In this lesson, you will learn how to set up your computer to start coding in C#.
Before learning C#, you must set up your computer to compile and debug C# code. To do so, you will need to install an IDE (Integrated Development Environment), which refers to the tools that a developer can use to create software.
Out of many IDEs available, I recommend using Microsoft Visual Studio Community Edition, a great tool to use not only for C# but for other major programming languages, at no cost to you!
You can download the Visual Studio Community Edition from the URL below:
https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/community/
Next, we will set up and configure the MS visual studio community edition and start the party!
Once you download the Visual Studio Community version, double-click on the installer to start the installation process; we will install the required packages for C# only. If you prefer, and of course, if you have the disk and memory space), you can download more packages with the installation.
When the installation window opens, select “.NET desktop development,” then click on the install button, as shown in the picture below:
Again, you can select more packages to install if you desire.
After you click on the install button, a screen opens (shown below), which tells you the installation progress of selected packages.
This might take a while, and you can watch the video below about Visual Studio Installation until the process is over.
Once the process is over, click on the “Launch” button to open Visual Studio for the first time, as shown in the screen below.
After you launch Visual Studio, a window appears as shown below.
Next, select C# Console App, then click Next.
Now, name your Project and Solution name. Choose a name that describe what your project is about. For now, keep the project solution name the same.
In the next screen, choose the .NET framework, then click Create. I recommend selecting the latest framework version for longer support.
Congratulations! You have created your first project in C# using Microsoft Visual Studio IDE! In the next lesson, you will learn about the syntax of the C# program and write your first C# Program!