C++ in One Hour a Day, Sams Teach Yourself, 8th Edition

Description

In just one hour a day, you’ll have all the skills you need to begin programming in C++. With this complete tutorial, you’ll quickly master the basics, and then move on to more advanced features and concepts. Completely updated for the C++14 standard, with a preview of C++17, this book presents the language from a practical point of view, helping you learn how to use C++ to create faster, simpler, and more efficient C++ applications.

• Master the fundamentals of C++ and object-oriented programming
• Understand how C++ features help you write compact and efficient code using concepts such as lambda expressions, move constructors, and assignment operators
• Learn best practices and avoid pitfalls via useful Do’s and Don’ts 
• Learn the Standard Template Library, including containers and algorithms used in most real-world C++ applications
• Test your knowledge and expertise with exercises at the end of every lesson 

Learn on your own time, at your own pace:

• No previous programming experience required
• Write fast and powerful C++ programs, compile the source code, and create executable files
• Learn object-oriented programming concepts such as encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism
• Use the Standard Template Library’s algorithms and containers to write feature-rich yet stable C++ applications
• Learn how automatic type deduction helps simplify C++ code
• Develop sophisticated programming techniques using lambda expressions, smart pointers, and move constructors
• Master the features of C++ by learning from programming experts
• Learn C++ features that allow you to program compact and high-performance C++ applications
• Preview what’s new in C++17

Contents at a Glance

Lesson 1: Getting Started

Lesson 2: The Anatomy of a C++ Program

Lesson 3: Using Variables, Declaring Constants

Lesson 4: Managing Arrays and Strings

Lesson 5: Working with Expressions, Statements, and Operators

Lesson 6: Controlling Program Flow

Lesson 7: Organizing Code with Functions

Lesson 8: Pointers and References Explained

Lesson 9: Classes and Objects

Lesson 10: Implementing Inheritance

Lesson 11: Polymorphism

Lesson 12: Operator Types and Operator Overloading

Lesson 13: Casting Operators

Lesson 14: An Introduction to Macros and Templates

Lesson 15: An Introduction to the Standard Template Library

Lesson 16: The STL String Class

Lesson 17: STL Dynamic Array Classes

Lesson 18: STL list and forward_list

Lesson 19: STL Set Classes 

Lesson 20: STL Map Classes

Lesson 21: Understanding Function Objects

Lesson 22: Lambda Expressions 

Lesson 23: STL Algorithms

Lesson 24: Adaptive Containers: Stack and Queue

Lesson 25: Working with Bit Flags Using STL

Lesson 26: Understanding Smart Pointers

Lesson 27: Using Streams for Input and Output 

Lesson 28: Exception Handling

Lesson 29: Going Forward

Part VI: Appendixes

Appendix A: Working with Numbers: Binary and Hexadecimal

Appendix B: C++ Keywords

Appendix C: Operator Precedence

Appendix D: ASCII Codes

Appendix E: Answers

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Table of Contents

Part I: The Basics

Lesson 1: Getting Started

  A Brief History of C++

    Connection to C

    Advantages of C++

    Evolution of the C++ Standard

    Who Uses Programs Written in C++?

  Programming a C++ Application

    Steps to Generating an Executable

    Analyzing Errors and “Debugging”

    Integrated Development Environments

    Programming Your First C++ Application

    Building and Executing Your First C++ Application

    Understanding Compiler Errors

  What’s New in C++?

Lesson 2: The Anatomy of a C++ Program

  Parts of the Hello World Program

  Preprocessor Directive #include

  The Body of Your Program main()

    Returning a Value

  The Concept of Namespaces

  Comments in C++ Code

  Functions in C++

  Basic Input Using std::cin and Output Using std::cout

Lesson 3: Using Variables, Declaring Constants

  What Is a Variable?

    Memory and Addressing in Brief

    Declaring Variables to Access and Use Memory

    Declaring and Initializing Multiple Variables of a Type

    Understanding the Scope of a Variable

    Global Variables

    Naming Conventions

  Common Compiler-Supported C++ Variable Types

    Using Type bool to Store Boolean Values

    Using Type char to Store Character Values

    The Concept of Signed and Unsigned Integers

    Signed Integer Types short, int, long, and long long

  Unsigned Integer Types unsigned short, unsigned int, unsigned long, and unsigned long

    long

    Avoid Overflow Errors by Selecting Correct Data Types

    Floating-Point Types float and double

  Determining the Size of a Variable Using sizeof

    Avoid Narrowing Conversion Errors by Using List Initialization

  Automatic Type Inference Using auto

  Using typedef to Substitute a Variable’s Type

  What Is a Constant?

    Literal Constants

    Declaring Variables as Constants Using const

    Constant Expressions Using constexpr

    Enumerations

    Defining Constants Using #define

  Keywords You Cannot Use as Variable or Constant Names

Lesson 4: Managing Arrays and Strings

  What Is an Array?

    The Need for Arrays

    Declaring and Initializing Static Arrays

    How Data Is Stored in an Array

    Accessing Data Stored in an Array

    Modifying Data Stored in an Array

  Multidimensional Arrays

    Declaring and Initializing Multidimensional Arrays

    Accessing Elements in a Multidimensional Array

  Dynamic Arrays

  C-style Character Strings

  C++ Strings: Using std::string

Lesson 5: Working with Expressions, Statements, and Operators

  Statements

  Compound Statements or Blocks

  Using Operators

    The Assignment Operator (=)

    Understanding L-values and R-values

    Operators to Add (+), Subtract (-), Multiply (*), Divide (/), and Modulo Divide (%)

    Operators to Increment (++) and Decrement (--)

    To Postfix or to Prefix?

    Equality Operators (==) and (!=)

    Relational Operators

    Logical Operations NOT, AND, OR, and XOR

    Using C++ Logical Operators NOT (!), AND (&&), and OR (||)

    Bitwise NOT (~), AND (&), OR (|), and XOR (^) Operators

    Bitwise Right Shift (>>) and Left Shift (<<) Operators

    Compound Assignment Operators

    Using Operator sizeof to Determine the Memory Occupied by a Variable

    Operator Precedence

Lesson 6: Controlling Program Flow

  Conditional Execution Using if … else

    Conditional Programming Using if … else

    Executing Multiple Statements Conditionally

    Nested if Statements

    Conditional Processing Using switch-case

    Conditional Execution Using Operator (?:)

  Getting Code to Execute in Loops

    A Rudimentary Loop Using goto

    The while Loop

    The do…while Loop

    The for Loop

    The Range-Based for Loop

  Modifying Loop Behavior Using continue and break

    Loops That Don’t End–That Is, Infinite Loops

    Controlling Infinite Loops

  Programming Nested Loops

    Using Nested Loops to Walk a Multidimensional Array

    Using Nested Loops to Calculate Fibonacci Numbers

Lesson 7: Organizing Code with Functions

  The Need for Functions

    What Is a Function Prototype?

    What Is a Function Definition?

    What Is a Function Call, and What Are Arguments?

    Programming a Function with Multiple Parameters

    Programming Functions with No Parameters or No Return Values

    Function Parameters with Default Values

    Recursion–Functions That Invoke Themselves

    Functions with Multiple Return Statements

  Using Functions to Work with Different Forms of Data

    Overloading Functions

    Passing an Array of Values to a Function

    Passing Arguments by Reference

  How Function Calls Are Handled by the Microprocessor

    Inline Functions

    Automatic Return Type Deduction

    Lambda Functions

Lesson 8: Pointers and References Explained

  What Is a Pointer?

    Declaring a Pointer

    Determining the Address of a Variable Using the Reference Operator (&)

    Using Pointers to Store Addresses

    Access Pointed Data Using the Dereference Operator (*)

    What Is the sizeof() of a Pointer?

  Dynamic Memory Allocation

    Using Operators new and delete to Allocate

    and Release Memory Dynamically

    Effect of Incrementing and Decrementing Operators (++ and --) on Pointers

    Using the const Keyword on Pointers

    Passing Pointers to Functions

    Similarities between Arrays and Pointers

  Common Programming Mistakes When Using Pointers

    Memory Leaks

    When Pointers Don’t Point to Valid Memory Locations

    Dangling Pointers (Also Called Stray or Wild Pointers)

    Checking Whether Allocation Request Using new Succeeded

  Pointer Programming Best-Practices

  What Is a Reference?

    What Makes References Useful?

    Using Keyword const on References

    Passing Arguments by Reference to Functions

Part II: Fundamentals of Object-Oriented C++ Programming

Lesson 9: Classes and Objects

  The Concept of Classes and Objects

    Declaring a Class

    An Object as an Instance of a Class

    Accessing Members Using the Dot Operator (.)

    Accessing Members Using the Pointer Operator (->)

  Keywords public and private

    Abstraction of Data via Keyword private

  Constructors

    Declaring and Implementing a Constructor

    When and How to Use Constructors

    Overloading Constructors

    Class Without a Default Constructor

    Constructor Parameters with Default Values

    Constructors with Initialization Lists

  Destructor

    Declaring and Implementing a Destructor

    When and How to Use a Destructor

  Copy Constructor

    Shallow Copying and Associated Problems

    Ensuring Deep Copy Using a Copy Constructor

    Move Constructors Help Improve Performance

  Different Uses of Constructors and the Destructor

    Class That Does Not Permit Copying

    Singleton Class That Permits a Single Instance

    Class That Prohibits Instantiation on the Stack

    Using Constructors to Convert Types

  this Pointer

  sizeof() a Class

  How struct Differs from class

  Declaring a friend of a class

  union: A Special Data Storage Mechanism

    Declaring a Union

    Where Would You Use a union?

  Using Aggregate Initialization on Classes and Structs

    constexpr with Classes and Objects

Lesson 10: Implementing Inheritance

  Basics of Inheritance

    Inheritance and Derivation

    C++ Syntax of Derivation

    Access Specifier Keyword protected

    Base Class Initialization–Passing Parameters to the Base Class

    Derived Class Overriding Base Class’s Methods

    Invoking Overridden Methods of a Base Class

    Invoking Methods of a Base Class in a Derived Class

    Derived Class Hiding Base Class’s Methods

    Order of Construction

    Order of Destruction

  Private Inheritance

  Protected Inheritance

  The Problem of Slicing

  Multiple Inheritance

  Avoiding Inheritance Using final

Lesson 11: Polymorphism

  Basics of Polymorphism

    Need for Polymorphic Behavior

    Polymorphic Behavior Implemented Using Virtual Functions

    Need for Virtual Destructors

    How Do virtual Functions Work? Understanding the Virtual Function Table

    Abstract Base Classes and Pure Virtual Functions

  Using virtual Inheritance to Solve the Diamond Problem

  Specifier Override to Indicate Intention to Override

  Use final to Prevent Function Overriding

  Virtual Copy Constructors?

Lesson 12: Operator Types and Operator Overloading

  What Are Operators in C++?

  Unary Operators

    Types of Unary Operators

    Programming a Unary Increment/Decrement Operator

    Programming Conversion Operators

    Programming Dereference Operator (*) and Member

    Selection Operator (->)

  Binary Operators

    Types of Binary Operators

    Programming Binary Addition (a+b) and Subtraction (a-b) Operators

    Implementing Addition Assignment (+=) and Subtraction Assignment (-=) Operators

    Overloading Equality (==) and Inequality (!=) Operators

    Overloading <, >, <=, and >= Operators

    Overloading Copy Assignment Operator (=)

    Subscript Operator ([])

  Function Operator ()

  Move Constructor and Move Assignment Operator for High Performance Programming

    The Problem of Unwanted Copy Steps

    Declaring a Move Constructor and Move Assignment Operator

  User Defined Literals

  Operators That Cannot Be Overloaded

Lesson 13: Casting Operators

  The Need for Casting

  Why C-Style Casts Are Not Popular with Some C++ Programmers

  The C++ Casting Operators

    Using static_cast

    Using dynamic_cast and Runtime Type Identification

    Using reinterpret_cast

    Using const_cast

  Problems with the C++ Casting Operators

Lesson 14: An Introduction to Macros and Templates

  The Preprocessor and the Compiler

  Using Macro #define to Define Constants

    Using Macros for Protection against Multiple Inclusion

  Using #define to Write Macro Functions

    Why All the Parentheses?

    Using Macro assert to Validate Expressions

    Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Macro Functions

  An Introduction to Templates

    Template Declaration Syntax

    The Different Types of Template Declarations

    Template Functions

    Templates and Type Safety

    Template Classes

    Declaring Templates with Multiple Parameters

    Declaring Templates with Default Parameters

    Sample Template class<> HoldsPair

    Template Instantiation and Specialization

    Template Classes and static Members

    Variable Templates, Also Called Variadic Templates

    Using static_assert to Perform Compile-Time Checks

    Using Templates in Practical C++ Programming

Part III: Learning the Standard Template Library (STL)

Lesson 15: An Introduction to the Standard Template Library

  STL Containers

    Sequential Containers

    Associative Containers

    Container Adapters

  STL Iterators

  STL Algorithms

  The Interaction between Containers and Algorithms Using Iterators

    Using Keyword auto to Let Compiler Define Type

  Choosing the Right Container

  STL String Classes

Lesson 16: The STL String Class

  The Need for String Manipulation Classes

  Working with the STL String Class

    Instantiating the STL String and Making Copies

    Accessing Character Contents of a std::string

    Concatenating One String to Another

    Finding a Character or Substring in a String

    Truncating an STL string

    String Reversal

    String Case Conversion

  Template-Based Implementation of an STL String

  C++14 operator “”s in std::string

Lesson 17: STL Dynamic Array Classes

  The Characteristics of std::vector

  Typical Vector Operations

    Instantiating a Vector

    Inserting Elements at the End Using push_back()

    List Initialization

    Inserting Elements at a Given Position Using insert()

    Accessing Elements in a Vector Using Array Semantics

    Accessing Elements in a Vector Using Pointer Semantics

    Removing Elements from a Vector

  Understanding the Concepts of Size and Capacity

  The STL deque Class

Lesson 18: STL list and forward_list

  The Characteristics of a std::list

  Basic list Operations

    Instantiating a std::list Object

    Inserting Elements at the Front or Back of the List

    Inserting at the Middle of the List

    Erasing Elements from the List

  Reversing and Sorting Elements in a List

    Reversing Elements Using list::reverse()

    Sorting Elements

    Sorting and Removing Elements from a list That Contains

    Instances of a class

    std::forward_list Introduced in C++11

Lesson 19: STL Set Classes

  An Introduction to STL Set Classes

  Basic STL set and multiset Operations

    Instantiating a std::set Object

    Inserting Elements in a set or multiset

    Finding Elements in an STL set or multiset

    Erasing Elements in an STL set or multiset

  Pros and Cons of Using STL set and multiset

    STL Hash Set Implementation std::unordered_set and

    std::unordered_multiset

Lesson 20: STL Map Classes

  An Introduction to STL Map Classes

  Basic std::map and std::multimap Operations

    Instantiating a std::map or std::multimap

    Inserting Elements in an STL map or multimap

    Finding Elements in an STL map

    Finding Elements in an STL multimap

    Erasing Elements from an STL map or multimap

  Supplying a Custom Sort Predicate

  STL’s Hash Table-Based Key-Value Container

    How Hash Tables Work

    Using unordered_map and unordered_multimap

Part IV: More STL

Lesson 21: Understanding Function Objects

  The Concept of Function Objects and Predicates

  Typical Applications of Function Objects

    Unary Functions

    Unary Predicate

    Binary Functions

    Binary Predicate

Lesson 22: Lambda Expressions

  What Is a Lambda Expression?

  How to Define a Lambda Expression

  Lambda Expression for a Unary Function

  Lambda Expression for a Unary Predicate

  Lambda Expression with State via Capture Lists [...]

  The Generic Syntax of Lambda Expressions

  Lambda Expression for a Binary Function

  Lambda Expression for a Binary Predicate

Lesson 23: STL Algorithms

  What Are STL Algorithms?

  Classification of STL Algorithms

    Non-Mutating Algorithms

    Mutating Algorithms

  Usage of STL Algorithms

    Finding Elements Given a Value or a Condition

    Counting Elements Given a Value or a Condition

    Searching for an Element or a Range in a Collection

    Initializing Elements in a Container to a Specific Value

    Using std::generate() to Initialize Elements to a Value Generated at Runtime

    Processing Elements in a Range Using for_each()

    Performing Transformations on a Range Using std::transform()

    Copy and Remove Operations

    Replacing Values and Replacing Element Given a Condition

    Sorting and Searching in a Sorted Collection and Erasing Duplicates

    Partitioning a Range

    Inserting Elements in a Sorted Collection

Lesson 24: Adaptive Containers: Stack and Queue

  The Behavioral Characteristics of Stacks and Queues

    Stacks

    Queues

  Using the STL stack Class

    Instantiating the Stack

    Stack Member Functions

    Insertion and Removal at Top Using push() and pop()

  Using the STL queue Class

    Instantiating the Queue

    Member Functions of a queue

    Insertion at End and Removal at the Beginning of queue via push() and pop()

  Using the STL Priority Queue

    Instantiating the priority_queue Class

    Member Functions of priority_queue

    Insertion at the End and Removal at the Beginning of priority_queue via push() and pop()

Lesson 25: Working with Bit Flags Using STL

  The bitset Class

    Instantiating the std::bitset

  Using std::bitset and Its Members

    Useful Operators Featured in std::bitset

    std::bitset Member Methods

  The vector

    Instantiating vector

    vector Functions and Operators

Part V: Advanced C++ Concepts

Lesson 26: Understanding Smart Pointers

  What Are Smart Pointers?

    The Problem with Using Conventional (Raw) Pointers

    How Do Smart Pointers Help?

  How Are Smart Pointers Implemented?

  Types of Smart Pointers

    Deep Copy

    Copy on Write Mechanism

    Reference-Counted Smart Pointers

    Reference-Linked Smart Pointers

    Destructive Copy

    Using the std::unique_ptr

Popular Smart Pointer Libraries

Lesson 27: Using Streams for Input and Output

  Concept of Streams

  Important C++ Stream Classes and Objects

  Using std::cout for Writing Formatted Data to Console

    Changing Display Number Formats Using std::cout

    Aligning Text and Setting Field Width Using std::cout

  Using std::cin for Input

    Using std::cin for Input into a Plain Old Data Type

    Using std::cin::get for Input into char* Buffer

    Using std::cin for Input into a std::string

  Using std::fstream for File Handling

    Opening and Closing a File Using open() and close()

    Creating and Writing a Text File Using open() and operator<<

    Reading a Text File Using open() and operator>>

    Writing to and Reading from a Binary File

  Using std::stringstream for String Conversions

Lesson 28: Exception Handling

  What Is an Exception?

  What Causes Exceptions?

  Implementing Exception Safety via try and catch

    Using catch(...) to Handle All Exceptions

    Catching Exception of a Type

  Throwing Exception of a Type Using throw

  How Exception Handling Works

  Class std::exception

  Your Custom Exception Class Derived from std::exception

Lesson 29: Going Forward

  What’s Different in Today’s Processors?

  How to Better Use Multiple Cores

    What Is a Thread?

    Why Program Multithreaded Applications?

    How Can Threads Transact Data?

    Using Mutexes and Semaphores to Synchronize Threads

    Problems Caused by Multithreading

  Writing Great C++ Code

  C++17: Expected Features

    if and switch Support Initializers

    Copy Elision Guarantee

    std::string_view Avoids Allocation Overheads

    std::variant As a Typesafe Alternative to a union

    Conditional Code Compilation Using if constexpr

    Improved Lambda Expressions

    Automatic Type Deduction for Constructors

    template

  Learning C++ Doesn’t Stop Here!

    Online Documentation

    Communities for Guidance and Help

Part VI: Appendixes

Appendix A: Working with Numbers: Binary and Hexadecimal

Appendix B: C++ Keywords

Appendix C: Operator Precedence

Appendix D: ASCII Codes

Appendix E: Answers

9780789757746   TOC   11/29/2016

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