The simplest way to code "Hello World" depends on the programming language you're using, but here's a classic example in C:
C - Hello World
This is one of the most fundamental examples used to introduce programming languages.
Steps:
-
Create a file: Use a text editor to create a new file. Name it
hello.c
. -
Enter the code: Paste the following C code into the
hello.c
file:#include <stdio.h> int main(void) { printf("Hello World!\n"); return 0; }
-
Save the file: Save the file as
hello.c
. -
Compile the program: Open a terminal or command prompt. Navigate to the directory where you saved
hello.c
. Use a C compiler (like GCC) to compile the code:gcc hello.c -o hello
This command tells the compiler to create an executable file named
hello
. -
Run the program: In the terminal, execute the compiled program:
./hello
This will print "Hello World!" to the console.
Explanation:
#include <stdio.h>
: This line includes the standard input/output library, which provides functions likeprintf
.int main(void)
: This is the main function where the program execution begins.printf("Hello World!\n");
: This line uses theprintf
function to print the string "Hello World!" to the console.\n
adds a newline character, moving the cursor to the next line.return 0;
: This indicates that the program executed successfully.
Python - Hello World
A much simpler example, using Python:
Steps:
-
Create a file: Create a new file,
hello.py
. -
Enter the code: Paste the following Python code:
print("Hello World!")
-
Save the file: Save the file as
hello.py
. -
Run the program: Open a terminal or command prompt. Navigate to the directory where you saved
hello.py
, and run the program using the Python interpreter:python hello.py
Explanation:
print("Hello World!")
: This line uses the built-inprint
function to display the string "Hello World!" on the console.
Java - Hello World
Here's "Hello World" in Java:
Steps:
-
Create a file: Create a new file named
HelloWorld.java
(note the capital H and W; class names in Java generally start with a capital letter). -
Enter the code: Paste the following Java code into the file:
public class HelloWorld { public static void main(String[] args) { System.out.println("Hello World!"); } }
-
Save the file: Save the file as
HelloWorld.java
. -
Compile the program: Open a terminal or command prompt, navigate to the directory where you saved
HelloWorld.java
, and compile the code using the Java compiler:javac HelloWorld.java
This will create a file named
HelloWorld.class
. -
Run the program: In the terminal, execute the compiled Java program:
java HelloWorld
Explanation:
public class HelloWorld
: Defines a public class namedHelloWorld
. The filename must match the class name (case-sensitive).public static void main(String[] args)
: This is the main method, where execution begins.System.out.println("Hello World!");
: This line usesSystem.out.println
to print "Hello World!" to the console.
These are just a few examples, but the basic principle of creating a "Hello World" program remains the same across many programming languages: write code to output the phrase "Hello World!" to the console.