Chapter 1
A Crash Course in C++
WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER?
- A brief overview of the most important parts and syntax of the C++ language
The goal of this chapter is to cover briefly the most important parts of C++ so that you have a base of knowledge before embarking on the rest of the book. This chapter is not a comprehensive lesson in the C++ programming language. The basic points (such as what a program is and the difference between = and ==) are not covered. The esoteric points (Remember what a union is? How about the volatile keyword?) are also omitted. Certain parts of the C language that are less relevant in C++ are also left out, as are parts of C++ that get in-depth coverage in later chapters.
This chapter aims to cover the parts of C++ that programmers encounter every day. For example, if you’ve been away from C++ for a while and you’ve forgotten the syntax of a for loop, you’ll find that syntax in this chapter. Also, if you’re fairly new to C++ and don’t understand what a reference variable is, you’ll learn about that kind of variable here as well.
If you already have significant experience with C++, skim this chapter to make sure that there aren’t any fundamental parts of the language on which you need to brush up. If you’re new to C++, read this chapter carefully and make sure you understand the examples. If you need additional introductory information, consult the titles listed in Appendix B.
THE BASICS OF C++
The C++ language is often viewed as a “better C” or a “superset ...
