C++ in 10 Minutes

C++ remains a popular object-oriented language and Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 10 Minutes provides a quick, focused way to learn the language. The author assumes no prior programming experience and begins by showing the reader the absolute fundamentals of what a program is and guides the readers to write their very first program. It covers all the important topics in C++ and provides a sold foundation on which to build programming knowledge. The material is reorganized to fit proven teaching techniques with about thirty percent of the text rewritten. All examples are new to comply with the current ANSI C++ standard and make them completely compatible with all popular compilers.

• CHAPTER 1 - WHAT IS C ++?

• Why C++ Is the Right Choice
• Preparing to Program
• C++, ANSI C++, Windows, and Other Areas of Confusion
• Your Compiler and Editor
• The Development Cycle
• HELLO.CPP--Your First C++ Program
• Compile Errors
  

• CHAPTER 2 - WHAT IS A C++ PROGRAM?

• The Parts of a Simple Program
• Comments
• Functions
  

• CHAPTER 3 - VARIABLES

• What Is a Variable?
• Defining a Variable
• Creating More Than One Variable at a Time
• Assigning Values to Your Variables
• Constants
  

• CHAPTER 4 - STATEMENTS

• Statements
• Expressions
• Operators
• Combining the Assignment and Mathematical Operators
• Increment and Decrement
• Precedence
• Nesting Parentheses
• The Nature of Truth
• Relational O perators
  

• CHAPTER 5 - THE if STATEMENT

• The if Statement
• Use Braces in Nested if Statements
• Logical Operators
  

• CHAPTER 6 - FUNCTIONS

• What Is a Function?
• Declaring and Defining Functions
• Local Variables
• Function Statements
• Function Arguments
• Parameters Are Local Variables
• Return Values
• Default Parameters
• Overloading Functions
  

• CHAPTER 7 - CLASSES

• Creating New Types
• Classes and Members
• Accessing Class Members
• Private Versus Public
• Implementing Class Methods
  

• CHAPTER 8 - MORE ABOUT CLASSES

• Constructors and Destructors
• const Member Functions
  

• CHAPTER 9 - USING CLASSES WELL

• Interface Versus Implementation
• Where to Put Class Declarations and Method Definitions
• Inline Implementation
• Classes with Other Classes as Member Data
  

• CHAPTER 10 - LOOPING

• Looping
• while Loops
• do...while Loops
• for Loops
  

• CHAPTER 11 - SWITC H STATEMENTS

• switch Statements
  

• CHAPTER 12 - POINTERS

• What Is a Pointer?
• Why Would You Use Pointers?
• The Stack and the Free Store
  

• CHAPTER 13 - MORE ABOUT POINTERS

• Creating Objects on the Free Store
• Deleting Objects
• Accessing Data Members
• Member Data on the Free Store
• The this Pointer
• What's the this Pointer For?
• Stray or Dangling Pointers
• const Pointers
  

• CHAPTER 14 - REFERENCES

• What Is a Reference?
• Creating a Reference
• What Can Be Referenced?
• Null Pointers and Null References
• Passing Function Arguments by Reference
• Returning Multiple Values
  

• CHAPTER 15 - ADVANCED REFERENCES AND POINTERS

• Passing by Reference for Efficiency
• References as an Alternative
• When to Use References and When to Use Pointers
• Don't Return a Reference to an Object That Isn't in Scope!
• Returning a Reference to an Object on the Heap
• Pointer, Pointer, Who Has the Pointer?
  

• CHAPTER 16 - ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

• Overloaded Member Functions
• Choosing Between Default Values and Overloaded Functions
• The Default Constructor
• Overloading Constructors
• Initializing Objects
• The Copy Constructor
  

• CHAPTER 17 - OPERATOR OVERLOADING

• Operator Overloading
  

• CHAPTER 18 - ADVANCED OPERATOR OVERLOADING

• Conversion Operators
  

• CHAPTER 19 - ARRAYS

• What Is an Array?
• Array Elements
• Writing Past the End of an Array
• Fence Post Errors
• Initializing Arrays
• Arrays of Objects
• Arrays of Pointers
• Declaring Arrays on the Free Store
• A Pointer to an Array Versus an Array of Pointers
• Pointers and Array Names
• Deleting Arrays on the Free Store
  

• CHAPTER 20 - CHARACTER ARRAYS

• char Arrays
• strcpy() and strncpy()
• String Classes
  

• CHAPTER 21 - INHERITANCE

• What Is Inheritance?
• Private Versus Protected Members
  

• CHAPTER 22 - ISSUES IN INHERITANCE

• Constructors and Destructors
• Overriding Functions
  

• CHAPTER 23 - POLYMORPHISM

• Virtual Methods
  

• CHAPTER 24 - ADVANCED POLYMORPHISM

• Abstract Data Types
  

• CHAPTER 25 - LINKED LISTS

• Linked Lists and Other Structures
• A Case Study
• The Component Parts
• What Have You Learned, Dorothy?
  

• CHAPTER 26 - TEMPLATES

• What Are Templates?
• Parameterized Types
• Template Definition
• The Standard Template Library
  

• CHAPTER 27 - EXCEPTIONS AND ERROR HANDLING

• Handling the Unexpected
• Exceptions
• Using try Blocks and catch Blocks
  

• CHAPTER 28 - NEXT STEPS

• Where to Get Help and Advice
  

• APPENDIX A - OPERATOR PRECEDENCE