Revision: C++

C++ from the scratch

• LearnCpp.com

Useful links for programming C++ in VSCode IDE on Linux

• C/C++ for Visual Studio Code
• Using C++ on Linux in VS Code

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Rules:

• Every C++ program must have a special function named main (all lower case letters). When the program is run, execution starts with the first statement inside of function main and then continues sequentially.

Best Practices:

• Name your code files name.cpp, where name is a name of your choosing, and .cpp is the extension that indicates the file is a C++ source file.
• Create a new project for each new program you write.
• Use the debug build configuration when developing your programs. When you’re ready to release your executable to others, or want to test performance, use the release build configuration.
• Disable compiler extensions to ensure your programs (and coding practices) remain compliant with C++ standards and will work on any system.
• Don’t let warnings pile up. Resolve them as you encounter them (as if they were errors).
• Turn your warning levels up to the maximum, especially while you are learning. It will help you identify possible issues.
• Comment your code liberally, and write your comments as if speaking to someone who has no idea what the code does. Don’t assume you’ll remember why you made specific choices.

Warnings:

• Don’t use multi-line comments inside other multi-line comments. Wrapping single-line comments inside a multi-line comment is okay.

Keep in mind:

• For GCC/G++, you can pass compiler flags -std=c++11, -std=c++14, -std=c++17, or -std=c++2a to enable C++11/14/17/2a support respectively.
• If you ever write code that is so complex that needs a comment to explain what a statement is doing, you probably need to rewrite your statement, not comment it.

Useful Ubuntu commands

• To check the default c++ compiler standard in ubuntu terminal: g++ -dM -E -x c++ /dev/null | grep -F __cplusplus

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What is C++ good at?

C++ excels in situations where high performance and precise control over memory and other resources is needed. Here are a few common types of applications that most likely would be written in C++:

• Video games
• Real-time systems (e.g. for transportation, manufacturing, etc…)
• High-performance financial applications (e.g. high frequency trading)
• Graphical applications and simulations
• Productivity / office applications
• Embedded software
• Audio and video processing

Developing C++ programs: Simplistic approach