Using Microsoft Visual Studio for Simple C Programs

A free version of Microsoft Visual C++ Express is available in: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/express/aa700735.aspx

To edit your C program:

1. From the main menu select File -> New -> Project
   
2. In the New Project window:
   Under Project types, select Win32 - Win32 Console Application
   Name your project, and specify a location for your project directory
   Click 'OK', then 'next'
   
3. In the Application Wizard:
   Select Console application
   Select Empty project
   Deselect Precompiled header
   
4. Once the project has been created, in the window on the left hand side you should see three folders:
   Header Files
   Resource Files
   Source Files
   
5. Right-click on Source Files and Select Add-> New Item
   Select Code, and give the file a name
   The default here will be a file with a *.cpp extension (for a C++ file). After creating the file, save it as a *.c file.

To compile and run:

1. Press the green play button.
   
2. By default, you will be running in debug mode and it will run your code and bring up the command window.
   To prevent the command window from closing as soon as the program finishes execution, add the following line to the end of your main function:
   getchar();
   This library function waits for any input key, and will therefore keep your console window open until a key is pressed.