Master C# Programming From Scratch

Here is how to create, understand, and run your first program using the VS Code and .NET CLI.

Creating and running your first program in Visual Studio is easy because the software handles the background work for you. Here is the step-by-step guide to doing it in the full Visual Studio IDE on Windows.

Create Your First Program Using Visual Studio

Step 1: Create a New Project

1. Open Visual Studio.
2. On the startup screen, click Create a new project on the right side.
3. In the search bar at the top, type Console.
4. Select Console App (make sure it has the C# logo next to it), then click Next.
5. Give your project a name, such as MyFirstApp, and click Next.
6. Choose the latest .NET version listed (like .NET 8.0, .NET 9.0, or .NET 10.0) and click Create.

Step 2: Understand the Code

Visual Studio will automatically open a file called Program.cs. Inside, you will see this single line of code:

using System;

Console.WriteLine("Hello, World 🌍..!");

This simple statement displays text on the console.

• Console: This means the text window on your screen.
• .WriteLine: This tells the computer to "write a line of text."
• ("Hello, World!"): This is the exact message the computer will show.
• ; (Semicolon): This acts like a period at the end of a sentence. It tells the computer the instruction is over.

Step 3: Run the Program

1. Look at the top toolbar in Visual Studio. Find the green play button that says MyFirstApp (or has the name of your project).
2. Click that green play button or press the F5 key on your keyboard.
3. A black text window (the console) will pop up on your screen, display Hello, World 🌍..!, and stay open so you can see it.
4. Press any key on your keyboard to close the window.

Expected Output

Hello, World 🌍..!

Step 4: Change the Message

You can change the text inside the quotation marks to display your own message.

using System;

Console.WriteLine("Welcome to CIIT Training Institute 👨‍🏫❤️...!");

Click the green play button again, and you will see your new message on the screen!

Output

Welcome to CIIT Training Institute 👨‍🏫❤️...!

Understanding the Program

The following example shows a basic C# console program with a class and a Main method.

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Hello, World 🌍...!");
    }
}

Create Your First Program with .NET CLI

The .NET CLI allows you to create and run C# applications directly from the terminal without opening Visual Studio.

Step 1: Create the Program

1. Open your terminal or Command Prompt.
2. Type the below command to create a new folder and project:
   Terminal

   dotnet new console -n MyFirstProgram

3. Move into your new project folder:
   Terminal

   cd MyFirstProgram

4. Open this folder in VS Code by typing:
   Terminal

   code .

Step 2: Look at the Code

Inside VS Code, you will see a file named Program.cs. Click to open it. By default, .NET creates a simple one-line program for you that looks like this:

using System;

Console.WriteLine("Welcome to CIIT Training Institute 👨‍🏫❤️..!");

Understanding the .NET CLI Workflow

The basic workflow for creating and running a console application using the .NET CLI is:

dotnet new console -n MyFirstProgram
↓
cd MyFirstProgram
↓
code .
↓
Write / Edit C# Code
↓
dotnet run
↓
View Output

This workflow is useful because the same CLI approach can be used for many types of .NET projects.

Visual Studio vs .NET CLI

Common Beginner Mistakes