Hello World program error

[istufkosky]

I'm trying to make a program from Ivor Horton's "Beginning C" book, and I've been getting this error message. Can anyone help me?

This is the code:

/* Example 1.1 Your Very First C Program - Displaying Hello World */

#include <stdio.h>

void main()
{
   printf("Hello World");
}

This is the error I get when I try to compile the source file:

C:\Users\Ian\Documents\Pelles C Projects\Hello World\Hello.c(6): warning #2181: Incorrect signature for entry-point 'main'; expected 'int __cdecl function(void)' but found 'void __cdecl function(void)'.

I'm very new to C programming, and I don't know that much at all.
Thanks!
~Ian

[AlexN]

Make what the error message says. Change void main() to int main(). 

[istufkosky]

OK. What's the main distinction between the void and the int? Why is it such a big difference between them?

[istufkosky]

I did change it, and I got new errors.

POLINK: error: Unresolved external symbol '_WinMain@16'.
POLINK: fatal error: 1 unresolved external(s).

What do these mean?

[TimoVJL]

You have to change subsystem to Console from linker options.

For console program use least this kind of main function

Code: [Select]

int main(void)or this

Code: [Select]

int main(int argc, char **argv)

[istufkosky]

Ok. So I changed to subsystem to console, and I tried the different codes, but it gave me a new error:

Warning #2203: Function 'main' can't be __stdcall, changed to __cdecl.

Thank you for your help so far!
~Ian

[Stefan Pendl]

This is not an error, it is just a warning as you can see, the resulting executable is usually working.

[AlexN]

OK. What's the main distinction between the void and the int? Why is it such a big difference between them?

The compiler of Pelles C does a strict type checking and the main-function, witch the startup-code calls, is defined with a return value int.

[istufkosky]

Ah! Thanks so much! It's working now