Create Your First Project

📖 Instructions#

With your environment ready, you can create your first project. A project is the folder and set of files that make up a program. VS Code uses a project structure to know how to build and run your code.

You’ll create a Console App — a program that runs in the console and takes text input and output. That’s exactly what you’ll be building throughout this course.

🎓 Learn More

Project

Console

Create a C# Project in Visual Studio Code

✅ What to Do#

Create a new C# Console App named ConsoleGamesLibrary in Visual Studio Code.

🎯 Expected Outcome#

Your project folder should contain these files:

ConsoleGamesLibrary/
    ConsoleGamesLibrary.csproj
    ConsoleGamesLibrary.sln
    Program.cs

Open Program.cs — it should contain a single line:

Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");

💡 Hints#

Hint 1

Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac). This is where you’ll find the .NET: New Project command.

Hint 2

The Command Palette will walk you through a sequence of prompts — project type, name, folder, and solution format. Don’t close it or press Escape at any point or it will reset and you’ll need to start again.

Hint 3

When asked for the solution file format, select .sln. When asked for the project name, type exactly ConsoleGamesLibrary — capitalisation matters for C# projects.

⚠️ Common Mistakes#

No folder open in VS Code before running the command

The .NET: New Project command creates the project inside the folder that’s currently open in VS Code. If no folder is open, the command may fail or put files somewhere unexpected. Open a folder first via File → Open Folder.

Closing the Command Palette mid-way

The project wizard runs as a sequence of prompts in the Command Palette. Pressing Escape or clicking away resets it — no files are created. If this happens, open the Command Palette again and start from .NET: New Project.

Typing the wrong project name

The project is named ConsoleGamesLibrary — one word, no spaces, capital C, G, and L. A wrong name won’t break anything, but your file structure won’t match the expected outcome and later steps will refer to ConsoleGamesLibrary by name.

🙈 Solution#

Tried, you must, before reveal the solution you may.

Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac).
Type .NET: New Project and select it.
Select Console App.
Enter ConsoleGamesLibrary as the project name.
Confirm the folder and press Enter.
Select .sln as the solution format and press Enter.