Introduction to Programming in C

🛠️ Setting Up Your C Environment

Before writing your first C program, you need a simple environment to write, compile, and run code. Don’t worry — it’s easy and free! This chapter walks you through setup on Windows, macOS, Linux, and even online options.

💻 What You Need

• A code editor (e.g., VS Code or Notepad++)
• A C compiler (e.g., GCC or MinGW)
• A terminal or command-line access

🔹 Option 1: Setup on Windows

1. Install Code::Blocks or VS Code
2. Install the MinGW compiler:
   • Go to MinGW download page
   • Install and add path: C:\MinGW\bin to Environment Variables
3. Open VS Code → Install C/C++ extension → Create `.c` file and run using terminal

🔹 Option 2: Setup on Linux / Ubuntu

Most Linux distros already have GCC installed. If not:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential

Now use any editor like nano, gedit, or VS Code and run your programs with:

gcc myprogram.c -o myprogram
./myprogram

🔹 Option 3: Setup on macOS

1. Install Xcode Command Line Tools:

   xcode-select --install

2. Use GCC or Clang compiler in terminal
3. Use any text editor like Sublime Text, VS Code, etc.

🔹 Option 4: Use Online C Compilers

If you don’t want to install anything yet, try writing and running C code online:

• Programiz
• OnlineGDB
• JDoodle

🌐 Pro Tip: Use UdaanPath for Code Practice

Soon at UdaanPath.com, we’ll provide a fully integrated online C compiler so you can write and test code right on our platform!

✅ Ready for the Next Step?

In the next chapter, we’ll write your first C program — the classic Hello, World! — and understand how to compile and run it on your system.