Writing Your First .NET Framework Application

This guide will walk you through the steps to create a simple "Hello, World!" application using the .NET Framework. This is a foundational step for anyone starting with .NET development.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

.NET Framework SDK: Download and install the latest compatible version from the official Microsoft website.
Integrated Development Environment (IDE): Visual Studio is highly recommended for a seamless development experience.

Step 1: Create a New Project

Open Visual Studio and follow these steps:

Go to File > New > Project...
In the "Create a new project" dialog, search for "Console App".
Select the "Console App (.NET Framework)" template and click Next.
Give your project a name (e.g., HelloWorldApp) and choose a location. Click Create.

Step 2: Write the Code

Visual Studio will create a basic project structure. Locate the Program.cs file and replace its content with the following code:

using System;

            namespace HelloWorldApp
            {
                class Program
                {
                    static void Main(string[] args)
                    {
                        // Display a message to the console
                        Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");

                        // Keep the console window open until a key is pressed
                        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
                        Console.ReadKey();
                    }
                }
            }

Code Explanation:

using System;: This line imports the System namespace, which contains fundamental classes like Console.
namespace HelloWorldApp: This defines the namespace for your application, helping to organize code.
class Program: This defines the main class of your application.
static void Main(string[] args): This is the entry point of your application. When the program runs, execution begins here.
Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");: This statement writes the string "Hello, World!" to the console output.
Console.ReadKey();: This statement waits for the user to press any key before the application exits, preventing the console window from closing immediately.

Step 3: Build and Run the Application

Now you can build and run your application:

Click the Start button (a green triangle) on the Visual Studio toolbar, or press F5.
Alternatively, you can build the project by going to Build > Build Solution (or Ctrl+Shift+B) and then run the executable from the output directory (usually in bin\Debug or bin\Release within your project folder).

Congratulations! You have successfully written, built, and run your first .NET Framework application.

Next Steps

Now that you've created your first application, you can explore more advanced topics: