Introducing C++: The Easy Way to Start Learning Modern C++

Copyright....5

Table of Contents....8

Foreword....14

Preface....16

Who Is This Book For?....16

Structure of This Book....17

Conventions Used in This Book....18

Using Code Examples....19

OReilly Online Learning....20

How to Contact Us....20

Acknowledgments....20

Chapter 1. Hello, World!....22

Installing Tools....24

Linux and macOS....24

Windows....25

Using Your Tools....25

Running Your Program....28

Writing to the Screen....28

Using println....29

Troubleshooting....31

Using cout....32

Understanding println and cout in Depth....33

Conclusion....35

Chapter 2. Variables and Keyboard Input....36

Declaring Variables....36

Character Input....37

Detecting Input Problems....39

Input of Real Numbers....39

Detecting Problems with Numbers....40

Detecting More General Problems....43

A Function for Input with Some Tests....45

Starting with a Failing Test....45

Breaking Your Code into Functions....47

Starting with a Failing Test, Again....48

Testing Bad Input....50

Refactor....52

Calling Your New Function from main....53

Understanding Variables, std::cin, and Functions in Depth....54

Clearing Input Errors....55

More on Functions....58

Conclusion....62

Chapter 3. Exceptions and Expectations....64

Exceptions....64

Throwing Exceptions....67

Trying and Catching....68

Handling Exceptions with a trycatch Block....68

Expectations....70

Understanding Exceptions and Expectations in More Depth....72

Other Exception Types....73

Position of catch Blocks....75

Expected Without a Value....76

Conclusion....77

Chapter 4. Using Loops, Arrays, and Vectors....80

Input of Several Numbers Using a Loop....80

A while Loop....81

Using an Array....83

Displaying and Using the Numbers....89

Using a Vector....92

Adding More Elements to a Vector....93

A Few Other Container Functions....95

Getting Several Numbers in a Vector....96

Understanding Sequential Containers in More Depth....97

Initializing Containers with an Initializer List....97

What Happens When You Add to a Vector....98

What Happens When You Delete from a Vector....99

Initializing a Vector with a Fixed Value....100

Other Sequential Containers....101

Conclusion....101

Chapter 5. Using Standard Library Algorithms....104

Getting Several Numbers Into a Vector (Again)....104

Analyzing Your Numbers Using Algorithms....110

Using Predicates in Algorithms....112

Using Iterators in Algorithms....115

The Old Way to Remove Items....116

Finding an Average with an Algorithm....120

Understanding Algorithms in More Depth....124

Using for Loops....124

Binary Operators and Predicates....127

More on Iterators....128

Conclusion....128

Chapter 6. Lambdas and the Ranges Library....130

Removing Negative Numbers Using a Lambda....130

Using a Lambda to Vary Behavior via std::function....132

Filtering Out Negative Numbers Using the Ranges View....138

Using Lambda Captures for Fun and Profit....141

Understanding Lambdas and Views in More Depth....144

Lambda Captures by Value....144

Lambda Captures by Reference....148

Composing Views....149

Lazy Views....153

Conclusion....154

Chapter 7. Random Numbers....156

Generating Random Numbers....157

Writing an Overload for a Function....160

Building a Trading Game....164

Understanding Code with Random Numbers (and Vectors) in Depth....167

Using a Normal Distribution....168

Considerations for Code That Uses Random Numbers....171

Creating and Filling Vectors....175

Conclusion....177

Chapter 8. Working with Files....180

Writing to a File....180

Detecting and Reporting Problems....182

Using the Filesystem Library....184

Reading from a File....186

Understanding Files in Depth....188

Different File Modes....188

Bitwise Operators and Bitmasks....190

Reading Previous Prices....192

Conclusion....196

Chapter 9. Strings and Formatting....198

C-Style String Literals and Characters....198

Providing Arguments to main....200

Creating and Manipulating a std::string....201

Other Ways to Create a std::string....202

More std::string Functions....203

String Views....205

Formatting and More on std::println....208

std::format and Format Specifications....209

An Improved Trading Game....211

Understanding Strings in Depth....216

Joining std::strings Efficiently....216

Using std::println to Save to a File....217

Conclusion....219

Chapter 10. Classes: Member Variables and Member Functions....222

A Simple Class....223

Private and Public Access Specifiers....226

Constructors and Destructors....229

Using the Stock Class in a std::vector....232

Introducing Classes in Depth....235

Constructors and Destructors in Depth....236

Splitting a Class Between Header and Source Files....238

Conclusion....240

Chapter 11. Classes: Special Member Functions and Move Semantics....242

Copying Objects....242

Moving Objects....244

Move and Copy Assignments....246

Copies and Moves in Depth....250

How Does a std::string Work?....250

Move Constructors and Move Assignments....252

Copy Constructors and Copy Assignments....253

Conclusion....254

Chapter 12. Memory Management with std::unique_ptr....256

Creating a std::unique_ptr....257

Using a std::unique_ptr....259

Smart Pointers in Depth....260

More on Pointers and References....260

Unique Pointers in More Detail....262

Other Smart Pointers....264

Custom Deleters....265

Using a std::unique_ptr in a Class....266

Using the Exchange Class....270

Conclusion....273

Chapter 13. Classes: Virtual Functions and Inheritance....274

Base Class and Derived Classes....275

Defining an Abstract Base Class....275

A Derived Class....276

Using Derived Classes....279

A New Trading Game....282

Adding Another Derived Type....285

Virtual Functions and Inheritance in Depth....292

Virtual Destructors....292

Virtual Functions and Slicing....294

Conclusion....296

Chapter 14. Using std::variant and std::visit....298

Creating and Using a std::variant....299

Using a std::variant in std::visit....302

Using the Event in the Trading Game....305

The std::variant in Depth....308

Spotting and Handling Potential Problems with std::variant....309

Using std::optional and std::any....310

Conclusion....312

Chapter 15. Templates and std::unordered_map....314

Making a Lookup Table....314

Write Your Own Template....316

Specializing std::hash....320

Adding an Equality Operator for an Event....323

Adding a Way to Display the Events....325

Keeping a Tally of Events in Your Trading Game....327

Associative Containers and Templates in Depth....330

More on Templates....332

Conclusion....335

Index....336

About the Author....346

Colophon....346

You know how to code, but you're ready to level up. You've heard about the power and performance of C++, a language vital to fields like AI, game development, and high-performance computing. But where do you even start? Existing resources are outdated or overly academic, or they assume a deep understanding of C. You need a guide that respects your existing skills and gets you coding fast with modern C++.

This book cuts through the noise, focusing on the essential elements of C++ with hands-on projects that quickly build your skills and confidence. Author and C++ expert Frances Buontempo gets you up to speed quickly with the latest features and best practices of the language, preparing you for more advanced exploration.

• Write clean and efficient C++ code
• Understand core concepts and syntax
• Apply various programming approaches, from OOP to functional styles
• Read and understand complex C++ definitions and resources