How can I compile and run c# program without using visual studio?

I am very new to C#. I have just run C# 'Hello World' program using Visual Studio.

Can I run or compile a C# program without using Visual Studio?

If it is possible, then which compiler should I use?

Thanks

If you have .NET v4 installed (so if you have a newer windows or if you apply the windows updates)

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\csc.exe somefile.cs

or

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\msbuild.exe nomefile.sln

or

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\msbuild.exe nomefile.csproj

It's highly probable that if you have .NET installed, the %FrameworkDir% variable is set, so:

%FrameworkDir%\v4.0.30319\csc.exe ...

%FrameworkDir%\v4.0.30319\msbuild.exe ...

I use a batch script to compile and run C#:

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\csc /out:%1 %2

@echo off

if errorlevel 1 (
    pause
    exit
)

start %1 %1

I call it like this:

C:\bin\csc.bat "C:\code\MyProgram.exe" "C:\code\MyProgram.cs"

I also have a shortcut in Notepad++, which you can define by going to Run > Run...:

C:\bin\csc.bat "$(CURRENT_DIRECTORY)\$(NAME_PART).exe" "$(FULL_CURRENT_PATH)"

I assigned this shortcut to my F5 key for maximum laziness.

There are different ways for this:

1.Building C# Applications Using csc.exe

While it is true that you might never decide to build a large-scale application using nothing but the C# command-line compiler, it is important to understand the basics of how to compile your code files by hand.

2.Building .NET Applications Using Notepad++

Another simple text editor I’d like to quickly point out is the freely downloadable Notepad++ application. This tool can be obtained from http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net. Unlike the primitive Windows Notepad application, Notepad++ allows you to author code in a variety of languages and supports

3.Building .NET Applications Using SharpDevelop

As you might agree, authoring C# code with Notepad++ is a step in the right direction, compared to Notepad. However, these tools do not provide rich IntelliSense capabilities for C# code, designers for building graphical user interfaces, project templates, or database manipulation utilities. To address such needs, allow me to introduce the next .NET development option: SharpDevelop (also known as "#Develop").You can download it from http://www.sharpdevelop.com.

Another option is an interesting open source project called ScriptCS. It uses some crafty techniques to allow you a development experience outside of Visual Studio while still being able to leverage NuGet to manage your dependencies. It's free, very easy to install using Chocolatey. You can check it out here http://scriptcs.net.

Another cool feature it has is the REPL from the command line. Which allows you to do stuff like this:

C:\> scriptcs
scriptcs (ctrl-c or blank to exit)

> var message = "Hello, world!";
> Console.WriteLine(message);
Hello, world!
> 

C:\>

You can create C# utility "scripts" which can be anything from small system tasks, to unit tests, to full on Web APIs. In the latest release I believe they're also allowing for hosting the runtime in your own apps.

Check out it development on the GitHub page too https://github.com/scriptcs/scriptcs

If you have a project ready and just want to change some code and then build. Check out MSBuild which is located in the Microsoft.Net under windows directory.

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\msbuild "C:\Projects\MyProject.csproj" /p:Configuration=Debug;DeployOnBuild=True;PackageAsSingleFile=False;outdir=C:\Projects\MyProjects\Publish\

(Please do not edit, leave as a single line)

... The line above broken up for readability

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\msbuild "C:\Projects\MyProject.csproj"
/p:Configuration=Debug;DeployOnBuild=True;PackageAsSingleFile=False;
outdir=C:\Projects\MyProjects\Publish\