First C++ Program

#include <iostream.h>
// main() is where program execution begins.
void main() 
{
   cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
}

Now, you know what to do, so let us dig deeper and find out the meaning of some parts of the program:

1. The very first line is:

#include <iostream.h>

Here, iostream.h is a header file that contains necessary information, which will be utilized in a C++ program. It contains definition of functions, classes, etc. so one can use them easily.

2. The next line

// main() is where program execution begins.

Begins with a double slash, now this is a C++ comment, which is for better understanding of the written code. We will learn about comments later on.

3. The next line is:

void main()

Here, void is a return type and it signifies that the function does not return anything, whereas main is the name of a function. All the C++ programs begin execution at the main() function. It is like the starting point of a C++ program. The parenthesis after the word main identify that it is a function.

4. The next line has an open curly braces, signifying that the body of main() has started.

5. The next line is

cout << "Hello World";

It causes the message  “Hello World” to be displayed on the screen, here, cout is used to print the message written within the double quotes. Now, cout performs a predefined function, this function is mentioned in the iostream header file.
Along with this is a comment, which describes what this statement will actually do.

6. The last line of the code is a closing curly brace thus, showing that the body of the
main() has ended.