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C#: How to add the C# compiler command utility (csc.exe) to the system Path?

Doing .NET development does not necessarily assume using the holy Visual Studio IDE. Every now and then, you need to code some simple piece of software that does not require a factory (read: Visual Studio).

Personally, I like to use Vim within Windows PowerShell to create/edit C# files rapidly, that also means that I need to compile and build my C# files within the command line. Having Visual C# installed on your PC, does not mean that the C# compiler is ready to be used outside of Visual Studio (within the command line for example). You have to manually add the path to the C# compiler (csc.exe) to your system or user environmental variables. Just follow along:

1- On Windows 7, click on the Start menu launcher, right-click on Computer, click on Properties. At the left of the window that appears, click on Advanced system settings.

2- At the bottom of the System Properties dialog, click on Environment Variables.

3- In the Environment Variables dialog box, click on the New button that appears in the User variables panel.

4- In the New User Variable dialog box, type CSharp (or what ever feels right to you) in the Variable name field, then type the path to the C# compiler (csc.exe) in the Variable value field. The path to csc.exe is: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0\ (or C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0\ for 64-bit systems). In this case '4.0' is the version of the .NET framework I'm currently using.

That's it. You can now launch a Command Prompt and verify that the C# compiler is ready to be used by typing: csc or csc.exe. If a message like the following (depending on your version of the .NET framework) is displayed:

Microsoft (R) Visual C# Compiler version 4.0.30319.17929
for Microsoft (R) .NET Framework 4.5
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.


then you've successfully configured your C# compiler.

Hope this helps. Happy coding ;-)

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