is there any other way to compile and include c++ files, other than using visual studio.
You can use the UBT (Unreal Build Tool) directly with no Visual Studio usage.
Here are some links:
- https://answers.unrealengine.com/questions/102308/building-unreal-projects-from-command-line.html
- https://wiki.unrealengine.com/How_to_package_your_game_with_commands
- https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Programming/BuildTools/UnrealBuildTool/index.html
- Understanding Unreal Build Tool – Eric Lemes' Blog
There is no decent documentation for this, so it’s mostly about googling or readin the UBT code to find the requred arguments and options.
Personally I’m working with UE4 projects with Sublime Text editor and my own build script (a simple wrapper for UBT commands).
The script gist – it’s not a production ready script, it’s mostly made for myself and have some hardcoded stuff.
Also it heavily depends on which exact versin of UE4 you’re using (the UBT arguments may change).
UPD: still, it requires the Visual Studio to be installed, since it’s using the compiler and other tools.
Help pls!!
+1, a great new option! at the time of my answer there was no Rider for UE4 
Here is a useful video on showing how to use any other editor (in this case Sublime), how projects are structured, and how to use Unreal Build Tool directly.
