hwo to execute C programs in linux
 

I just started using my new sams teach yourself c in 24 hours book. It's great but one problem is it doesn't explain how to execute c programs in linux. I can compile what ever I do, but how do I execute it so I can get the output?

thanx

Gonus

To compile:
gcc -o output_file my_source_file.c

To run:
./output_file

when you've compiled the program, just run it with

./programname

if you've not set a name, it'll normally be called a.out

ok. its name is a.out to compile and have it named somethingelse

gcc -o somethingelse hello.c

then to run

./somethingelse

is that correct? Will a.out still run?

thanx

The commands you just wrote will get you a program named 'somethingelse'. There will be no a.out. To run your program, just type ./somethingelse , as the others said :).

Thank you.

Gonus

after typing out your source code in an editor such as vi or emacs just save the file as 'programname.c' then compile it with

gcc -o programname programname.c

then run it with

./programname

:)

Why not make it simple:

gcc progname.c
./a.out

i'm lost now... the last two posts have just repeated the same things that have already been said... :confused:

Not exactly... One used -o option. It allows you to specify the name of resulting file. If there's no -o option, a.out is created.
<Edit> Whoops.. I've written it after reading 3 last posts...</Edit>