Write and Run Your First C Program

Introduction

C programming language is a popular choice for beginners to learn computer programming. It provides a solid foundation in structured and procedural programming, which can be helpful when learning other programming languages later on. This lab will guide you through writing and running your first C program on Linux.

Skills Graph

Write and Run Your First C Program

In this lab, you will learn how to write and run your first C program.

1. Create a new file and save it with the extension .c, for example first.c.

2. In the new file, add the following code:

   #include <stdio.h>
   
   int main() {
       printf("Learning C\n\n\n");
       return 0;
   }

3. Save the file and close the code editor.

4. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you saved the first.c file.

5. Run the following command to compile the C program:

   gcc first.c -o first_program

   • gcc: the GNU Compiler Collection command for compiling C programs
   • first.c: the name of your C source file
   • -o first_program: the option to specify the desired name for the compiled executable

6. After the compilation process completes successfully, run the following command to execute the program:

   ./first_program

7. You should see the output Learning C displayed in the terminal.

Summary

After completing this lab, you will be able to write and run a basic C program. This will serve as a starting point for learning more about C programming and building more complex applications in the future.