CPP as a second language: References

C++ is a low level language offering great flexibility.

C++ allows the creation of very performant programs.

If starting from scratch use a higher level language such as Python and convert performance critical parts to C++.

Do not try to use all the features of C++

g++ can be used to compiler and link C++ programs.

Program execution starts in the main function.

std::cout allows you to write strings to the terminal using the << operator.

A class is a datatype.

An object is a particular instance of that datatype or class.

Namespaces group names and help to avoid name clashes.

Every use of new/new [] should be match by a delete/delete [].

The amount of dynamic memory allocated can be determined at runtime.

Need to be careful about incorrect access and especially modification of memory.

Use the class keyword to create a new class.

Class access modifiers control what parts of the program can access the classes members.

Class members can be accessed with the . operator.

Class member functions have access to object members implicitly.

Access modifiers apply to both class member functions and variables.

Any function can be overloaded, class member function or stand alone function

Overloaded functions are only distinguished by their parameters and not their return types.

The this keyword allows you to explicitly reference the object within a member function.

Constructors are called when objects are first created.

Destructors are called when objects go out of scope.

Copy constructors are called when a new object is initialized from an existing object.

You can create your own operators for your classes.

When any one of destructor, copy constructor, or assignment operator are defined you likely want to define all three (e.g. rule of three).

Inheritance allows reuse of code in related classes.

Inheritance can happen in one of three ways public, protected or private and affects how the inherited members are accessed in the derived class.

Polymorphism allows different member functions to be called depending on the object’s base class

Polymorphism is achieved using the virtual keyword in function declarations

A pure virtual function is a function that does not have an implementation.

An abstract class is a class that has one or more virtual member functions.

Abstract classes can not be used to create objects.

STL containers can hold any datatype.

Templates generate type specific implementation code at compile time.

Heavy use of templates can increase compile times.

Create a new template with the template keyword.

Template parameters are specified inside <> brackets after the typename keyword.

Template parameters can be used in place of types and will be replace with actual types as needed at compile time.