First C Program In C Language

The simplest C program is one that consists of a single function, called "main()", which is where the execution of the program begins. The main function is a special function in C that has a specific format and is called automatically when the program starts. Here is an example of a basic C program that prints "Hello, World!" to the console:

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#include <stdio.h> int main(void) {    printf("Hello, World!");    return 0; }

This program starts with the #include preprocessor directive, which is used to include the "stdio.h" header file. This file contains the declarations for the standard input and output functions, such as printf(), which is used to print text to the console.

The main function is defined next, it starts with the keyword "int" which indicates the return type of the function, in this case, it returns an integer. The "main()" function is followed by a set of parentheses, which can contain parameters, but in this case, it is empty, and it is followed by a set of curly braces that contain the body of the function.

Inside the body of the main function, there is a single statement, which is the "printf()" function, which is used to print the string "Hello, World!" to the console. The string is enclosed in double quotes, and the semicolon at the end of the line indicates the end of the statement.

The last statement inside the main function is "return 0;", this statement tells the operating system that the program ran successfully and it is ready to end its execution.

When this program is compiled and run, it will display the message "Hello, World!" on the console. This program is a basic example, but it illustrates the structure and components of a C program, including the main function, the use of the standard library, and the basic control flow of the program.