Basic Structure of C++ Program

Here is the thing.. for you to create a bigger picture of your C++ program, you need to understand more about its basic structure!

The general form of a simple C++ program is shown below:

The first line #include <preprocessor directive> instructs the compiler to include another source file with one that has #include directive in it. The source file to be read must be enclosed between angle brackets. It contains the information needed by the program to ensure the correct operation of C++ standard library functions.

For example, the following statement includes the header iostream and conio.h:

#include <iostream>

#include <conio.h>

iostream is the name of the library that contains definitions of the routines that handle basic input/output operation.

Next is using namespace std; . This line further explains the include directive that we just explained. This line means that the names defined in the iostream are to be interpreted in the "standard way" (std).

The line int main() simply means that the main body of the program starts here. It is referred to as the main() function, the point where execution begins when the program is run. It does not have to be the first statement in the program but it must exist as the entry point.

The braces { and } mark the beginning and end of the main body of the program.

The statements are the instructions that are followed by the computer often called as executable statements.

The next line return 0; terminates main() function and causes it to return the value 0 to the calling process.

Here is sample program with its basic structure that prints Hello World: