Hello.
I was interested in programming in C and of course I bought a book. However the book is a little outdated, so they describe how to use the tools such as the compiler, etc. They teach you how to compile and link everything with Borland and Microsoft Visual C++. This book is C For Dummies, printed in '96. I downloaded Visual C++ and it has WAY more features than the one in the book has. I'm lost. Starting out he teaches you to do the usual "Hello world!" script, I started a new project, created a C file, typed in the code, saved it and... How do I compile I tried the Visual Studio command prompt, placed the C file where they told me to, typed in CL HELLOWORLD.C it made the OBJ file and the EXE file, when I click on the excutable file it opens then closes. Is this the way to go
New to C
rwgreene
You need to execute from the command line too. You compiled a console application and if you execute it in a console window the results will stick around.
When you double-click on the file from windows, it executes but the console window that it runs in closes as soon as the program finishes, so you don't get to see its results.
So be in your project directory (the one with hello.c in it) and do something like
C> cl hello.c
C>hello.exe
and see your results. You'll find that most of the early exercises and examples of programming in standard C (and standard C++) that you find in books will work this way.
If you're using the Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition compiler, you can also learn how to do this in a VS project, but there's a bit more toolcraft you have to learn first:
1. Learn how to create a project that makes a pure command-line application
2. Learn how to get your source-program into the project
3. Then build it (F7-key or Build | Build Solution menu) and correct it as needed.
4. After you get it to build without error, run it (Ctrl-F5 or Debug | Start Without Debugging). This runs in a console window that pauses so you can see the result.
5. But command line compilation is somewhat simpler and it works with all of the introductory books. You can simply use VS to edit and save your files, then do your compiling and running in a console window until you get the hang of the more complicated but also more-general VS model. Taking baby steps can give you a better foundation and a way to be more confident as you try more sophisticated programs.
6. You can get a suitable console session in VS using Tools | My VS Express. This will put you in the My Documents\Visual Studio 2005\Projects folder that was created for you. Your projects should be in folders within that to keep things organized and to be consistent with Visual Studio's default conventions.
7. I have some notes about resources for learning C/C++ at http://ODMA.info/faq/2005/09/q050903b.htm but the other tips haven't been updated to reflect use of the Express Edition yet.
Igor Kryltsov
Plainly not a lot. I don't see anything for adding .c files in the add menu, perhaps it's no longer supported It's possible they chose this route rather than C99 compatibility. If you create a C++ project, your C code will work fine in it, perhaps if you tried that.
DaveIII
And I do have express edition; I just remembered.
Qing Fang
There was a time when C++ was new, and it's basis in C was a strength. Knowing some C may well help someone to quickly get started in c++, but it's quicker to learn C++, IMO, and it also stops you from learning bad habits like passing char * around as strings, using FILE handles, using sprintf instead of ostringstream, etc.
IMO ( and that of Bjarne Stroustrup ) the majority of C++ courses make this same mistake, and teach C with classes, instead of the C++ standard library.
Raghu1234
Where is the EXE supposed to come from When I go to my Projects folder I don't see any EXE file.
Clumsi
Okay, I typed in the code and hit Ctrl-B and it brings up a box that creates a New Breakpoint.
Are you using the 2005 edition
Marius Gheorghe
It's possible that you've set your keys up to be like VC6. But, I still use VC6 at times, perhaps I am confused.
Build is in the menu, you can see from there what the key is.
zegeba
I'm not sure it is looking in the right place.
Have you created a HelloWorld project in Visual Studio The Build and Debug work only with a Visual Studio project.
If you created the .exe file directly using the command-line compiler, Visual Studio doesn't know how to find it. Just execute it from the console. Use menu
Tools | My VS Express
Then find the folder where you compiled the .exe, then execute it as a command. For example,
c:\...\Projects> cd consoleapp
c:\...\Projects\consoleapp> debug\consoleapp
executes consoleapp.exe in the Projects\consoleapp\debug folder.
Hmm, I wonder if "My VS Express" is a tool that I added. Duhh. I bet I did. I need to document that.
If your problem is with a Visual Studio project, there are many steps to check and I don't know a good way to tell what you did.
Have you worked through any of the videos at http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualc/learning/
There's an example of creating a console application from an empty project. You should be able to duplicate that and then see how to morph it into your HelloWorld case.
webacadie
#include <stdio.h>
void main()
{
printf("Hello World!\n);
}
KrishnaM
JM Willkie
Tony Marzullo
The Express Edition of VC 2005 is currently free. I recommend it.
The C language is subject to a standard, the complexity of the compiler has nothing to do with the language, although a Microsoft compiler will support all sorts of language extensions and libraries, you don't have to use them.
If you create a .c file instead of .cpp, the Microsoft compiler will compile it as C, I believe.
I do believe you're doing your self irreperable harm unless you work really hard in learning C++ to unlearn the aspects of C that become the wrong way to do things in c++. as well as making it as hard as it could possibly be on yourself. Good luck.
John T. Campbell
So then I hit BUILD instead, it says Build: 0 succeeded, 0 failed, 1 up-to-date, 0 skipped
So what good does that do me
bjun
Do you have Visual Studio If so, just hit CTRL-B for build, or F5 to debug.
Now, do you have a book for C, or C++ They are different beasts entirely, although C++ is built on C, and the VC compiler can handle both. But, learning C in this day and age seems a little redundant, as well as a lot of work.
Ah - you have compiled in the command line, and it's worked. The reason your app disappears is that you've probably got
cout << "Hello world";
or if you're using C
printf("Hello world")
The problem is, the program prints this out, then closes. You need to add an input line for the program to stop so you can see your work. I'm not sure how to do this in C, off the top of my head, but in C++ it's
int i;
cin >> i;
I doubt you're trying to learn C++ tho, any book from 1996 probably would tell you to include iostream.h, which is non-standard and finally gone in VC2005. If your book is for C, I totally recommend you get a C++ one, or even C#. Either way, C is not widely used, nowadays, certainly you wouldn't want to write a windows app in C. You could move from C to C++ but that kind of like learning to tap dance before learning to walk. Plus, from a C++ perspective, people who learn C first tend not to unlearn a lot of stuff that is plain bad to do in C++, although it works.