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 Expand

int main(void)
or this

Code Select Expand

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