How can I compile C++ code using another C++ program?

I want to create a program that modifies another c++ source,compiles it and runs the exe. I mean with something like gcc may be I can but on a windows os gcc may not be present. Is it possible?

From stackoverflow

• I think your options are fairly limited for windows:

  1. Check for an install of a compiler (possibly limit this to a short list) and use that compiler
  2. Bring along a compiler in your application's install package

• Cowboy answer:

  Only if:

  • the source code doesn't need a lot of files/headers/libraries
  • they can be easily collected by your application
  • the application have connection with some server of yours

  The application could:

  • collect the files in a zip
  • send them over the wire to an compiler service (accesible vía HTTP)
  • the server compile it with its own installation
  • and return the binary executable inside the response.

  Of course: it depends on so many variables that seems not very feasible. And the zip+http thing could be difficult from a C/C++ app.

  Alexander Ivanov : hmm it can be slow...and it depends on internet connection. But it's interesting idea ;)

  Steve Jessop : +1 for audacity.

  helios : Thanks... anyway I was thinking on it and realized about managing zip and http in C... and it was not that nice... :S

  Steve Jessop : You can (should) grab a library for that sort of thing. Even so it's going to be more work than some languages. As it happens I have implemented both HTTP client and zip file writer libraries in the past: not in C but in a language at about the same level, so I was sitting on top of zlib and a Berkely-style sockets interface. I don't really recommend it, for a very simple http client it's not all that difficult, just very tedious. Use libcurl and libtar instead (tar since compression isn't actually essential here anyway, so keep it simple)...