**Course Title:** Mastering C: From Fundamentals to Advanced Programming **Section Title:** Introduction to C and Development Environment **Topic:** Writing your first C program: Hello, World! ### 1. Introduction Congratulations on setting up your development environment and learning the basic C syntax. Now, it's time to write your first C program. The traditional "Hello, World!" program is a great way to start your C programming journey. In this topic, we'll guide you through creating, compiling, and running your first C program. ### 2. The "Hello, World!" Program The "Hello, World!" program is a simple C program that prints "Hello, World!" to the console. Here's the code: ```c #include <stdio.h> int main() { printf("Hello, World!\n"); return 0; } ``` Let's break down this code: * `#include <stdio.h>`: This line tells the compiler to include the standard input/output library (`stdio.h`) which provides functions for input/output operations, such as `printf()`. * `int main()`: This is the entry point of the program, where execution begins. The `main()` function is a special function that is called when the program starts. * `printf("Hello, World!\n");`: This line uses the `printf()` function to print "Hello, World!" to the console, followed by a newline character (`\n`). * `return 0;`: This line indicates the end of the `main()` function and returns an exit status of 0, indicating that the program executed successfully. ### 3. Compiling and Running the Program Once you've written the "Hello, World!" program, you'll need to compile it using a C compiler. Here are the steps to compile and run the program: **Using GCC (GNU Compiler Collection)** 1. Save the "Hello, World!" program in a file named `hello.c`. 2. Open a terminal or command prompt. 3. Navigate to the directory where you saved `hello.c`. 4. Compile the program using the following command: `gcc hello.c -o hello` 5. Run the program using the following command: `./hello` (on Linux/Mac) or `hello.exe` (on Windows) **Using Code::Blocks** 1. Create a new project in Code::Blocks by selecting **File** > **New** > **Project...** 2. Choose **Console application** as the project type. 3. Copy the "Hello, World!" code into the `main.c` file. 4. Compile and run the program by clicking the **Build and run** button (or press F9). **Using Visual Studio** 1. Create a new project in Visual Studio by selecting **File** > **New** > **Project...** 2. Choose **Empty Project** as the project type under the **Visual C++** section. 3. Add a new source file named `main.c` by right-clicking on the project and selecting **Add** > **New Item...** 4. Copy the "Hello, World!" code into the `main.c` file. 5. Compile and run the program by clicking the **Debug** > **Start Debugging** button (or press F5). ### 4. Troubleshooting Common Issues If you encounter any issues while compiling or running the program, here are some common solutions: * Check for typos in the code. * Ensure that the file is saved with the correct extension (`.c` for C programs). * Verify that the compiler is installed and configured correctly. * Check for missing libraries or headers. ### 5. Conclusion Congratulations on writing and running your first C program! You've taken the first step towards mastering C programming. In the next topic, we'll explore conditional statements, including if-else and switch-case statements. **What's Next?** * **Conditional statements: if, else, switch**: Learn how to control the flow of your program using conditional statements. We encourage you to practice writing C programs to reinforce your understanding of the concepts. If you have any questions or need help, please feel free to comment below.