From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Other languages get more ink nowadays. But C++ remains the workhorse in thousands (maybe millions) of programming shops. And it keeps getting better. One day, you will need to know it. Get ready, with C++ for Dummies, Fifth Edition.

Stephen Randy Davis assumes no prior knowledge -- of C++, C, or objects. He covers just about everything, from variables and math to memory management and stream I/O. All the book’s sample code is on CD-ROM, plus a complete C++ IDE.

Surprisingly, perhaps, this edition is nearly one-third new. You’ll find coverage of the new public domain C++ compiler, namespaces, and the latest updates to the ANSI and STL standards. The STL introduction will be invaluable to novice and experienced C++ programmers alike. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

From the Publisher

If you’ve thought of programmers as elite intelligentsia who possess expertise (and perhaps genes) the rest of us will never have, think again. C++ For Dummies, 5^th Edition, debunks the myths, blasts the barriers, shares the secrets, and gets you started. In fact, by the end of Chapter 1, you’ll be able to create a C++ program. OK, it won’t be newest, flashiest video game, but it might be a practical, customized inventory control or record-keeping program.

Most people catch on faster when they actually DO something, so C++ For Dummies includes a CD-ROM that gives you all you need to start programming (except the guidance in the book, of course), including:

• Dev-C, a full-featured, integrated C++ compiler and editor you install to get down to business
• The source code for the programs in the book, including code for BUDGET, programs that demonstrate principles in the book
• Documentation for the Standard Template Library
• Online C++ help files

Written by Stephen Randy Davis, author of C++ Weekend Crash Course, C++ for Dummies, takes you through the programming process step-by-step. You’ll discover how to:

• Generate an executable
• Create source code, commenting it as you go and using consistent code indentation and naming conventions
• Write declarations and name variables, and calculate expressions
• Write and use a function, store sequences in arrays, and declare and use pointer variables
• Understand classes and object-oriented programming
• Work with constructors and destructors
• Use inheritance to extend classes
• Use stream I/O
• Comment yourcode as you go, and use consistent code indentation and naming conventions
• Automate programming with the Standard Template Library (STL)

C++ for Dummies 5^th Edition is updated for the newest ANSI standard to make sure you’re up to code.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Library Journal

C++ remains a strong contender among object-oriented programming languages (see Computer Media, LJ 6/1/03), and updated guides are always useful. C++ for Dummies assumes no previous programming experience, befitting the view of C++ as a foundational language. It includes source code, sample program, online help files, and the Dev-C++ compiler/editor on CD-ROM. Coverage ranges from how to enter, compile, and execute a program to using templates, while the "Part of Tens" sections at the end cover the most important optional features of Dev-C++ and ways to avoid adding bugs. A supplemental purchase to more thorough guides; for medium and larger libraries. Eschewing the basics, Art shows intermediate programmers the power of the language and how it applies to a range of programming tasks. Source code for sometimes extensive examples is available online. Extensive background and explanations-as well as an obvious enthusiasm for the language-make this a useful guide for those wanting to delve further. Recommended for larger libraries. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

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Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

Okay, you've waited long enough. What, exactly, is object-oriented programming? Object-oriented programming, or OOP as those in the know prefer to call it, relies on two principles you learned before you ever got out of Pampers: abstraction and classification. To explain, let me tell you a little story.

Abstraction and Microwave Ovens

These are not profound observations. You can think about only so much at one time. To reduce the number of things that you must deal with, you work at a certain level of detail. In object-oriented (OO) computerese, the level of detail at which you are working is called the level of abstraction. To introduce another OO term while I have the chance, I abstract away the details of the microwave's internals. When I'm working on nachos, I view my microwave oven as a box. (As I'm trying to knock out a snack, I can't worry about the innards of the microwave oven and still follow the Cowboys on the tube.) As long as I use the microwave only through its interface (the keypad), there should be nothing I can do to cause the microwave to enter an inconsistent state and crash or, worse, turn my nachos into a blackened, flaming mass. Functional nachos Suppose I were to ask my son to write an algorithm for how Dad makes nachos. After he understood what I wanted, he would probably write "open a can of beans, grate some cheese, cut the jalapeños," and so on. When it came to the part about microwaving the concoction, he would write something like "cook in the microwave for 5 minutes." That description is straightforward and complete. But it's not the way a functional programmer would code a program to make nachos. Functional programmers live in a world devoid of objects, such as microwave ovens and other appliances. They tend to worry about flow charts with their myriad functional paths. In a functional solution to the nachos problem, the flow of control would pass through my finger to the front panel and then to the internals of the microwave. Pretty soon, flow would be wiggling around through complex logic paths about how long to turn on the microwave tube and whether to sound the "come and get it" tone. In a world like this, it's difficult to think in terms of levels of abstraction. There are no objects, no abstractions behind which to hide inherent complexity. Object-oriented nachos In an object-oriented approach to making nachos, I would first identify the types of objects in the problem: chips, beans, cheese, and an oven. Then I would begin the task of modeling these objects in software, without regard to the details of how they will be used in the final program. While I am doing this, I'm said to be working (and thinking) at the level of the basic objects. I need to think about making a useful oven, but I don't have to think about the logical process of making nachos yet. After all, the microwave designers didn't think about the specific problem of my making a snack. Rather, they set about the problem of designing and building a useful microwave. After the objects I need have been successfully coded and tested, I can ratchet up to the next level of abstraction. I can start thinking at the nacho-making level, rather than the microwave-making level. At this point, I can pretty much translate my son's instructions directly into C++ code.

Classification and Microwave Ovens

In object-oriented computerese, my microwave is an instance of the class microwave. The class microwave is a subclass of the class oven, and the class oven is a subclass of the class kitchen appliances. Humans classify. Everything about our world is ordered into taxonomies. We do this to reduce the number of things we have to remember. Take, for example, the first time you saw a Saturn automobile. The advertisement called the Saturn "revolutionary, the likes of which have never been seen." But you and I know that that just isn't so. I like the looks of the Saturn, but hey, it's a car. As such, it shares all of (or at least most of) the properties of other cars. It has a steering wheel, seats, a motor, brakes, and so on. I bet I could even drive one without help. I don't have to clutter my limited storage with all the things that a Saturn has in common with other cars. All I have to remember is "a Saturn is a car that..." and tack on those few things that are unique to a Saturn. I can go further. Cars are a subclass of wheeled vehicles, of which there are other members, such as trucks and pickups. Maybe wheeled vehicles are a subclass of vehicles, which include boats and planes. And on and on and on.

Why Classify?