Getting Started with C Programming

Covers Setup, Basic Structure of Program, Hello World, Explanation of Terms

In this article, I am going to show you how to get started with C Programming in TurboC.

Setup

Here’s how to Setup Turbo C without installing anything on your PC. Go to https://www.onlinegdb.com/

In the top left corner, Select ‘Language’ as “C (TurboC)” from the drop down menu.

By default, onlineGDB loads in some code. You can delete this code and place your own code instead. ……………………………

Basic Structure of a C Program

#include <header file name>
#include <header file name>
void main()
{
............
............
}

This is what the structure of a C program looks like.

Your First C Program

Let’s create our first C file.

Open OnlineGDB and type in the following code.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <conio.h>

void main() 
{
  printf("Hello World!");
  getch();
}

Now Run the program by clicking the green ‘Run’ button near the top of your screen.

Explanation of the Program

What is <stdio.h> ?

It stands for ‘Standard Input Output’. stdio.h is a header file which has the necessary information to include the input/output related functions in our program. Functions like printf and scanf are from stdio.h.

What is <conio.h> ?

It stands for ‘Console Input Output’. conio.h is a header file which is mostly used by MS-DOS compilers like TurboC. Functions like getch() are from conio.h and won’t work unless conio.h is included in the program.

What is void main() ?

void main() is the entry point for execution in C program. It is where the main code of your program is written.

Main function is the heart of C program. Everything inside the main block will be code that is executed.

What is printf() ?

printf() is a function used to output text to the screen. In our example it will output “Hello World!”.

What is getch() ?

getch() is a function used to keep the output from the program on the screen for some time until the user presses a key. Without getch(), we wouldn’t be able to see the output of our program in TurboC as after execution the program would close.

That Was Your First C Program

Congratulations! Now you know how to get started with C.

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Posted by Siddharth Bhatia