How to prepare a program for Processing and Execution?

step 1.   First use an editor to enter the program and save it as a file. Usually we can the file with program a ‘source file’.

step 2.   Then compile your source code with a compiler. If there is any syntax error, make the correction and go back to step 1. If there is no syntax problem, the compiler will generate an object file, which contain the machine instructions translated from your source program.

step 3.   Your program may contain several source files and a linker program is required to ‘link’ all of your object files from individual source program, into an executable file. Most of these compiling and linking operations can be done in a single command line, i.e., step 2 and 3 are usually combined.

step 4.   If all goes well, you can run the executable to check for the answers. If the answer is not what you want, you have a logic error in your program. Make the necessary corrections and go back to step 1.