//////////////////
// Comparison to C
//////////////////
// C++ is _almost_ a superset of C and shares its basic syntax for
// variable declarations, primitive types, and functions.
// However, C++ varies in some of the following ways:
// A main() function in C++ should return an int,
// though void main() is accepted by most compilers (gcc, clang, etc.)
// This value serves as the program's exit status.
// See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_status for more information.
int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
// Command line arguments are passed in by argc and argv in the same way
// they are in C.
// argc indicates the number of arguments,
// and argv is an array of C-style strings (char*)
// representing the arguments.
// The first argument is the name by which the program was called.
// argc and argv can be omitted if you do not care about arguments,
// giving the function signature of int main()
// An exit status of 0 indicates success.
return 0;
}
// In C++, character literals are one byte.
sizeof('c') == 1
// In C, character literals are the same size as ints.
sizeof('c') == sizeof(10)
// C++ has strict prototyping
void func(); // function which accepts no arguments
// In C
void func(); // function which may accept any number of arguments
// Use nullptr instead of NULL in C++
int* ip = nullptr;
// C standard headers are available in C++,
// but are prefixed with "c" and have no .h suffix.
#include <cstdio>
int main()
{
printf("Hello, world!\n");
return 0;
}
///////////////////////
// Function overloading
///////////////////////
// C++ supports function overloading
// provided each function takes different parameters.
void print(char const* myString)
{
printf("String %s\n", myString);
}
void print(int myInt)
{
printf("My int is %d", myInt);
}
int main()
{
print("Hello"); // Resolves to void print(const char*)
print(15); // Resolves to void print(int)
}
/////////////////////////////
// Default function arguments
/////////////////////////////
// You can provide default arguments for a function
// if they are not provided by the caller.
void doSomethingWithInts(int a = 1, int b = 4)
{
// Do something with the ints here
}
int main()
{
doSomethingWithInts(); // a = 1, b = 4
doSomethingWithInts(20); // a = 20, b = 4
doSomethingWithInts(20, 5); // a = 20, b = 5
}
// Default arguments must be at the end of the arguments list.
void invalidDeclaration(int a = 1, int b) // Error!
{
}
/////////////
// Namespaces
/////////////
// Namespaces provide separate scopes for variable, function,
// and other declarations.
// Namespaces can be nested.
namespace First {
namespace Nested {
void foo()
{
printf("This is First::Nested::foo\n");
}
} // end namespace Nested
} // end namespace First
namespace Second {
void foo()
{
printf("This is Second::foo\n")
}
}
void foo()
{
printf("This is global foo\n");
}
int main()
{
// Assume everything is from the namespace "Second"
// unless otherwise specified.
using namespace Second;
foo(); // prints "This is Second::foo"
First::Nested::foo(); // prints "This is First::Nested::foo"
::foo(); // prints "This is global foo"
}
///////////////
// Input/Output
///////////////
// C++ input and output uses streams
// cin, cout, and cerr represent stdin, stdout, and stderr.
// << is the insertion operator and >> is the extraction operator.
#include <iostream> // Include for I/O streams
using namespace std; // Streams are in the std namespace (standard library)
int main()
{
int myInt;
// Prints to stdout (or terminal/screen)
cout << "Enter your favorite number:\n";
// Takes in input
cin >> myInt;
// cout can also be formatted
cout << "Your favorite number is " << myInt << "\n";
// prints "Your favorite number is <myInt>"
cerr << "Used for error messages";
}
//////////
// Strings
//////////
// Strings in C++ are objects and have many member functions
#include <string>
using namespace std; // Strings are also in the namespace std (standard library)
string myString = "Hello";
string myOtherString = " World";
// + is used for concatenation.
cout << myString + myOtherString; // "Hello World"
cout << myString + " You"; // "Hello You"
// C++ strings are mutable and have value semantics.
myString.append(" Dog");
cout << myString; // "Hello Dog"
/////////////
// References
/////////////
// In addition to pointers like the ones in C,
// C++ has _references_.
// These are pointer types that cannot be reassigned once set
// and cannot be null.
// They also have the same syntax as the variable itself:
// No * is needed for dereferencing and
// & (address of) is not used for assignment.
using namespace std;
string foo = "I am foo";
string bar = "I am bar";
string& fooRef = foo; // This creates a reference to foo.
fooRef += ". Hi!"; // Modifies foo through the reference
cout << fooRef; // Prints "I am foo. Hi!"
fooRef = bar; // Error: references cannot be reassigned.
const string& barRef = bar; // Create a const reference to bar.
// Like C, const values (and pointers and references) cannot be modified.
barRef += ". Hi!"; // Error, const references cannot be modified.
//////////////////////////////////////////
// Classes and object-oriented programming
//////////////////////////////////////////
// First example of classes
#include <iostream>
// Declare a class.
// Classes are usually declared in header (.h or .hpp) files.
class Dog {
// Member variables and functions are private by default.
std::string name;
int weight;
// All members following this are public
// until "private:" or "protected:" is found.
public:
// Default constructor
Dog();
// Member function declarations (implementations to follow)
// Note that we use std::string here instead of placing
// using namespace std;
// above.
// Never put a "using namespace" statement in a header.
void setName(const std::string& dogsName);
void setWeight(int dogsWeight);
// Functions that do not modify the state of the object
// should be marked as const.
// This allows you to call them if given a const reference to the object.
// Also note the functions must be explicitly declared as _virtual_
// in order to be overridden in derived classes.
// Functions are not virtual by default for performance reasons.
virtual void print() const;
// Functions can also be defined inside the class body.
// Functions defined as such are automatically inlined.
void bark() const { std::cout << name << " barks!\n" }
// Along with constructors, C++ provides destructors.
// These are called when an object is deleted or falls out of scope.
// This enables powerful paradigms such as RAII
// (see below)
// Destructors must be virtual to allow classes to be derived from this one.
virtual ~Dog();
}; // A semicolon must follow the class definition.
// Class member functions are usually implemented in .cpp files.
void Dog::Dog()
{
std::cout << "A dog has been constructed\n";
}
// Objects (such as strings) should be passed by reference
// if you are modifying them or const reference if you are not.
void Dog::setName(const std::string& dogsName)
{
name = dogsName;
}
void Dog::setWeight(int dogsWeight)
{
weight = dogsWeight;
}
// Notice that "virtual" is only needed in the declaration, not the definition.
void Dog::print() const
{
std::cout << "Dog is " << name << " and weighs " << weight << "kg\n";
}
void Dog::~Dog()
{
cout << "Goodbye " << name << "\n";
}
int main() {
Dog myDog; // prints "A dog has been constructed"
myDog.setName("Barkley");
myDog.setWeight(10);
myDog.printDog(); // prints "Dog is Barkley and weighs 10 kg"
return 0;
} // prints "Goodbye Barkley"
// Inheritance:
// This class inherits everything public and protected from the Dog class
class OwnedDog : public Dog {
void setOwner(const std::string& dogsOwner)
// Override the behavior of the print function for all OwnedDogs. See
// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymorphism_(computer_science)#Subtyping
// for a more general introduction if you are unfamiliar with
// subtype polymorphism.
// The override keyword is optional but makes sure you are actually
// overriding the method in a base class.
void print() const override;
private:
std::string owner;
};
// Meanwhile, in the corresponding .cpp file:
void OwnedDog::setOwner(const std::string& dogsOwner)
{
owner = dogsOwner;
}
void OwnedDog::print() const
{
Dog::print(); // Call the print function in the base Dog class
std::cout << "Dog is owned by " << owner << "\n";
// Prints "Dog is <name> and weights <weight>"
// "Dog is owned by <owner>"
}
//////////////////////////////////////////
// Initialization and Operator Overloading
//////////////////////////////////////////
// In C++ you can overload the behavior of operators such as +, -, *, /, etc.
// This is done by defining a function which is called
// whenever the operator is used.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
class Point {
public:
// Member variables can be given default values in this manner.
double x = 0;
double y = 0;
// Define a default constructor which does nothing
// but initialize the Point to the default value (0, 0)
Point() { };
// The following syntax is known as an initialization list
// and is the proper way to initialize class member values
Point (double a, double b) :
x(a),
y(b)
{ /* Do nothing except initialize the values */ }
// Overload the + operator.
Point operator+(const Point& rhs) const;
// Overload the += operator
Point& operator+=(const Point& rhs);
// It would also make sense to add the - and -= operators,
// but we will skip those for brevity.
};
Point Point::operator+(const Point& rhs) const
{
// Create a new point that is the sum of this one and rhs.
return Point(x + rhs.x, y + rhs.y);
}
Point& Point::operator+=(const Point& rhs)
{
x += rhs.x;
y += rhs.y;
return *this;
}
int main () {
Point up (0,1);
Point right (1,0);
// This calls the Point + operator
// Point up calls the + (function) with right as its paramater
Point result = up + right;
// Prints "Result is upright (1,1)"
cout << "Result is upright (" << result.x << ',' << result.y << ")\n";
return 0;
}
/////////////////////
// Exception Handling
/////////////////////
// The standard library provides a few exception types
// (see http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/error/exception)
// but any type can be thrown an as exception
#include <exception>
// All exceptions thrown inside the _try_ block can be caught by subsequent
// _catch_ handlers.
try {
// Do not allocate exceptions on the heap using _new_.
throw std::exception("A problem occurred");
}
// Catch exceptions by const reference if they are objects
catch (const std::exception& ex)
{
std::cout << ex.what();
// Catches any exception not caught by previous _catch_ blocks
} catch (...)
{
std::cout << "Unknown exception caught";
throw; // Re-throws the exception
}
///////
// RAII
///////
// RAII stands for Resource Allocation Is Initialization.
// It is often considered the most powerful paradigm in C++,
// and is the simple concept that a constructor for an object
// acquires that object's resources and the destructor releases them.
// To understand how this is useful,
// consider a function that uses a C file handle:
void doSomethingWithAFile(const char* filename)
{
// To begin with, assume nothing can fail.
FILE* fh = fopen(filename, "r"); // Open the file in read mode.
doSomethingWithTheFile(fh);
doSomethingElseWithIt(fh);
fclose(fh); // Close the file handle.
}
// Unfortunately, things are quickly complicated by error handling.
// Suppose fopen can fail, and that doSomethingWithTheFile and
// doSomethingElseWithIt return error codes if they fail.
// (Exceptions are the preferred way of handling failure,
// but some programmers, especially those with a C background,
// disagree on the utility of exceptions).
// We now have to check each call for failure and close the file handle
// if a problem occurred.
bool doSomethingWithAFile(const char* filename)
{
FILE* fh = fopen(filename, "r"); // Open the file in read mode
if (fh == nullptr) // The returned pointer is null on failure.
reuturn false; // Report that failure to the caller.
// Assume each function returns false if it failed
if (!doSomethingWithTheFile(fh)) {
fclose(fh); // Close the file handle so it doesn't leak.
return false; // Propagate the error.
}
if (!doSomethingElseWithIt(fh)) {
fclose(fh); // Close the file handle so it doesn't leak.
return false; // Propagate the error.
}
fclose(fh); // Close the file handle so it doesn't leak.
return true; // Indicate success
}
// C programmers often clean this up a little bit using goto:
bool doSomethingWithAFile(const char* filename)
{
FILE* fh = fopen(filename, "r");
if (fh == nullptr)
reuturn false;
if (!doSomethingWithTheFile(fh))
goto failure;
if (!doSomethingElseWithIt(fh))
goto failure;
fclose(fh); // Close the file
return true; // Indicate success
failure:
fclose(fh);
return false; // Propagate the error
}
// If the functions indicate errors using exceptions,
// things are a little cleaner, but still sub-optimal.
void doSomethingWithAFile(const char* filename)
{
FILE* fh = fopen(filename, "r"); // Open the file in read mode
if (fh == nullptr)
throw std::exception("Could not open the file.");
try {
doSomethingWithTheFile(fh);
doSomethingElseWithIt(fh);
}
catch (...) {
fclose(fh); // Be sure to close the file if an error occurs.
throw; // Then re-throw the exception.
}
fclose(fh); // Close the file
// Everything succeeded
}
// Compare this to the use of C++'s file stream class (fstream)
// fstream uses its destructor to close the file.
// Recall from above that destructors are automatically called
// whenver an object falls out of scope.
void doSomethingWithAFile(const std::string& filename)
{
// ifstream is short for input file stream
std::ifstream fh(filename); // Open the file
// Do things with the file
doSomethingWithTheFile(fh);
doSomethingElseWithIt(fh);
} // The file is automatically closed here by the destructor
// This has _massive_ advantages:
// 1. No matter what happens,
// the resource (in this case the file handle) will be cleaned up.
// Once you write the destructor correctly,
// It is _impossible_ to forget to close the handle and leak the resource.
// 2. Note that the code is much cleaner.
// The destructor handles closing the file behind the scenes
// without you having to worry about it.
// 3. The code is exception safe.
// An exception can be thrown anywhere in the function and cleanup
// will still occur.
// All idiomatic C++ code uses RAII extensively for all resources.
// Additional examples include
// - Memory using unique_ptr and shared_ptr
// - Containers - the standard library linked list,
// vector (i.e. self-resizing array), hash maps, and so on
// all automatically destroy their contents when they fall out of scope.
// - Mutexes using lock_guard and unique_lock