Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Save more on your purchases! discount-offer-chevron-icon
Savings automatically calculated. No voucher code required.
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Newsletter Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
timer SALE ENDS IN
0 Days
:
00 Hours
:
00 Minutes
:
00 Seconds
Beginning C++ Programming
Beginning C++ Programming

Beginning C++ Programming: Modern C++ at your fingertips!

Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Grimes
Arrow right icon
Free Trial
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.3 (8 Ratings)
Paperback Apr 2017 526 pages 1st Edition
eBook
S$53.98 S$59.99
Paperback
S$74.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Grimes
Arrow right icon
Free Trial
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.3 (8 Ratings)
Paperback Apr 2017 526 pages 1st Edition
eBook
S$53.98 S$59.99
Paperback
S$74.99
Subscription
Free Trial
eBook
S$53.98 S$59.99
Paperback
S$74.99
Subscription
Free Trial

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Beginning C++ Programming

Starting with C++

Why C++? There will be as many reasons to use C++ as there will be readers of this book.

You may have chosen C++ because you have to support a C++ project. Over the 30 years of its lifetime there have been millions of lines of C++ written, and most popular applications and operating systems will be mostly written in C++, or will use components and libraries that are. It is nearly impossible to find a computer that does not contain some code that has been written in C++.

Or, you may have chosen C++ to write new code. This may be because your code will use a library written in C++, and there are thousands of libraries available: open source, shareware, and commercial.

Or it may be because you are attracted to the power and flexibility that C++ offers. Modern high-level languages have been designed to make it easy for programmers to perform actions; while C++ has such facilities, it also allows you to get as close to the machine as possible, gives you the (sometimes dangerous) power of direct memory access. Through language features such as classes and overloading, C++ is a flexible language that allows you to extend how the language works and write reusable code.

Whatever your reason for deciding on C++, you have made the right choice, and this book is the right place to start.

What will you find in this chapter?

Since this book is a hands-on book, it contains code that you can type, compile, and run. To compile the code, you will need a C++ compiler and linker, and in this book that means Visual Studio 2017 Community Edition, which provides Visual C++. This compiler was chosen because it is a free download, it is compliant with C++ standards and it has very wide range of tools to make writing code easier. Visual C++ provides C++11-compliant language features and almost all the language features of C++14 and C++17. Visual C++ is also provided with the C99 runtime library, C++11 standard library, and C++14 standard library. All of this mentions of standard means that the code that you learn to write in this book will compile with all other standard C++ compilers.

This chapter will start with details about how to obtain and install Visual Studio 2017 Community Edition. If you already have a C++ compiler, you can skip this section. Most of this book is vendor-neutral about the compiler and linker tools, but Chapter 10, Diagnostics and Debugging, which covers debugging and diagnostics, will cover some Microsoft-specific features. Visual Studio has a fully featured code editor, so even if you do not use it to manage your projects, you'll find it useful to edit your code.

After we've described the installation, you'll learn the basics of C++: how source files and projects are structured, and how you can manage projects with potentially thousands of files.

Finally, the chapter will finish with a step-by-step structured example. Here you will learn how to write simple functions that use the standard C++ library and one mechanism to manage files in the project.

What is C++?

The predecessor of C++ is C, which was designed by Dennis Richie at Bell Labs and first released in 1973. C is a widely used language and was used to write the early versions of Unix and Windows. Indeed, the libraries and software-development libraries of many operating systems are still written to have C interfaces. C is powerful because it can be used to write code that is compiled to a compact form, it uses a static type system (so the compiler does the work of type checking), and the types and structures of the language allow for direct memory access to computer architecture.

C, however, is procedural and based on functions, and although it has record types (struct) to encapsulate data, it does not have object-like behaviors to act on that encapsulated state. Clearly there was a need for the power of C but the flexibility and extensibility of object-oriented classes: a language that was C, with classes. In 1983, Bjarne Stroustrup released C++. The ++ comes from the C increment operator ++.

Strictly, when postfixed to a variable, the ++ operator means increment the variable, but return the variable's value before it was incremented. So the C statements int c = 1; int d = c++; will result in variable d having a value of 1 and variable c having a value of 2. This does not quite express the idea that C++ is an increment on C.

Installing Visual C++

Microsoft's Visual Studio Community 2017 contains the Visual C++ compiler, the C++ standard libraries, and a collection of standard tools that you can use to write and maintain C++ projects. This book is not about how to write Windows code; it is about how to write standard C++ and how to use the C++ Standard Library. All the examples in this book will run on the command line. Visual Studio was chosen because it is a free download (although you do have to register an e-mail address with Microsoft), and it is standards-compliant. If you already have a C++ compiler installed, then you can skip this section.

Setting up

Before starting the installation, you should be aware that, as part of the agreement to install Visual Studio as part of Microsoft's community program, you should have a Microsoft account. You are given the option to create a Microsoft account the first time you run Visual Studio and if you skip this stage, you will be given a 30-day evaluation period. Visual Studio will be fully featured during this month, but if you want to use Visual Studio beyond this time you will have to provide a Microsoft account. The Microsoft account does not impose any obligation on you, and when you use Visual C++ after signing in, your code will still remain on your machine with no obligation to pass it to Microsoft.

Of course, if you read this book within one month, you will be able to use Visual Studio without having to sign in using your Microsoft account; you may view this as an incentive to be diligent about finishing the book!

Downloading the installation files

To download the Visual Studio Community 2017 installer go to https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/ community/.

When you click on the Download Community 2017 button, your browser will download a 1 MB file called vs_community__1698485341.1480883588.exe. When you run this application, it will allow you to specify the languages and libraries that you want installed, and then it downloads and installs all the necessary components.

Installing Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2017 treats Visual C++ as an optional component, so you have to explicitly indicate that you want to install it through custom options. When you first execute the installer, you will see the following dialog box:

When you click on the Continue button the application will set up the installer, as shown here:

Along the top are three tabs labeled Workloads, Individual Components and Language Packs. Make sure that you have selected the Workloads tab (as shown in the screenshot) and check the checkbox in the item called Desktop development with C++.

The installer will check that you have enough disk space for the selected option. The maximum amount of space Visual Studio will require is 8 GB, although for Visual C++ you will use a lot less. When you check Desktop development with C++ item, you will see the right side of the dialog change to list the options selected and the disk size required, as follows:

For this book, leave the options selected by the installer and then click the Install button in the bottom right hand corner. The installer will download all the code it needs and it will keep you updated with the progress with the following dialog box:

When the installation is complete the Visual Studio Community 2017 item will change to have two buttons, Modify and Launch, as showing here:

The Modify button allows you to add more components. Click on Launch to run Visual Studio for the first time.

Registering with Microsoft

The first time you run Visual Studio it will ask you to sign in to Microsoft services through the following dialog:

You do not have to register Visual Studio, but if you choose not to, Visual Studio will only work for 30 days. Registering with Microsoft places no obligations on you. If you are happy to register, then you may as well register now. Click on Sign in button provide your Microsoft credentials, or if you do not have an account then click on Sign up to create an account.

When you click on the Launch button a new window will open, but the installer window will remain open. You may find that the installer window hides the Welcome window, so check the Windows task bar to see if another window is open. Once Visual Studio has started you can close the installer window.

You will now be able to use Visual Studio to edit code, and will have the Visual C++ compiler and libraries installed on your machine, so you will be able to compile C++ code in Visual Studio or on the command line.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • This book gets you started with the exciting world of C++ programming
  • It will enable you to write C++ code that uses the standard library, has a level of object orientation, and uses memory in a safe and effective way
  • It forms the basis of programming and covers concepts such as data structures and the core programming language

Description

C++ has come a long way and is now adopted in several contexts. Its key strengths are its software infrastructure and resource-constrained applications, including desktop applications, servers, and performance-critical applications, not to forget its importance in game programming. Despite its strengths in these areas, beginners usually tend to shy away from learning the language because of its steep learning curve. The main mission of this book is to make you familiar and comfortable with C++. You will finish the book not only being able to write your own code, but more importantly, you will be able to read other projects. It is only by being able to read others' code that you will progress from a beginner to an advanced programmer. This book is the first step in that progression. The first task is to familiarize you with the structure of C++ projects so you will know how to start reading a project. Next, you will be able to identify the main structures in the language, functions, and classes, and feel confident being able to identify the execution flow through the code. You will then become aware of the facilities of the standard library and be able to determine whether you need to write a routine yourself, or use an existing routine in the standard library. Throughout the book, there is a big emphasis on memory and pointers. You will understand memory usage, allocation, and access, and be able to write code that does not leak memory. Finally, you will learn about C++ classes and get an introduction to object orientation and polymorphism.

Who is this book for?

A computer, an internet connection, and the desire to learn how to code in C++ is all you need to get started with this book.

What you will learn

  • Get familiar with the structure of C++ projects
  • Identify the main structures in the language: functions and classes
  • Feel confident about being able to identify the execution flow through the code
  • Be aware of the facilities of the standard library
  • Gain insights into the basic concepts of object orientation
  • Know how to debug your programs
  • Get acquainted with the standard C++ library

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Apr 24, 2017
Length: 526 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781787124943
Vendor :
Microsoft
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. $19.99 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing

Product Details

Publication date : Apr 24, 2017
Length: 526 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781787124943
Vendor :
Microsoft
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just S$6 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just S$6 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total S$ 216.97
Beginning C++ Programming
S$74.99
Modern C++ Programming Cookbook
S$74.99
Mastering C++ Multithreading
S$66.99
Total S$ 216.97 Stars icon

Table of Contents

10 Chapters
Starting with C++ Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding Language Features Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Exploring C++ Types Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working with Memory, Arrays, and Pointers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Using Functions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Classes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Introduction to Object-Orientated Programming Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Using the Standard Library Containers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Using Strings Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Diagnostics and Debugging Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.3
(8 Ratings)
5 star 37.5%
4 star 12.5%
3 star 12.5%
2 star 12.5%
1 star 25%
Filter icon Filter
Top Reviews

Filter reviews by




Marie Beckman Dec 07, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Bought as a gift for my son who is attending collage studying this subject,
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Ernest C. Liedtke Nov 10, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Excellent book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Landon D. Nov 01, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book was a welcome change from the normal programming tutorial books. This one actually starts off with having you use makefile project instead of just the normal console type "Hello World" program that you would typically see. I'm learning a lot from this book and look forward to more from this author.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Pietro Neri Jun 14, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Eventually clear, but very demanding exposition. No progress without complete mastery of every preceding line, paragraph and chapter. In many instances, C++ at its worst: technical virtuosism only devised to spare a few byte of memory allocation and some lines of code, at the cost of silly, unnecessary complications. To top it all, as additional burdens, final example code of some chapters (see ch. 5 and 7) doesn't run without a painstaking rewriting by the reader. This notwithstanding, the amount of informations is really remarkable, and I would recommend this purchase were it not that the price is a bit excessive.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Michael Eccles Dec 14, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
Liked the comprehensive coverage of the C++ language, but became frustrated with the frequent typos and missing or confusing messages about using the information. I would not recommend this book for inexperienced software writers.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is included in a Packt subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

A subscription provides you with full access to view all Packt and licnesed content online, this includes exclusive access to Early Access titles. Depending on the tier chosen you can also earn credits and discounts to use for owning content

How can I cancel my subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

To cancel your subscription with us simply go to the account page - found in the top right of the page or at https://subscription.packtpub.com/my-account/subscription - From here you will see the ‘cancel subscription’ button in the grey box with your subscription information in.

What are credits? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Credits can be earned from reading 40 section of any title within the payment cycle - a month starting from the day of subscription payment. You also earn a Credit every month if you subscribe to our annual or 18 month plans. Credits can be used to buy books DRM free, the same way that you would pay for a book. Your credits can be found in the subscription homepage - subscription.packtpub.com - clicking on ‘the my’ library dropdown and selecting ‘credits’.

What happens if an Early Access Course is cancelled? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Projects are rarely cancelled, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If an Early Access course is cancelled or excessively delayed, you can exchange your purchase for another course. For further details, please contact us here.

Where can I send feedback about an Early Access title? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you have any feedback about the product you're reading, or Early Access in general, then please fill out a contact form here and we'll make sure the feedback gets to the right team. 

Can I download the code files for Early Access titles? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We try to ensure that all books in Early Access have code available to use, download, and fork on GitHub. This helps us be more agile in the development of the book, and helps keep the often changing code base of new versions and new technologies as up to date as possible. Unfortunately, however, there will be rare cases when it is not possible for us to have downloadable code samples available until publication.

When we publish the book, the code files will also be available to download from the Packt website.

How accurate is the publication date? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The publication date is as accurate as we can be at any point in the project. Unfortunately, delays can happen. Often those delays are out of our control, such as changes to the technology code base or delays in the tech release. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the publication date at any given time, and as more chapters are delivered, the more accurate the delivery date will become.

How will I know when new chapters are ready? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We'll let you know every time there has been an update to a course that you've bought in Early Access. You'll get an email to let you know there has been a new chapter, or a change to a previous chapter. The new chapters are automatically added to your account, so you can also check back there any time you're ready and download or read them online.

I am a Packt subscriber, do I get Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Yes, all Early Access content is fully available through your subscription. You will need to have a paid for or active trial subscription in order to access all titles.

How is Early Access delivered? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is currently only available as a PDF or through our online reader. As we make changes or add new chapters, the files in your Packt account will be updated so you can download them again or view them online immediately.

How do I buy Early Access content? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.

What is Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.