloaded, but the only source at this point would probably be your team's laptop.

-----
If you already have the C18 compiler then you only have to run:

Make (F10 or Project->Make or the menu button)
or
Build All (Cntl+F10 or Project->Build All or the menu buton)

[RedOctober]

The C18 is what i was looking for. Thanks alot!