Last night I was attempting to hook up my gas dryer. Of course once I started this project I did not have all of the equipment (the gas connector pipe). Although I did test to see if the gas was working at the gas pipe near the dryer. It did and I immediately turned it off.

This morning the hot water heater is not working. Is there some correlation between me turning the gas line on and the pilot light going out? Please advise how start this project: first light pilot light for hot water or first hook up dryer... thanks

Before you anything, make sure the gas is out of the room. It's heavier than air and will congrigate in low places.

Hook up everything. Then get some gas leak detector spray and check for leaks at all joints.

The lines will have to clear of air before you can light anything, so the dryer will take a while before it will successfully ignite.

It's possible that the opening of the gas valve distubed the flow in the pipe enough that the pilot went out. It's also possible that the pilot light lit some gas that you let out of the room and blew itself out.

Sources of ignition need to be removed before doing careless operations that you did like opening a gas valve into the air. Yes, it could have found it's way to the heater pilot or water heater pilot and EXPLODED.