Hovedfunktionen

Hovedfunktionen is the term used in Danish and Norwegian programming to refer to the main function, the entry point of a program. It denotes the function where program execution starts and serves to set up initial state, read command-line arguments, and invoke other components. While the exact form varies by language, the concept is consistent: a clearly defined starting point from which control flow proceeds.

In C and C++, the main function is typically declared as int main(int argc, char *argv[]) or int main(void) and must return an integer status code to indicate success or failure. In Java, the entry point is a public static void main(String[] args) method inside a class; the runtime invokes it to start the program. In Python, there is no mandatory main function, but programmers often define a main() and guard its execution with if __name__ == '__main__': to allow the code to be imported without running. In C#, the entry point is typically static void Main(string[] args) within a class or struct. Other languages offer similar conventions, sometimes using a function named main, or relying on language runtimes to locate the entry point automatically.

The design emphasizes initialization, resource setup, and orchestration of other modules. Returning an exit status, or signaling termination through exceptions and the runtime, are common patterns. The term remains a useful descriptive label even as many modern environments use frameworks that abstract the explicit main function away from application logic.

See also: Entry point, Main method, Program lifecycle.