C++ For Dummies^?, 4th Edition

by Stephen R. Davis

• ISBN13: 9780764527920
• ISBN10: 0764527924
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Unlike other C++ programming books, C++ For Dummies considers the "why" just as important as the "how." The features of C++ are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Rather than just present the features, this book will help you to really understand how they fit together. After you finish this book, you'll be able to write a reasonable C++ program, and, just as important, you'll understand why and how it works.C++, as the name implies, is the next generation of the C programming language. The experienced C programmer will find C++ both exciting and frustrating. This book will help you get from C to C++ as painlessly as possible; however, C++ For Dummies, 4th Edition, doesn't assume that the reader knows anything about C language. Anyone, from any programming background, will quickly discover how to Write your first program Create source code Use the Visual C++ help system Build objects Develop C++ pointers Debug your programs This fourth edition of C++ For Dummies begins with basic programming concepts. The book works its way through simple syntax into the care and feeding of basic programs right into object-oriented concepts. Once you've digested the entire content of the book, you should have no trouble impressing your friends and acquaintances at parties. You'll find coverage of all these topics, and more: Declaring variables Performing logical operations Executing loops in a program Writing and using functions Passing pointers to functions Passing objects to functions Using constructors and destructors Declaring static member functions Implementing abstract classes Overloading the assignment operator C++ For Dummies does not cover Windows programming. Finding out how to program Windows in C++ is really a two-step process. First, you need to master C++. That accomplished, you can move on to Windows programming.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
What's in This Book	p. 1
What's on the CD	p. 2
What Is C++?	p. 2
Conventions Used in This Book	p. 3
What You're Not to Read	p. 3
Foolish Assumptions	p. 4
How This Book Is Organized	p. 4
Icons Used in This Book	p. 7
Where to Go from Here	p. 7
Introducing C++ Programming	p. 9
Writing Your First C++ Program	p. 11
Grasping C++ Concepts	p. 12
What's a program?	p. 12
How do I program?	p. 13
Installing GNU C++	p. 14
Creating Your First C++ Program	p. 14
Entering the C++ code	p. 14
Building your program	p. 16
Executing Your Program	p. 18
GNU is guh-not Windows	p. 19
GNU C++ help	p. 19
Reviewing the Annotated Program	p. 19
Examining the framework for all C++ programs	p. 20
Clarifying source code with comments	p. 20
Basing programs on C++ statements	p. 21
Writing declarations	p. 21
Generating output	p. 22
Calculating Expressions	p. 22
Storing the results of expression	p. 23
Examining the remainder of Conversion	p. 23
Declaring Variables Constantly	p. 25
Declaring Variables	p. 26
Declaring Different Types of Variables	p. 26
Reviewing the limitations of integers in C++	p. 27
Solving the truncation problem	p. 28
Examining the limitations of floating point	p. 29
Declaring Variable Types	p. 30
Types of constants	p. 31
Special characters	p. 32
Mixed Mode Expressions	p. 33
Performing Mathematical Operations	p. 35
Performing Simple Binary Arithmetic	p. 36
Decomposing Expressions	p. 37
Determining the Order of Operations	p. 38
Performing Unary Operations	p. 39
Using Assignment Operators	p. 40
Performing Logical Operations	p. 43
Why Mess with Logical Operations?	p. 43
Using the Simple Logical Operators	p. 44
Be careful performing logical operations on floating point variables	p. 45
Expressing Binary Numbers	p. 47
The decimal number system	p. 48
Other number systems	p. 48
The binary number system	p. 48
Performing Bitwise Logical Operations	p. 50
The single bit operators	p. 51
Using the bitwise operators	p. 51
A simple test	p. 52
Why define such a crazy operator?	p. 54
Controlling Program Flow	p. 57
Controlling Program Flow with the Branch Commands	p. 57
Executing Loops in a Program	p. 59
Looping while a condition is true	p. 59
Using the autoincrement/autodecrement feature	p. 61
Using the for loop	p. 62
Avoiding the dreaded infinite loop	p. 65
Applying special loop controls	p. 65
Nesting Control Commands	p. 67
Switching to A Different Subject?	p. 69
Becoming a Functional Programmer	p. 71
Creating Functions	p. 73
Writing and Using a Function	p. 74
Understanding the Details of Functions	p. 76
Understanding Simple functions	p. 77
Understanding functions with arguments	p. 77
Overloading Function Names	p. 80
Defining Function Prototypes	p. 82
Variable Storage Types	p. 84
Storing Sequences in Arrays	p. 85
Considering the Need for Arrays	p. 85
Using an array	p. 87
Initializing an array	p. 89
Accessing too far into an array	p. 90
Using arrays?	p. 91
Defining and using arrays of arrays	p. 91
Using Arrays of Characters	p. 92
Manipulating Strings	p. 94
Writing our own concatenate function	p. 94
Reviewing the C++ string handling functions	p. 96
Handling wide characters	p. 97
Avoiding Obsolescent Output Functions	p. 98
Taking a First Look at C++ Pointers	p. 99
What's in an Address?	p. 99
Using Pointer Variables	p. 101
Comparing pointers and houses	p. 102
Using different types of pointers	p. 103
Passing Pointers to Functions	p. 105
Passing by value	p. 105
Passing pointer values	p. 106
Passing by reference	p. 107
Making Use of a Block of Memory Called the Heap	p. 107
Limiting scope	p. 108
Examining the scope problem	p. 109
Providing a solution using the heap	p. 110
Taking a Second Look at C++ Pointers	p. 111
Defining Operations on Pointer Variables	p. 111
Re-examining arrays in light of pointer variables	p. 112
Applying operators to the address of an array	p. 114
Expanding pointer operations to a string	p. 115
Applying operators to pointer types other than char	p. 119
Contrasting a pointer with an array	p. 119
Declaring and Using Arrays of Pointers	p. 121
Utilizing arrays of character strings	p. 122
Accessing the arguments to main()	p. 123
Remaining Functional Features	p. 125
Breaking Programs Apart?	p. 125
Looking at a Large Program	p. 126
Examining the Divided FunctionDemo Program	p. 127
Separating off the sumSequence() module	p. 128
Generating the remnant MainFunction.cpp module	p. 130
Creating the project file	p. 131
Creating a project file under GNU C++	p. 131
Creating a project file under Visual C++	p. 132
Including the #include Directive	p. 133
Using the Standard C++ Library	p. 134
Debugging C++	p. 135
Identifying Types of Errors	p. 135
Choosing the WRITE Technique for the Problem	p. 136
Catching bug	p. 137
Catching bug #2	p. 140
Calling for the Debugger	p. 143
Defining the debugger	p. 144
Deciding which debugger to use	p. 144
Running a test program	p. 145
Single-stepping through a program	p. 147
Single-stepping into a function	p. 148
Using breakpoints	p. 149
Viewing and modifying variables	p. 150
Budget 1 Program	p. 153
Programming with Class	p. 159
Examining Object-Oriented Programming	p. 161
Abstracting Microwave Ovens	p. 161
Preparing functional nachos	p. 162
Preparing object-oriented nachos	p. 163
Classifying Microwave Ovens	p. 163
Why Classify?	p. 164
Adding Class to C++	p. 165
Introducing the Class	p. 165
The format of a Class	p. 166
Accessing the members of a Class	p. 167
Example program	p. 168
Making Classes Work	p. 173
Activating Our Objects	p. 174
Simulating real world objects	p. 174
Why bother with member functions?	p. 175
Adding a Member Function	p. 175
Creating a member function	p. 176
Naming class members	p. 177
Calling a Member Function	p. 177
Accessing a member function	p. 178
Accessing other members from a member function	p. 179
Scope Resolution (And I Don't Mean How Well Your Microscope Works)	p. 180
Defining a Member Function in the Class	p. 182
Keeping a Member Function After Class	p. 184
Overloading Member Functions	p. 185
Creating Pointers to Objects	p. 187
Defining Arrays of and Pointers to Simple Things	p. 187
Declaring Arrays of Objects	p. 188
Declaring Pointers to Objects	p. 189
Dereferencing an object pointer	p. 190
Shooting arrow pointers	p. 191
Passing Objects to Functions	p. 191
Calling a function with an object value	p. 191
Calling a function with an object pointer	p. 192
Why pass pointers to functions when you can pass the object itself?	p. 193
Calling a function by using the reference operator	p. 196
Returning to the Heap	p. 196
Linking up with Linked Lists	p. 197
The array data structure	p. 197
The linked list	p. 198
Performing other operations on a linked list	p. 199
Properties of linked lists	p. 201
Hooking Up with a LinkedListData Program	p. 201
Protecting Members: Do Not Disturb	p. 205
Protecting Members	p. 205
Why you need protected members	p. 205
Discovering how protected members work	p. 206
Making an Argument for Using Protected Members	p. 208
Protecting the internal state of the class	p. 208
Using a class with a limited interface	p. 209
Giving Non-Member Functions Access to Protected Members	p. 209
Why do I need friends? (I am a rock, I am an island)	p. 209
Building and Tearing Down Objects: The Constructor and Destructor	p. 213
Creating Objects	p. 213
Using Constructors	p. 214
Explaining the need for constructors	p. 214
Making constructors work	p. 216
Understanding the Destructor	p. 220
Why you need the destructor	p. 220
Working with destructors	p. 220
Making Constructive Arguments	p. 223
Outfitting Constructors with Arguments	p. 223
Justifying constructors	p. 224
Using a constructor?	p. 224
Overloading the Constructor (Is That Like Placing Too Many Demands on the Carpenter?)	p. 227
Defaulting Default Constructors	p. 229
Constructing Class Members	p. 231
Constructing the Order of Construction	p. 236
Local objects construct in order	p. 236
Static objects construct only once	p. 236
All global objects construct before main()	p. 237
Global objects construct in no particular order	p. 238
Members construct in the order in which they are declared	p. 239
Destructors destruct in the reverse order of the constructors	p. 240
Copying the Copy Copy Copy Constructor	p. 241
Copying an Object	p. 241
Why do I need it?	p. 241
Using the copy constructor	p. 242
The Automatic Copy Constructor	p. 244
Creating Shallow Copies versus Deep Copies	p. 246
It's a Long Way to Temporaries	p. 249
Static Members: Can Fabric Softener Help?	p. 253
Defining a Static Member	p. 253
Why do I need them?	p. 253
Using static members	p. 254
Referencing static data members	p. 255
Uses for static data members	p. 257
Declaring Static Member Functions	p. 257
A Budget with Class--Budget2.CPP	p. 261
Class Inheritance	p. 271
Inheriting a Class	p. 273
Do I Need Inheritance?	p. 274
How Does a Class Inherit?	p. 276
Constructing a Subclass	p. 278
Having a HAS_A Relationship	p. 279
Examining Virtual Member Functions: Are They for Real?	p. 281
Why Do I Need Polymorphism?	p. 284
How Does Polymorphism Work?	p. 286
Making Nachos the Polymorphic Way	p. 288
When Is a Virtual Function Not?	p. 290
Considering Virtual Considerations	p. 293
Factoring Classes	p. 295
Factoring	p. 296
Implementing Abstract Classes	p. 300
Describing the abstract class concept	p. 302
Making an honest class out of an abstract class	p. 303
Passing abstract classes	p. 305
Declaring pure virtual functions--is it really necessary?	p. 306
Trying to Rationalize My Budget: BUDGET3.CPP	p. 308
Optional Features	p. 319
Overloading Operators	p. 321
Overloading Operators--Can't We Live Together in Harmony?	p. 322
How Does an Operator Function and a Function Operate?	p. 323
Taking a More Detailed Look	p. 326
Considering the operator+O case	p. 326
Considering the operator++O case	p. 328
Coding Operators as Member Functions	p. 329
Suffering through Yet Another Overloading Irritation	p. 331
Overloading Operators Using Implicit Conversion	p. 332
Promoting user defined objects	p. 333
Defining a Cast Operator	p. 334
Defining the rules for implicit conversions	p. 335
Overloading the Assignment Operator	p. 337
Overloading the Assignment Operator Is Critical	p. 337
Finding Out How to Overload the Assignment Operator	p. 338
Creating shallow copies is a deep problem	p. 340
Going to C++ member-by-member	p. 341
Returning from over-C's assignments	p. 342
Providing member protection	p. 342
Using Stream I/O	p. 345
Diving into Stream I/O	p. 345
Examining the fstream Subclasses	p. 348
Using the strstream Subclasses	p. 351
Manipulating Manipulators	p. 353
Writing Custom Inserters	p. 356
Generating Smart Inserters	p. 359
Handling Errors--Exceptions	p. 361
Justifying a New Error Mechanism?	p. 362
Examining the Exception Mechanism	p. 364
What Kinds of Things Can I Throw?	p. 366
Inheriting Multiple Inheritance	p. 369
Describing the Multiple Inheritance Mechanism	p. 369
Straightening Out Inheritance Ambiguities	p. 371
Adding Virtual Inheritance	p. 372
Constructing the Objects of Multiple Inheritance	p. 377
Voicing a Contrary Opinion	p. 377
The Part of Tens	p. 381
Ten Ways to Avoid Adding Bugs to Your Program	p. 383
Enabling All Warnings and Error Messages	p. 383
Insisting on Clean Compiles	p. 384
Adopting a Clear and Consistent Coding Style	p. 384
Limiting the Visibility	p. 385
Commenting Your Code While You Write It	p. 386
Single-Stepping Every Path at Least Once	p. 387
Avoid Overloading Operators	p. 387
Heap Handling	p. 388
Using Exceptions to Handle Errors	p. 388
Avoiding Multiple Inheritance	p. 388
The Ten Most Important Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler Settings	p. 389
Generating a Command Line Program	p. 390
Changing Project Settings	p. 390
Choosing General Settings	p. 391
Selecting Settings for Debug	p. 392
Choosing General Options for C/C++	p. 393
Controlling C++ Language Settings	p. 394
Choosing Code Generation Settings	p. 395
Customizing with the Code Generation Window	p. 396
Controlling Compile Optimizations	p. 396
Selecting Precompiled Headers	p. 397
About the CD-ROM	p. 399
System Requirements	p. 399
Using the CD with Microsoft Windows	p. 399
What You'll Find	p. 400
If You've Got Problems (Of the CD Kind)	p. 401
Glossary	p. 403
Index	p. 407
IDG Books Worldwide End-User License Agreement	p. 426
GNU General Public License	p. 428
Installation Instructions	p. 433
Book Registration Information
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