C++ Essentials For Dummies

Title Page....5

Copyright Page....6

Table of Contents....9

Introduction....13

About This Book....13

Foolish Assumptions....13

Icons Used in This Book....14

Where to Go from Here....14

Chapter 1 Compiling and Running Your First C++ Application....15

Looking at a Simple C++ Program....16

Using C++ on Microsoft Windows....16

Using C++ on Apple macOS....17

Using C++ on Linux....18

Working with an Integrated Development Environment....19

Chapter 2 Storing Data in C++....21

Storing Values in Variables....21

Creating an integer variable....22

Declaring multiple variables....24

Changing values....25

Setting one variable equal to another....26

Initializing a variable....26

Creating a great name for yourself....27

Manipulating Integer Variables....28

Adding integer variables....28

Subtracting integer variables....31

Multiplying integer variables....32

Dividing integer variables....33

Working with Character Variables....35

Null character....36

Nonprintable and other characters....36

Using Strings....37

Getting a part of a string....38

Changing part of a string....39

Adding onto a string....40

Adding two strings....40

Telling the Truth with Boolean Variables....41

Using Floating-Point Values in a Variable....42

Printing Float and Double Values....43

Making Your Code More Readable with Enumerations....45

Reading from the Console....46

Chapter 3 Directing the Application Flow....49

Filling Your Code with Comments....49

Evaluating Conditions in C++....51

Finding the right C++ relational operators....52

Combining multiple conditions....53

Using If Statements and Conditions....54

Deciding what if and also what else....55

Going further with the else and if....56

Making Decisions Using a Conditional Operator....57

Repeating Actions with Statements That Loop....59

Looping for....59

Performing a simple for loop....60

Going backward....62

Looping while....63

Doing while....65

Breaking and Continuing....66

Breaking....66

Continuing....67

Nesting Loops....68

Using Switch Statements....69

Chapter 4 Dividing Your Work with Functions....73

Dividing Your Work....73

Calling a Function....75

Passing a variable....76

Passing multiple variables....77

Writing Your Own Functions....78

Improving On the Basic Function....79

Using multiple parameters or no parameters....79

Returning nothing....81

Keeping your variables local....82

Forward references and function prototypes....84

Writing two versions of the same function....86

Calling All String Functions....88

Inserting a string into a string....88

Removing parts of a string....88

Replacing parts of a string....89

Understanding main()....89

Chapter 5 Splitting Up Source Code Files....91

Creating Multiple Source Files....91

Sharing with Header Files....94

Adding the header only once....97

Using angle brackets or quotes....97

Sharing Variables among Source Files....98

Using the Mysterious Header Wrappers....99

Using Constants....101

Understanding Preprocessor Directives....103

Understanding the basics of preprocessing....104

Creating constants with #define....105

Chapter 6 Referring to Your Data through Pointers....107

Considering the Issues with Pointers....107

Heaping and Stacking the Variables....108

Getting a variable’s address....109

Changing a variable by using a pointer....110

Pointing at a string....113

Pointing to something else....116

Getting tips on pointer variables....117

Creating New Pointers....117

Using new....118

Using an initializer....120

Freeing Pointers....120

Passing Pointer Variables to Functions....123

Returning Pointer Variables from Functions....127

Chapter 7 Working with Classes....129

Understanding Objects and Classes....129

Classifying classes and objects....130

Describing properties and behaviors....130

Implementing a class....131

Separating member function code....131

Identifying the parts of a class....137

Working with a Class....138

Accessing members....138

Using classes and pointers....140

Passing objects to functions....142

Using const parameters in functions....144

Using the this pointer....145

Defining standard this pointer usage....146

Starting and Ending with Constructors and Destructors....148

Starting with constructors....148

Ending with destructors....148

Sampling constructors and destructors....149

Adding parameters to constructors....150

Building Hierarchies of Classes....153

Overriding member functions....155

Generating random numbers....157

Using polymorphism....158

Overloading member functions....160

Chapter 8 Working with Arrays and Pointers....163

Declaring Arrays....163

Using Arrays and Pointers....165

Using Multidimensional Arrays....166

Declaring a multidimensional array....167

Considering data type....168

Initializing multidimensional arrays....168

Passing multidimensional arrays....168

Working with Arrays and Command-Line Parameters....169

Allocating an Array on the Heap....170

Deleting an Array from the Heap....170

Chapter 9 Ten Features for More Advanced C++ Programming....171

Conditional Compilation....171

Namespaces....172

File I/O....173

Exception Handling....174

Operator Overloading....176

STL Vectors....178

STL Maps....178

STL Iterators....179

Algorithms Library....180

Smart Pointers....181

Index....183

EULA....195

The quick and crystal-clear guide to C++ programming

C++ Essentials For Dummies is your useful reference to the key concepts of C++, the popular general-purpose language utilized everywhere from building games to writing parts of operating systems. With minimal review and background material―and absolutely no fluff―this book gets straight to the essential topics you need to know to ramp up, brush up, or level up.

• Get a helpful intro to the basic concepts of coding in C++
• Review what you already know or pick up essential new skills
• Create projects that run smoothly with the C++ language
• Keep this concise reference book handy for jogging your memory as you work

Great for supplementing classroom learning, reviewing for a certification, or staying knowledgeable on the job, C++ Essentials For Dummies is a fantastic refresher guide that you can always turn to for answers.