BASIC OF C++
The prime purpose of C++ programming was to add object orientation to the C programming language, which is in itself one of the most powerful programming languages.
The core of the pure object-oriented programming is to create an object, in code, that has certain properties and methods. While designing C++ modules, we try to see whole world in the form of objects. For example a car is an object which has certain properties such as color, number of doors, and the like. It also has certain methods such as accelerate, brake, and so on.
There are few principle concepts that form the foundation of object-oriented programming:
Object:
This is the basic unit of object oriented programming. That is both data and function that operate on data are bundled as a unit called as object.Class:
When you define a class, you define a blueprint for an object. This doesn't actually define any data, but it does define what the class name means, that is, what an object of the class will consist of and what operations can be performed on such an object.Abstraction:
Data abstraction refers to, providing only essential information to the outside word and hiding their background details ie. to represent the needed information in program without presenting the details.For example, a database system hides certain details of how data is stored and created and maintained. Similar way, C++ classes provides different methods to the outside world without giving internal detail about those methods and data.
Encapsulation:
Encapsulation is placing the data and the functions that work on that data in the same place. While working with procedural languages, it is not always clear which functions work on which variables but object-oriented programming provides you framework to place the data and the relevant functions together in the same object.Inheritance:
One of the most useful aspects of object-oriented programming is code reusability. As the name suggests Inheritance is the process of forming a new class from an existing class that is from the existing class called as base class, new class is formed called as derived class.This is a very important concept of object oriented programming since this feature helps to reduce the code size.
Polymorphism:
The ability to use an operator or function in different ways in other words giving different meaning or functions to the operators or functions is called polymorphism. Poly refers many. That is a single function or an operator functioning in many ways different upon the usage is called polymorphism.Overloading:
The concept of overloading is also a branch of polymorphism. When the exiting operator or function is made to operate on new data type it is said to be overloaded.C++ is a statically typed, compiled, general purpose, case-sensitive, free-form programming language that supports procedural, object-oriented, and generic programming.
C++ is regarded as a middle-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features.
C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey as an enhancement to the C language and originally named C with Classes but later it was renamed C++ in 1983.
C++ is a superset of C, and that virtually any legal C program is a legal C++ program.
Note: A programming language is said to use static typing when type checking is performed during compile-time as opposed to run-time.
Object-Oriented Programming:
C++ fully supports object-oriented programming, including the four pillars of object-oriented development:
1. Encapsulation
2. Data
hiding
3. Inheritance
4. Polymorphism
Standard Libraries:
Standard C++ consists of three important parts:
1. The
core language giving all the building blocks including variables, data types
and literals etc.
2. The
C++ Standard Library giving a rich set of functions manipulating files, strings
etc.
3. The
Standard Template Library (STL) giving a rich set of methods manipulating data
structures etc.
The ANSI Standard:
The ANSI standard is an attempt to ensure that C++ is portable -- that code you write for Microsoft's compiler will compile without errors, using a compiler on a Mac, Unix, a Windows box, or an Alpha.The ANSI standard has been stable for a while, and all the major C++ compiler manufacturers support the ANSI standard.
Learning C++:
The most important thing to do when learning C++ is to focus on concepts and not get lost in language technical details.The purpose of learning a programming language is to become a better programmer; that is, to become more effective at designing and implementing new systems and at maintaining old ones.
C++ supports a variety of programming styles. You can write in the style of Fortran, C, Smalltalk, etc., in any language. Each style can achieve its aims effectively while maintaining runtime and space efficiency.
Use of C++:
C++ is used by hundreds of thousands of programmers in essentially every application domain.C++ is being highly used to write device drivers and other software that rely on direct manipulation of hardware under realtime constraints.
C++ is widely used for teaching and research because it is clean enough for successful teaching of basic concepts.
Anyone who has used either an Apple Macintosh or a PC running Windows has indirectly used C++ because the primary user interfaces of these systems are written in C++.
Before you start doing programming using C++, you need following two software's available on your computer.
Text Editor:
This will be used to type your program. Examples of few editors include Windows Notepad, OS Edit command, Brief, Epsilon, EMACS, and vim or viName and version of text editor can vary on different operating systems. For exampe Notepad will be used on Windows and vim or vi can be used on windows as well as Linux, or Unix.
The files you create with your editor are called source files, and for C++ they typically are named with the extension .cpp, .cp, or .c.
Before starting your programming, make sure you have one text editor in place and you have enough experience to type your C++ program.
C++ Compiler:
This is actual C++ compiler which will be used to compile your source code into final executable program.Most C++ compilers don't care what extension you give your source code, but if you don't specify otherwise, many will use .cpp by default
Most frequently used and free available compiler is GNU C/C++ compiler, otherwise you can have compilers either from HP or Solaris if you have respective Operating Systems.
Installing GNU C/C++ Compiler:
Unix/Linux Installation:
If you are using Linux or Unix then check whether GCC is installed on your system by entering the following command from the command line:$ g++ -v |
Using built-in specs. Target: i386-redhat-linux Configured with: ../configure --prefix=/usr ....... Thread model: posix gcc version 4.1.2 20080704 (Red Hat 4.1.2-46) |
Mac OS X Installation:
If you use Mac OS X, the easiest way to obtain GCC is to download the Xcode development environment from Apple's web site and follow the simple installation instructions.Xcode is currently available at developer.apple.com/technologies/tools/.
Windows Installation:
To install GCC at Windows you need to install MinGW. To install MinGW, go to the MinGW homepage, www.mingw.org, and follow the link to the MinGW download page. Download the latest version of the MinGW installation program, which should be named MinGW-<version>.exe.While installing MinWG, at a minimum, you must install gcc-core, gcc-g++, binutils, and the MinGW runtime, but you may wish to install more.
Add the bin subdirectory of your MinGW installation to your PATH environment variable so that you can specify these tools on the command line by their simple names.
When the installation is complete, you will be able to run gcc, g++, ar, ranlib, dlltool, and several other GNU tools from the Windows command line.
When we consider a C++ program it can be defined as a collection of objects that communicate via invoking each others methods. Let us now briefly look into what do class, object, methods and instant variables mean.
·
Object - Objects have states and
behaviors. Example: A dog has states-color, name, breed as well as behaviors
-wagging, barking, eating. An object is an instance of a class.
·
Class - A class can be defined as a
template/ blue print that describe the behaviors/states that object of its type
support.
·
Methods - A method is basically a
behavior. A class can contain many methods. It is in methods where the logics
are written, data is manipulated and all the actions are executed.
·
Instant Variables - Each object has its
unique set of instant variables. An object's state is created by the values
assigned to these instant variables.
C++ Program Structure:
Let us look at a simple code that would print the words Hello World.#include <iostream> using namespace std; // main() is where program execution begins. int main() {
cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
return 0;
} |
1. The
C++ language defines several headers, which contain information that is either
necessary or useful to your program. For this program, the header <iostream>
is needed.
2. The
line using namespace std; tells the compiler to use the std namespace.
Namespaces are a relatively recent addition to C++.
3. The
next line // main() is where program execution begins. is a single-line
comment available in C++. Single-line comments begin with // and stop at the
end of the line.
4. The
line int main() is the main function where program execution begins.
5. The
next line cout << "This is my first C++ program.";
causes the message "This is my first C++ program" to be displayed on
the screen.
6. The
next line return 0; terminates main( )function and causes it to return
the value 0 to the calling process.
Compile & Execute C++ Program:
Lets look at how to save the file, compile and run the program. Please follow the steps given below:
1. Open
a text editor and add the code as above.
2. Save
the file as : hello.cpp
3. Open
a command prompt and go to the directory where you saved the file.
4. Type
'g++ hello.cpp ' and press enter to compile your code. If there are no errors
in your code the command prompt will take you to the next line and would
generate a.out executable file.
5. Now
type ' a.out' to run your program.
6. You
will be able to see ' Hello World ' printed on the window.
$ g++ hello.cpp $ ./a.out Hello World |
You can compile C/C++ programs using makefile. For more detail you can check Makefile Tutorial.
Semicolons & Blocks in C++:
In C++, the semicolon is a statement terminator. That is, each individual statement must be ended with a semicolon. It indicates the end of one logical entity.For example, following are three different statements:
x = y; y = y+1; add(x, y); |
{
cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
return 0;
} |
x = y; y = y+1; add(x, y); |
x = y; y = y+1; add(x, y); |
C++ Identifiers:
A C++ identifier is a name used to identify a variable, function, class, module, or any other user-defined item. An identifier starts with a letter A to Z or a to z or an underscore (_) followed by zero or more letters, underscores, and digits (0 to 9).C++ does not allow punctuation characters such as @, $, and % within identifiers. C++ is a case sensitive programming language. Thus Manpower and manpower are two different identifiers in C++.
Here are some examples of acceptable identifiers:
mohd zara abc move_name a_123 myname50 _temp j a23b9 retVal |
C++ Keywords:
The following list shows the reserved words in C++. These reserved words may not be used as constant or variable or any other identifier names.
asm
|
else
|
new
|
this
|
auto
|
enum
|
operator
|
throw
|
bool
|
explicit
|
private
|
true
|
break
|
export
|
protected
|
try
|
case
|
extern
|
public
|
typedef
|
catch
|
false
|
register
|
typeid
|
char
|
float
|
reinterpret_cast
|
typename
|
class
|
for
|
return
|
union
|
const
|
friend
|
short
|
unsigned
|
const_cast
|
goto
|
signed
|
using
|
continue
|
if
|
sizeof
|
virtual
|
default
|
inline
|
static
|
void
|
delete
|
int
|
static_cast
|
volatile
|
do
|
long
|
struct
|
wchar_t
|
double
|
mutable
|
switch
|
while
|
dynamic_cast
|
namespace
|
template
|
Trigraphs:
A few characters have an alternative representation, called a trigraph sequence. A trigraph is a three-character sequence that represents a single character and the sequence always starts with two question marks.Trigraphs are expanded anywhere they appear, including within string literals and character literals, in comments, and in preprocessor directives.
Following are most frequently used trigraph sequences:
Trigraph
|
Replacement
|
??=
|
#
|
??/
|
\
|
??'
|
^
|
??(
|
[
|
??)
|
]
|
??!
|
|
|
??<
|
{
|
??>
|
}
|
??-
|
~
|
Whitespace in C++:
A line containing only whitespace, possibly with a comment, is known as a blank line, and C++ compiler totally ignores it.Whitespace is the term used in C++ to describe blanks, tabs, newline characters and comments. Whitespace separates one part of a statement from another and enables the compiler to identify where one element in a statement, such as int, ends and the next element begins. Therefore, in the statement,
int age; |
fruit = apples + oranges; // Get the total fruit
|
Program comments are explanatory statements that you can include in the C++ code that you write and helps anyone reading it's source code. All programming languages allow for some form of comments.
C++ supports single line and multi-line comments. All characters available inside any comment are ignored by C++ compiler.
C++ comments start with /* and end with */. For example:
/* This is a comment */ /* C++ comments can also
* span multiple lines */ |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; main() {
cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
return 0;
} |
Hello World |
/* Comment out printing of Hello World: cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World */ |
You may like to store information of various data type like character, wide character, integer, floating point, double floating point, boolean etc. Based on the data type of a variable, the operating system allocates memory and decides what can be stored in the reserved memory.
Primitive Built-in Types:
C++ offer the programmer a rich assortment of built-in as well as user defined data types. Following table list down seven basic C++ data types:
Type
|
Keyword
|
Boolean
|
bool
|
Character
|
char
|
Integer
|
int
|
Floating point
|
float
|
Double floating point
|
double
|
Valueless
|
void
|
Wide character
|
wchar_t
|
·
signed
·
unsigned
·
short
·
long
The following table shows the variable type, how much memory it takes to
store the value memory, and what is maximum and minimum vaue which can be
stored in such type of variables.
Type
|
Typical Bit
Width
|
Typical Range
|
char
|
1byte
|
-127 to 127 or 0 to 255
|
unsigned char
|
1byte
|
0 to 255
|
signed char
|
1byte
|
-127 to 127
|
int
|
4bytes
|
-2147483648 to 2147483647
|
unsigned int
|
4bytes
|
0 to 4294967295
|
signed int
|
4bytes
|
-2147483648 to 2147483647
|
short int
|
2bytes
|
-32768 to 32767
|
unsigned short int
|
Range
|
0 to 65,535
|
signed short int
|
Range
|
-32768 to 32767
|
long int
|
4bytes
|
-2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647
|
signed long int
|
4bytes
|
same as long int
|
unsigned long int
|
4bytes
|
0 to 4,294,967,295
|
float
|
4bytes
|
+/- 3.4e +/- 38 (~7 digits)
|
double
|
8bytes
|
+/- 1.7e +/- 308 (~15 digits)
|
long double
|
8bytes
|
+/- 1.7e +/- 308 (~15 digits)
|
wchar_t
|
2 or 4 bytes
|
1 wide character
|
Following is the example which will produce correct size of various data type on your cmputer.
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main() {
cout << "Size of char : " << sizeof(char) << endl;
cout << "Size of int : " << sizeof(int) << endl;
cout << "Size of short int : " << sizeof(short int) << endl;
cout << "Size of long int : " << sizeof(long int) << endl;
cout << "Size of float : " << sizeof(float) << endl;
cout << "Size of double : " << sizeof(double) << endl;
cout << "Size of wchar_t : " << sizeof(wchar_t) << endl;
return 0;
} |
When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces following result which can vary from machine to machine:
Size of char : 1 Size of int : 4 Size of short int : 2 Size of long int : 4 Size of float : 4 Size of double : 8 Size of wchar_t : 4 |
typedef Declarations:
You can create a new name for an existing type using typedef. Following is the simple syntax to define a new type using typedef:typedef type newname; |
typedef int feet; |
feet distance; |
Enumerated Types:
An enumerated type declares an optional type name and a set of zero or more identifiers that can be used as values of the type. Each enumerator is a constant whose type is the enumeration.To create an enumeration requires the use of the keyword enum. The general form of an enumeration type is:
enum enum-name { list of names } var-list;
|
For example, the following code defines an enumeration of colors called colors and the variable c of type color. Finally, c is assigned the value "blue".
enum color { red, green, blue } c;
c = blue; |
enum color { red, green=5, blue };
|
A variable provides us with named storage that our programs can manipulate. Each variable in C++ has a specific type, which determines the size and layout of the variable's memory; the range of values that can be stored within that memory; and the set of operations that can be applied to the variable.
The name of a variable can be composed of letters, digits, and the underscore character. It must begin with either a letter or an underscore. Upper and lowercase letters are distinct because C++ is case-sensitive:
There are following basic types of variable in C++ as explained in last chapter:
Type
|
Description
|
bool
|
Stores either value true or false.
|
char
|
Typically a single octet(one byte). This is an integer
type.
|
int
|
The most natural size of integer for the machine.
|
float
|
A single-precision floating point value.
|
double
|
A double-precision floating point value.
|
void
|
Represents the absence of type.
|
wchar_t
|
A wide character type.
|
Following section will cover how to define, declare and use various type of variables.
Variable Declaration in C++:
All variables must be declared before use, although certain declarations can be made implicitly by content. A declaration specifies a type, and contains a list of one or more variables of that type as follows:type variable_list; |
int i, j, k;
char c, ch;
float f, salary;
double d; |
int i = 100;
|
extern int i;
|
Variable Initialization in C++:
Variables are initialized (assigned an value) with an equal sign followed by a constant expression. The general form of initialization is:variable_name = value; |
type variable_name = value; |
int d = 3, f = 5; // initializing d and f.
byte z = 22; // initializes z.
double pi = 3.14159; // declares an approximation of pi. char x = 'x'; // the variable x has the value 'x'.
|
It is a good programming practice to initialize variables properly otherwise, sometime program would produce unexpected result. Try following example which makes use of various types of variables:
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
// Variable declaration:
int a, b;
int c;
float f;
// actual initialization
a = 10;
b = 20;
c = a + b;
cout << c << endl ;
f = 70.0/3.0;
cout << f << endl ;
return 0;
} |
30 23.3333 |
Lvalues and Rvalues:
There are two kinds of expressions in C++:
1. lvalue
: An expression that is an lvalue may appear as either the left-hand or
right-hand side of an assignment.
2. rvalue
: An expression that is an rvalue may appear on the right- but not
left-hand side of an assignment.
Variables are lvalues and so may appear on the left-hand side of an
assignment. Numeric literals are rvalues and so may not be assigned and can not
appear on the left-hand side. Following is a valid statement:int g = 20; |
10 = 20; |
1. Inside
a function or a block which is called local variables,
2. In
the definition of function parameters which is called formal parameters.
3. Outside
of all functions which is called global variables.
We will learn what is a function and it's parameter in subsequent chapters.
Here let us explain what are local and global variables.Local Variables:
Variables that are declared inside a function or block are local variables. They can be used only by statements that are inside that function or block of code. Local variables are not known to functions outside their own. Following is the example using local variables:#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
// Local variable declaration:
int a, b;
int c;
// actual initialization
a = 10;
b = 20;
c = a + b;
cout << c;
return 0;
} |
Global Variables:
Global variables are defined outside of all the functions, usually on top of the program. The global variables will hold their value throughout the lifetime of your program.A global variable can be accessed by any function. That is, a global variable is available for use throughout your entire program after its declaration. Following is the example using global and local variables:
#include <iostream> using namespace std; // Global variable declaration: int g; int main () {
// Local variable declaration:
int a, b;
// actual initialization
a = 10;
b = 20;
g = a + b;
cout << g;
return 0;
} |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; // Global variable declaration: int g = 20; int main () {
// Local variable declaration:
int g = 10;
cout << g;
return 0;
} |
10 |
Initializing Local and Global Variables:
When a local variable is defined, it is not initalised by the system, you must initalise it yourself. Global variables are initalised automatically by the system when you define them as follows:
Data Type
|
Initialser
|
int
|
0
|
char
|
'\0'
|
float
|
0
|
double
|
0
|
pointer
|
NULL
|
Constants refer to fixed values that the program may not alter and they are called literals.
Constants can be of any of the basic data types and can be divided in Integer Numerals, Floating-Point Numerals, Characters, Strings and Boolean Values.
Again, constants are treated just like regular variables except that their values cannot be modified after their definition.
Integer literals:
An integer literal can be a decimal, octal, or hexadecimal constant. A prefix specifies the base or radix: 0x or 0X for hexadecimal, 0 for octal, and nothing for decimal.An integer literal can also have a suffix that is a combination of U and L, for unsigned and long, respectively. The suffix can be uppercase or lowercase and can be in any order.
Here are some examples of integer literals:
212 // Legal
215u // Legal
0xFeeL // Legal
078 // Illegal: 8 is not an octal digit
032UU // Illegal: cannot repeat a suffix
|
85 // decimal
0213 // octal
0x4b // hexadecimal
30 // int
30u // unsigned int
30l // long
30ul // unsigned long
|
Floating-point literals:
A floating-point literal has an integer part, a decimal point, a fractional part, and an exponent part. You can represent floating point literals either in decimal form or exponential form.While representing using deciman form, you must include the decimal point, the exponent, or both and while representing using exponential form, you must include the integer part, the fractional part, or both. The signed exponent is introduced by e or E.
Here are some examples of floating-point literals:
3.14159 // Legal
314159E-5L // Legal
510E // Illegal: incomplete exponent
210f // Illegal: no decimal or exponent
.e55 // Illegal: missing integer or fraction
|
Boolean literals:
There are two Boolean literals and they are part of standard C++ keywords:
1. A
value of true representing true.
2. A
value of false representing false.
You should not consider the value of true equal to 1 and value of false
equal to zero.Character literals:
Character literals are enclosed in single quotes. If the literal begins with L (uppercase only), it is a wide character literal (e.g., L'x') and should be stored in wchar_t type of variable . Otherwise, it is a narrow character literal (e.g., 'x') and can be stored in a simple variable of char type.A character literal can be a plain character (e.g., 'x'), an escape sequence (e.g., '\t'), or a universal character (e.g., '\u02C0').
There are certain characters in C++ when they are proceeded by a back slash they will have special meaning and they are used to represent like newline (\n) or tab (\t). Here you have a list of some of such escape sequence codes:
Escape sequence
|
Meaning
|
\\
|
\ character
|
\'
|
' character
|
\"
|
" character
|
\?
|
? character
|
\a
|
Alert or bell
|
\b
|
Backspace
|
\f
|
Form feed
|
\n
|
Newline
|
\r
|
Carriage return
|
\t
|
Horizontal tab
|
\v
|
Vertical tab
|
\ooo
|
Octal number of one to three digits
|
\xhh . . .
|
Hexadecimal number of one or more digits
|
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main() {
cout << "Hello\tWorld\n\n";
return 0;
} |
Hello World
|
String literals:
String literals are enclosed in double quotes. A string contains characters that are similar to character literals: plain characters, escape sequences, and universal characters.You can break a long lines into multiple lines using string literals and separating them using whitespaces.
Here are some examples of string literals. All the three forms are identical strings.
"hello, dear" "hello, \ dear" "hello, " "d" "ear" |
Defining Constants:
There are two simple ways in C++ to define constants:
1. Using
#define preprocessor.
2. Using
const keyword.
The #define Preprocessor:
Following is the form to use #define preprocessor to define a constant:#define identifier value |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; #define LENGTH 10
#define WIDTH 5
#define NEWLINE '\n' int main() {
int area;
area = LENGTH * WIDTH;
cout << area;
cout << NEWLINE;
return 0;
} |
50 |
The const Keyword:
You can use const prefix to declare constants with a specific type as follows:const type variable = value; |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main() {
const int LENGTH = 10; const int WIDTH = 5; const char NEWLINE = '\n';
int area;
area = LENGTH * WIDTH;
cout << area;
cout << NEWLINE;
return 0;
} |
50 |
C++ allows the char, int, and double data types to have modifiers preceding them. A modifier is used to alter the meaning of the base type so that it more precisely fits the needs of various situations.
The data type modifiers are listed here:
·
signed
·
unsigned
·
long
·
short
The modifiers signed, unsigned, long, and short can be applied
to integer base types. In addition, signed and unsigned can be
applied to char, and long can be applied to double.The modifiers signed and unsigned can also be used as prefix to long or short modifiers. For example unsigned long int.
C++ allows a shorthand notation for declaring unsigned, short, or long integers. You can simply use the word unsigned, short, or long, without the int. The int is implied. For example, the following two statements both declare unsigned integer variables.
unsigned x; unsigned int y; |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; /* This program shows the difference between * signed and unsigned integers. */ int main() {
short int i; // a signed short integer short unsigned int j; // an unsigned short integer j = 50000;
i = j;
cout << i << " " << j;
return 0;
} |
-15536 50000 |
Type Qualifiers in C++
The type qualifiers provide additional information about the variables they precede.
Qualifier
|
Meaning
|
const
|
Objects of type const cannot be changed by your
program during execution
|
volatile
|
The modifier volatile tells the compiler that a
variable's value may be changed in ways not explicitly specified by the
program.
|
restrict
|
A pointer qualified by restrict is initially the
only means by which the object it points to can be accessed. Only C99 adds a
new type qualifier called restrict.
|
·
auto
·
register
·
static
·
extern
·
mutable
The auto Storage Class
The auto storage class is the default storage class for all local variables.{
int mount;
auto int month;
} |
The register Storage Class
The register storage class is used to define local variables that should be stored in a register instead of RAM. This means that the variable has a maximum size equal to the register size (usually one word) and can't have the unary '&' operator applied to it (as it does not have a memory location).{
register int miles; } |
The static Storage Class
The static storage class instructs the compiler to keep a local variable in existence during the lifetime of the program instead of creating and destroying it each time it comes into and goes out of scope. Therefore, making local variables static allows them to maintain their values between function calls.The static modifier may also be applied to global variables. When this is done, it causes that variable's scope to be restricted to the file in which it is declared.
In C++, when static is used on a class data member, it causes only one copy of that member to be shared by all objects of its class.
#include <iostream> // Function declaration void func(void); static int count = 10; /* Global variable */ main() {
while(count--)
{
func();
}
return 0;
} // Function definition void func( void ) {
static int i = 5; // local static variable
i++;
std::cout << "i is " << i ;
std::cout << " and count is " << count << std::endl;
} |
i is 6 and count is 9 i is 7 and count is 8 i is 8 and count is 7 i is 9 and count is 6 i is 10 and count is 5 i is 11 and count is 4 i is 12 and count is 3 i is 13 and count is 2 i is 14 and count is 1 i is 15 and count is 0 |
The extern Storage Class
The extern storage class is used to give a reference of a global variable that is visible to ALL the program files. When you use 'extern' the variable cannot be initialized as all it does is point the variable name at a storage location that has been previously defined.When you have multiple files and you define a global variable or function which will be used in other files also, then extern will be used in another file to give reference of defined variable or function. Just for understanding extern is used to declare a global variable or function in another files.
The extern modifier is most commonly used when there are two or more files sharing the same global variables or functions as explained below.
First File: main.cpp
#include <iostream> int count ; extern void write_extern(); main() {
write_extern();
} |
#include <iostream> extern int count; void write_extern(void) {
count = 5;
std::cout << "Count is " << count << std::endl;
} |
$g++ main.cpp write.cpp -o write |
$./write 5 |
The mutable Storage Class
The mutable specifier applies only to class objects, which are discussed later in this tutorial. It allows a member of an object to override constness. That is, a mutable member can be modified by a const member function.An operator is a symbol that tells the compiler to perform specific mathematical or logical manipulations. C++ is rich in built-in operators and provides following type of operators:
·
Arithmetic Operators
·
Relational Operators
·
Logical Operators
·
Bitwise Operators
·
Assignment Operators
·
Misc Operators
This chapter will examine the arithmetic, relational, and logical, bitwise,
assignment and other operators one by one.Arithmetic Operators:
There are following arithmetic operators supported by C++ language:Assume variable A holds 10 and variable B holds 20 then:
Show Examples
Operator
|
Description
|
Example
|
+
|
Adds two operands
|
A + B will give 30
|
-
|
Subtracts second operand from the first
|
A - B will give -10
|
*
|
Multiply both operands
|
A * B will give 200
|
/
|
Divide numerator by de-numerator
|
B / A will give 2
|
%
|
Modulus Operator and remainder of after an integer
division
|
B % A will give 0
|
++
|
Increment operator, increases integer
value by one
|
A++ will give 11
|
--
|
Decrement operator, decreases integer
value by one
|
A-- will give 9
|
Relational Operators:
There are following relational operators supported by C++ languageAssume variable A holds 10 and variable B holds 20 then:
Show Examples
Operator
|
Description
|
Example
|
==
|
Checks if the value of two operands is equal or not, if
yes then condition becomes true.
|
(A == B) is not true.
|
!=
|
Checks if the value of two operands is equal or not, if
values are not equal then condition becomes true.
|
(A != B) is true.
|
>
|
Checks if the value of left operand is greater than the
value of right operand, if yes then condition becomes true.
|
(A > B) is not true.
|
<
|
Checks if the value of left operand is less than the value
of right operand, if yes then condition becomes true.
|
(A < B) is true.
|
>=
|
Checks if the value of left operand is greater than or
equal to the value of right operand, if yes then condition becomes true.
|
(A >= B) is not true.
|
<=
|
Checks if the value of left operand is less than or equal
to the value of right operand, if yes then condition becomes true.
|
(A <= B) is true.
|
Logical Operators:
There are following logical operators supported by C++ languageAssume variable A holds 1 and variable B holds 0 then:
Show Examples
Operator
|
Description
|
Example
|
&&
|
Called Logical AND operator. If both the operands are non
zero then condition becomes true.
|
(A && B) is false.
|
||
|
Called Logical OR Operator. If any of the two operands is
non zero then condition becomes true.
|
(A || B) is true.
|
!
|
Called Logical NOT Operator. Use to reverses the logical
state of its operand. If a condition is true then Logical NOT operator will
make false.
|
!(A && B) is true.
|
Bitwise Operators:
Bitwise operator works on bits and perform bit by bit operation. The truth tables for &, |, and ^ are as follows:
p
|
q
|
p & q
|
p | q
|
p ^ q
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
A = 0011 1100
B = 0000 1101
-----------------
A&B = 0000 1100
A|B = 0011 1101
A^B = 0011 0001
~A = 1100 0011
The Bitwise operators supported by C++ language are listed in the following table. Assume variable A holds 60 and variable B holds 13 then:
Show Examples
Operator
|
Description
|
Example
|
&
|
Binary AND Operator copies a bit to the result if it
exists in both operands.
|
(A & B) will give 12 which is 0000 1100
|
|
|
Binary OR Operator copies a bit if it exists in either
operand.
|
(A | B) will give 61 which is 0011 1101
|
^
|
Binary XOR Operator copies the bit if it is set in one
operand but not both.
|
(A ^ B) will give 49 which is 0011 0001
|
~
|
Binary Ones Complement Operator is unary and has the
effect of 'flipping' bits.
|
(~A ) will give -60 which is 1100 0011
|
<<
|
Binary Left Shift Operator. The left operands value is
moved left by the number of bits specified by the right operand.
|
A << 2 will give 240 which is 1111 0000
|
>>
|
Binary Right Shift Operator. The left operands value is
moved right by the number of bits specified by the right operand.
|
A >> 2 will give 15 which is 0000 1111
|
Assignment Operators:
There are following assignment operators supported by C++ language:Show Examples
Operator
|
Description
|
Example
|
=
|
Simple assignment operator, Assigns values from right side
operands to left side operand
|
C = A + B will assign value of A + B into C
|
+=
|
Add AND assignment operator, It adds right operand to the
left operand and assign the result to left operand
|
C += A is equivalent to C = C + A
|
-=
|
Subtract AND assignment operator, It subtracts right
operand from the left operand and assign the result to left operand
|
C -= A is equivalent to C = C - A
|
*=
|
Multiply AND assignment operator, It multiplies right
operand with the left operand and assign the result to left operand
|
C *= A is equivalent to C = C * A
|
/=
|
Divide AND assignment operator, It divides left operand
with the right operand and assign the result to left operand
|
C /= A is equivalent to C = C / A
|
%=
|
Modulus AND assignment operator, It takes modulus using
two operands and assign the result to left operand
|
C %= A is equivalent to C = C % A
|
<<=
|
Left shift AND assignment operator
|
C <<= 2 is same as C = C << 2
|
>>=
|
Right shift AND assignment operator
|
C >>= 2 is same as C = C >> 2
|
&=
|
Bitwise AND assignment operator
|
C &= 2 is same as C = C & 2
|
^=
|
bitwise exclusive OR and assignment operator
|
C ^= 2 is same as C = C ^ 2
|
|=
|
bitwise inclusive OR and assignment operator
|
C |= 2 is same as C = C | 2
|
Misc Operators
There are few other operators supported by C++ Language.
Operator
|
Description
|
sizeof
|
sizeof
operator returns the size of a variable. For example sizeof(a), where a
is integer, will return 4.
|
Condition ? X : Y
|
Conditional
operator. If Condition is true ? then it returns value X : otherwise
value Y
|
,
|
Comma
operator causes a sequence of operations to be performed. The value of
the entire comma expression is the value of the last expression of the
comma-separated list.
|
. (dot) and -> (arrow)
|
Member
operators are used to reference individual members of classes,
structures, and unions.
|
Cast
|
Casting
operators convert one data type to another. For example, int(2.2000)
would return 2.
|
&
|
Pointer
operator & returns the address of an variable. For example &a;
will give actual address of the variable.
|
*
|
Pointer
operator * is pointer to a variable. For example *var; will pointer to a
variable var.
|
Operators Precedence in C++:
Operator precedence determines the grouping of terms in an expression. This affects how an expression is evaluated. Certain operators have higher precedence than others; for example, the multiplication operator has higher precedence than the addition operator:For example x = 7 + 3 * 2; Here x is assigned 13, not 20 because operator * has higher precedence than + so it first get multiplied with 3*2 and then adds into 7.
Here operators with the highest precedence appear at the top of the table, those with the lowest appear at the bottom. Within an expression, higher precedence operators will be evaluated first.
Show Examples
Category
|
Operator
|
Associativity
|
Postfix
|
() [] -> . ++ - -
|
Left to right
|
Unary
|
+ - ! ~ ++ - - (type)* & sizeof
|
Right to left
|
Multiplicative
|
* / %
|
Left to right
|
Additive
|
+ -
|
Left to right
|
Shift
|
<< >>
|
Left to right
|
Relational
|
< <= > >=
|
Left to right
|
Equality
|
== !=
|
Left to right
|
Bitwise AND
|
&
|
Left to right
|
Bitwise XOR
|
^
|
Left to right
|
Bitwise OR
|
|
|
Left to right
|
Logical AND
|
&&
|
Left to right
|
Logical OR
|
||
|
Left to right
|
Conditional
|
?:
|
Right to left
|
Assignment
|
= += -= *= /= %=>>= <<= &= ^= |=
|
Right to left
|
Comma
|
,
|
Left to right
|
Programming languages provide various control structures that allow for more complicated execution paths.
A loop statement allows us to execute a statement or group of statements multiple times and following is the general from of a loop statement in most of the programming languages:

Loop
Type
|
Description
|
Repeats a statement or group of statements until a given
condition is true. It tests the condition before executing the loop body.
|
|
Execute a sequence of statements multiple times and
abbreviates the code that manages the loop variable.
|
|
Like a while statement, except that it tests the condition
at the end of the loop body
|
|
You can use one or more loop inside any another while, for
or do..while loop.
|
Loop Control Statements:
Loop control statements change execution from its normal sequence. When execution leaves a scope, all automatic objects that were created in that scope are destroyed.C++ supports the following control statements. Click the following links to check their detail.
Control
Statement
|
Description
|
Terminates the loop or switch statement and
transfers execution to the statement immediately following the loop or
switch.
|
|
Causes the loop to skip the remainder of its body and
immediately retest its condition prior to reiterating.
|
|
Transfers control to the labeled statement. Though it is
not advised to use goto statement in your program.
|
The Infinite Loop:
A loop becomes infinite loop if a condition never becomes false. The for loop is traditionally used for this purpose. Since none of the three expressions that form the for loop are required, you can make an endless loop by leaving the conditional expression empty.#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
for( ; ; )
{
printf("This loop will run forever.\n");
}
return 0;
} |
NOTE: You can terminate an infinite loop by pressing Ctrl + C keys.
Decision making structures require that the programmer specify one or more conditions to be evaluated or tested by the program, along with a statement or statements to be executed if the condition is determined to be true, and optionally, other statements to be executed if the condition is determined to be false.
Following is the general from of a typical decision making structure found in most of the programming languages:

Statement
|
Description
|
An if statement consists of a boolean expression followed
by one or more statements.
|
|
An if statement can be followed by an optional else
statement, which executes when the boolean expression is false.
|
|
A switch statement allows a variable to be tested for
equality against a list of values.
|
|
You can use one if or else if statement inside another if
or else if statement(s).
|
|
You can use one swicth statement inside another switch
statement(s).
|
The ? : Operator:
We have covered conditional operator ? : in previous chapter which can be used to replace if...else statements. It has the following general form:Exp1 ? Exp2 : Exp3; |
The value of a ? expression is determined like this: Exp1 is evaluated. If it is true, then Exp2 is evaluated and becomes the value of the entire ? expression. If Exp1 is false, then Exp3 is evaluated and its value becomes the value of the expression.
A function is a group of statements that together perform a task. Every C++ program has at least one function which is main(), and all the most trivial programs can define additional functions.
You can divide up your code into separate functions. How you divide up your code among different functions is up to you, but logically the division usually is so each function performs a specific task.
A function declaration tells the compiler about a function's name, return type, and parameters. A function definition provides the actual body of the function.
The C++ standard library provides numerous built-in functions that your program can call. For example, function strcat() to concatenate two strings, function memcpy() to copy one memory location to another location and many more functions.
A function is knows as with various names like a method or a sub-routine or a procedure etc.
Defining a Function:
The general form of a C++ function definition is as follows:return_type function_name( parameter list ) {
body of the function
} |
·
Return Type: A function may return a
value. The return_type is the data type of the value the function
returns. Some functions perform the desired operations without returning a
value. In this case, the return_type is the keyword void.
·
Function Name: This is the actual name of
the function. The function name and the parameter list together constitute the
function signature.
·
Parameters: A parameter is like a
placeholder. When a function is invoked, you pass a value to the parameter.
This value is referred to as actual parameter or argument. The parameter list
refers to the type, order, and number of the parameters of a function.
Parameters are optional; that is, a function may contain no parameters.
·
Function Body: The function body contains
a collection of statements that define what the function does.
Example:
Following is the source code for a function called max(). This function takes two parameters num1 and num2 and returns the maximum between the two:// function returning the max between two numbers int max(int num1, int num2) {
// local variable declaration
int result;
if (num1 > num2)
result = num1;
else
result = num2;
return result;
} |
Function Declarations:
A function declaration tells the compiler about a function name and how to call the function. The actual body of the function can be defined separately.A function declaration has the following parts:
return_type function_name( parameter list ); |
int max(int num1, int num2); |
int max(int, int); |
Calling a Function:
While creating a C++ function, you give a definition of what the function has to do. To use a function, you will have to call or invoke that function.When a program calls a function, program control is transferred to the called function. A called function performs defined task and when its return statement is executed or when its function-ending closing brace is reached, it returns program control back to the main program.
To call a function you simply need to pass the required parameters along with function name and if function returns a value then you can store returned value. For example:
#include <iostream> using namespace std; // function declaration int max(int num1, int num2); int main () {
// local variable declaration:
int a = 100;
int b = 200;
int ret;
// calling a function to get max value.
ret = max(a, b);
cout << "Max value is : " << ret << endl;
return 0;
} // function returning the max between two numbers int max(int num1, int num2) {
// local variable declaration
int result;
if (num1 > num2)
result = num1;
else
result = num2;
return result;
} |
Max value is : 200 |
Function Arguments:
If a function is to use arguments, it must declare variables that accept the values of the arguments. These variables are called the formal parameters of the function.The formal parameters behave like other local variables inside the function and are created upon entry into the function and destroyed upon exit.
While calling a function, there are two ways that arguments can be passed to a function:
Call Type
|
Description
|
This method copies the actual value of an argument into
the formal parameter of the function. In this case, changes made to the
parameter inside the function have no effect on the argument.
|
|
This method copies the address of an argument into the
formal parameter. Inside the function, the address is used to access the
actual argument used in the call. This means that changes made to the
parameter affect the argument.
|
Default Values for Parameters:
When you define a function you can specify a default value for for each of the last parameters. This value will be used if the corresponding argument is left blank when calling to the function.This is done by using the assignment operator and assigning values for the arguments in the function definition. If a value for that parameter is not passed when the function is called, the default given value is used, but if a value is specified this default value is ignored and the passed value is used instead. Consider the following example:
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int sum(int a, int b=20) {
int result;
result = a + b;
return (result);
} int main () {
// local variable declaration:
int a = 100;
int b = 200;
int result;
// calling a function to add the values.
result = sum(a, b);
cout << "Total value is :" << result << endl;
// calling a function again as follows.
result = sum(a);
cout << "Total value is :" << result << endl;
return 0;
} |
Total value is :300 Total value is :120 |
Defining Numbers in C++:
You have already defined numbers in various examples given in previous chapters. Here is another consolidated example to define various types of numbers in C++:#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
// number definition:
short s; int i; long l; float f; double d;
// number assignments;
s = 10; i = 1000; l = 1000000;
f = 230.47; d = 30949.374;
// number printing;
cout << "short s :" << s << endl; cout << "int i :" << i << endl; cout << "long l :" << l << endl; cout << "float f :" << f << endl; cout << "double d :" << d << endl;
return 0;
} |
short s :10
int i :1000
long l :1000000
float f :230.47
double d :30949.4 |
Math Operations in C++:
In addition to the various functions you can create, C++ also includes some useful functions you can use. These functions are available in standard C and C++ libraries and called built-in functions. These are functions that can be included in your program and then use.C++ has a rich set of mathematical operations which can be performed on various numbers. Following table list down some useful built-in mathematical functions available in C++.
To utilize these functions you need to include the math header file <cmath>.
S.N.
|
Function &
Purpose
|
1
|
double cos(double);
This function takes an angle (as a double) and returns the cosine. |
2
|
double sin(double);
This function takes an angle (as a double) and returns the sine. |
3
|
double tan(double);
This function takes an angle (as a double) and returns the tangent. |
4
|
double log(double);
This function takes a number and returns the natural log of that number. |
5
|
double pow(double, double);
The first is a number you wish to raise and the second is the power you wish to raise it to. |
6
|
double hypot(double, double);
If you pass this function the length of two sides of a right triangle, it will return you the length of the hypotenuse. |
7
|
double sqrt(double);
You pass this function a number and it gives you this square root. |
8
|
int abs(int);
This function returns the absolute value of an integer that is passed to it. |
9
|
double fabs(double);
This function returns the absolute value of any decimal number passed to it. |
10
|
double floor(double);
Finds the integer which is less than or equal to the argument passed to it. |
#include <iostream> #include <cmath> using namespace std; int main () {
// number definition:
short s = 10; int i = -1000; long l = 100000; float f = 230.47; double d = 200.374;
// mathematical operations;
cout << "sin(d) :" << sin(d) << endl;
cout << "abs(i) :" << abs(i) << endl; cout << "floor(d) :" << floor(d) << endl;
cout << "sqrt(f) :" << sqrt(f) << endl;
cout << "pow( d, 2) :" << pow(d, 2) << endl;
return 0;
} |
sign(d) :-0.634939 abs(i) :1000
floor(d) :200 sqrt(f) :15.1812 pow( d, 2 ) :40149.7 |
Random Numbers in C++:
There are many cases where you will wish to generate a random number. There are actually two functions you will need to know about random number generation. The first is rand(), this function will only return a pseudo random number. The way to fix this is to first call the srand() function.Following a simple example to generate few random numbers. This example makes use of time() function to get the number of seconds on your system time, to randomly seed the rand() function:
#include <iostream> #include <ctime> using namespace std; int main () {
int i,j;
// set the seed
srand( (unsigned)time( NULL ) );
/* generate 10 random numbers. */ for( i = 0; i < 10; i++ )
{
// generate actual random number
j= rand();
cout <<" Random Number : " << j << endl;
}
return 0;
} |
Random Number : 1748144778
Random Number : 630873888 Random Number : 2134540646 Random Number : 219404170 Random Number : 902129458 Random Number : 920445370 Random Number : 1319072661 Random Number : 257938873 Random Number : 1256201101 Random Number : 580322989 |
Instead of declaring individual variables, such as number0, number1, ..., and number99, you declare one array variable such as numbers and use numbers[0], numbers[1], and ..., numbers[99] to represent individual variables. A specific element in an array is accessed by an index.
All arrays consist of contiguous memory locations. The lowest address corresponds to the first element and the highest address to the last element.
Declaring Arrays:
To declare an array in C++, the programmer specifies the type of the elements and the number of elements required by an array as follows:type arrayName [ arraySize ]; |
double balance[10]; |
Initializing Arrays:
You can initialize C++ array elements either one by one or using a single statement as follows:double balance[5] = {1000.0, 2.0, 3.4, 17.0, 50.0};
|
If you omit the size of the array, an array just big enough to hold the initialization is created. Therefore, if you write:
double balance[] = {1000.0, 2.0, 3.4, 17.0, 50.0};
|
balance[4] = 50.0; |

Accessing Array Elements:
An element is accessed by indexing the array name. This is done by placing the index of the element within square brackets after the name of the array. For example:double salary = balance[9]; |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; #include <iomanip> using std::setw; int main () {
int n[ 10 ]; // n is an array of 10 integers
// initialize elements of array n to 0 for ( int i = 0; i < 10; i++ )
{
n[ i ] = i + 100; // set element at location i to i + 100
}
cout << "Element" << setw( 13 ) << "Value" << endl;
// output each array element's value for ( int j = 0; j < 10; j++ )
{
cout << setw( 7 )<< j << setw( 13 ) << n[ j ] << endl;
}
return 0;
} |
Element Value
0 100 1 101 2 102 3 103 4 104 5 105 6 106 7 107 8 108 9 109 |
C++ Arrays in Detail:
Arrays are important to C++ and should need lots of more detail. There are following few important concepts which should be clear to a C++ programmer:
Concept
|
Description
|
C++ supports multidimensional arrays. The simplest form of
the multidimensional array is the two-dimensional array.
|
|
You can generate a pointer to the first element of an
array by simply specifying the array name, without any index.
|
|
You can pass to the function a pointer to an array by
specifying the array's name without an index.
|
|
C++ allows a function to return an array.
|
1. The
C-style character string.
2. The
string class type introduced with Standard C++.
The C-Style Character String:
The C-style character string originated within the C language and continues to be supported within C++. This string is actually a one-dimensional array of characters which is terminated by a null character '\0'. Thus a null-terminated string contains the characters that comprise the string followed by a null.The following declaration and initialization create a string consisting of the word "Hello". To hold the null character at the end of the array, the size of the character array containing the string is one more than the number of characters in the word "Hello."
char greeting[6] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', '\0'};
|
char greeting[] = "Hello"; |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
char greeting[6] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o', '\0'};
cout << "Greeting message: ";
cout << greeting << endl;
return 0;
} |
Greeting message: Hello |
S.N.
|
Function &
Purpose
|
1
|
strcpy(s1, s2);
Copies string s2 into string s1. |
2
|
strcat(s1, s2);
Concatenates string s2 onto the end of string s1. |
3
|
strlen(s1);
Returns the length of string s1. |
4
|
strcmp(s1, s2);
Returns 0 if s1 and s2 are the same; less than 0 if s1<s2; greater than 0 if s1>s2. |
5
|
strchr(s1, ch);
Returns a pointer to the first occurrence of character ch in string s1. |
6
|
strstr(s1, s2);
Returns a pointer to the first occurrence of string s2 in string s1. |
#include <iostream> #include <cstring> using namespace std; int main () {
char str1[10] = "Hello";
char str2[10] = "World";
char str3[10];
int len ; // copy str1 into str3
strcpy( str3, str1);
cout << "strcpy( str3, str1) : " << str3 << endl;
// concatenates str1 and str2
strcat( str1, str2);
cout << "strcat( str1, str2): " << str1 << endl;
// total lenghth of str1 after concatenation
len = strlen(str1);
cout << "strlen(str1) : " << len << endl;
return 0;
} |
strcpy( str3, str1) : Hello strcat( str1, str2): HelloWorld strlen(str1) : 10 |
The String Class in C++:
The standard C++ library provides a string class type that supports all the operations mentioned above, additionally much more functionality. We will study this class in C++ Standard Library but for now let us check following example:At this point you may not understand this example because so far we have not discussed Classes and Objects. So can have a look and proceed until you have understanding on Object Oriented Concepts.
#include <iostream> #include <string> using namespace std; int main () {
string str1 = "Hello";
string str2 = "World";
string str3;
int len ; // copy str1 into str3
str3 = str1;
cout << "str3 : " << str3 << endl;
// concatenates str1 and str2
str3 = str1 + str2;
cout << "str1 + str2 : " << str3 << endl;
// total lenghth of str3 after concatenation
len = str3.size();
cout << "str3.size() : " << len << endl; return 0;
} |
str3 : Hello str1 + str2 : HelloWorld str3.size() : 10
|
As you know every variable is a memory location and every memory location has its address defined which can be accessed using ampersand (&) operator which denotes an address in memory. Consider the following which will print the address of the variables defined:
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
int var1; char var2[10];
cout << "Address of var1 variable: ";
cout << &var1 << endl;
cout << "Address of var2 variable: ";
cout << &var2 << endl;
return 0;
} |
Address of var1 variable: 0xbfebd5c0 Address of var2 variable: 0xbfebd5b6 |
What Are Pointers?
A pointer is a variable whose value is the address of another variable. Like any variable or constant, you must declare a pointer before you can work with it. The general form of a pointer variable declaration is:type *var-name; |
int *ip; // pointer to an integer double *dp; // pointer to a double
float *fp; // pointer to a float char *ch // pointer to character |
Using Pointers in C++:
There are few important operations which we will do with the pointers very frequently. (a) we define a pointer variables (b) assign the address of a variable to a pointer and (c) finally access the value at the address available in the pointer variable. This is done by using unary operator * that returns the value of the variable located at the address specified by its operand. Following example makes use of these operations:#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
int var = 20; // actual variable declaration. int *ip; // pointer variable ip = &var; // store address of var in pointer variable cout << "Value of var variable: ";
cout << var << endl;
// print the address stored in ip pointer variable
cout << "Address stored in ip variable: ";
cout << ip << endl;
// access the value at the address available in pointer
cout << "Value of *ip variable: ";
cout << *ip << endl;
return 0;
} |
Value of var variable: 20 Address stored in ip variable: 0xbfc601ac Value of *ip variable: 20 |
C++ Pointers in Detail:
Pointers have many but easy concepts and they are very important to C++ programming. There are following few important pointer concepts which should be clear to a C++ programmer:
Concept
|
Description
|
C++ supports null pointer, which is a constant with a
value of zero defined in several standard libraries.
|
|
There are four arithmetic operators that can be used on
pointers: ++, --, +, -
|
|
There is a close relationship between pointers and arrays.
Let us check how?
|
|
You can define arrays to hold a number of pointers.
|
|
C++ allows you to have pointer on a pointer and so on.
|
|
Passing an argument by reference or by address both enable
the passed argument to be changed in the calling function by the called
function.
|
|
C++ allows a function to return a pointer to local
variable, static variable and dynamically allocated memory as well.
|
C++ References vs Pointers:
References are often confused with pointers but three major differences between references and pointers are:
1. You
cannot have NULL references. You must always be able to assume that a reference
is connected to a legitimate piece of storage.
2. Once
a reference is initialized to an object, it cannot be changed to refer to
another object. Pointers can be pointed to another object at any time.
3. A
reference must be initialized when it is created. Pointers can be initialized
at any time.
Creating References in C++:
Think of a variable name as a label attached to the variable's location in memory. You can then think of a reference as a second label attached to that memory location. Therefore, you can access the contents of the variable through either the original variable name or the reference. For example, suppose we have the following example:int i = 17;
|
int& r = i;
|
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main () {
// declare simple variables
int i; double d;
// declare reference variables
int& r = i; double& s = d;
i = 5;
cout << "Value of i : " << i << endl;
cout << "Value of i reference : " << r << endl; d = 11.7;
cout << "Value of d : " << d << endl;
cout << "Value of d reference : " << s << endl;
return 0;
} |
Value of i : 5 Value of i reference : 5 Value of d : 11.7 Value of d reference : 11.7 |
Concept
|
Description
|
C++ supports passing references as function parameter more
safely than parameters.
|
|
You can return reference from a C++ function like a any
other data type can be returned.
|
There are four time-related types: clock_t, time_t, size_t, and tm. The types clock_t, size_t and time_t are capable of representing the system time and date as some sort of integer.
The structure type tm holds the date and time in the form of a C structure having the following elements:
struct tm {
int tm_sec; // seconds of minutes from 0 to 61 int tm_min; // minutes of hour from 0 to 59 int tm_hour; // hours of day from 0 to 24 int tm_mday; // day of month from 1 to 31 int tm_mon; // month of year from 0 to 11 int tm_year; // year since 1900 int tm_wday; // days since sunday int tm_yday; // days since January 1st int tm_isdst; // hours of daylight savings time
} |
SN
|
Function &
Purpose
|
1
|
time_t time(time_t *time);
This returns the current calendar time of the system in number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970. If the system has no time, .1 is returned. |
2
|
char *ctime(const time_t *time);
This returns a pointer to a string of the form day month year hours:minutes:seconds year\n\0. |
3
|
struct tm *localtime(const time_t *time);
This returns a pointer to the tm structure representing local time. |
4
|
clock_t clock(void);
This returns a value that approximates the amount of time the calling program has been running. A value of .1 is returned if the time is not available. |
5
|
char * asctime ( const struct tm * time );
This returns a pointer to a string that contains the information stored in the structure pointed to by time converted into the form: day month date hours:minutes:seconds year\n\0 |
6
|
struct tm *gmtime(const time_t *time);
This returns a pointer to the time in the form of a tm structure. The time is represented in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is essentially Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). |
7
|
time_t mktime(struct tm *time);
This returns the calendar-time equivalent of the time found in the structure pointed to by time. |
8
|
double difftime ( time_t time2, time_t time1 );
This function calculates the difference in seconds between time1 and time2. |
9
|
size_t strftime();
This function can be used to format date and time a specific format. |
Current date and time:
Consider you want to retrieve the current system date and time, either as a local time or as a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Following is the example to achieve the same:#include <iostream> #include <ctime> using namespace std; int main( ) {
// current date/time based on current system
time_t now = time(0);
// convert now to string form
char* dt = ctime(&now);
cout << "The local date and time is: " << dt << endl;
// convert now to tm struct for UTC
tm *gmtm = gmtime(&now);
dt = asctime(gmtm);
cout << "The UTC date and time is:"<< dt << endl;
} |
The local date and time is: Sat Jan 8 20:07:41 2011
The UTC date and time is:Sun Jan 9 03:07:41 2011
|
Format time using struct tm:
The tm structure is very important while working with date and time in either C or C++. This structure holds the date and time in the form of a C structure as mentioned above. Most of the time related functions makes use of tm structure. Following is an example which makes use of various date and time related functions and tm structure:While using structure in this chapter I'm making an assumption that you have basic understanding on C structure and how to access structure members using arrow -> operator.
#include <iostream> #include <ctime> using namespace std; int main( ) {
// current date/time based on current system
time_t now = time(0);
cout << "Number of sec since January 1,1970:" << now << endl;
tm *ltm = localtime(&now);
// print various components of tm structure.
cout << "Year: "<< 1900 + ltm->tm_year << endl;
cout << "Month: "<< 1 + ltm->tm_mon<< endl;
cout << "Day: "<< ltm->tm_mday << endl; cout << "Time: "<< 1 + ltm->tm_hour << ":";
cout << 1 + ltm->tm_min << ":";
cout << 1 + ltm->tm_sec << endl;
} |
Number of sec since January 1, 1970:1294548238 Year: 2011 Month: 1 Day: 8 Time: 22: 44:59 |
C++ I/O occurs in streams, which are sequences of bytes. If bytes flow from a device like a keyboard, a disk drive, or a network connection etc. to main memory, this is called input operation and if bytes flow from main memory to a device like a display screen, a printer, a disk drive, or a network connection, etc, this is called output operation.
I/O Library Header Files:
There are following header files important to C++ programs:
Header File
|
Function and
Description
|
<iostream>
|
This file defines the cin, cout, cerr and clog
objects, which correspond to the standard input stream, the standard output
stream, the un-buffered standard error stream and the buffered standard error
stream, respectively.
|
<iomanip>
|
This file declares services useful for performing
formatted I/O with so-called parameterized stream manipulators, such as setw
and setprecision.
|
<fstream>
|
This file declares services for user-controlled file
processing. We will discuss about it in detail in File and Stream related
chapter.
|
The standard output stream (cout):
The predefined object cout is an instance of ostream class. The cout object is said to be "connected to" the standard output device, which usually is the display screen. The cout is used in conjunction with the stream insertion operator, which is written as << which are two less than signs as shown in the following example.#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main( ) {
char str[] = "Hello C++";
cout << "Value of str is : " << str << endl;
} |
Value of str is : Hello C++ |
The insertion operator << may be used more than once in a single statement as shown above and endl is used to add a new-line at the end of the line.
The standard input stream (cin):
The predefined object cin is an instance of istream class. The cin object is said to be attached to the standard input device, which usually is the keyboard. The cin is used in conjunction with the stream extraction operator, which is written as >> which are two greater than signs as shown in the following example.#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main( ) {
char name[50];
cout << "Please enter your name: ";
cin >> name;
cout << "Your name is: " << name << endl;
} |
Please enter your name: cplusplus Your name is: cplusplus |
The stream extraction operator >> may be used more than once in a single statement. To request more than one datum you can use the following:
cin >> name >> age; |
cin >> name; cin >> age; |
The standard error stream (cerr):
The predefined object cerr is an instance of ostream class. The cerr object is said to be attached to the standard error device, which is also a display screen but the object cerr is un-buffered and each stream insertion to cerr causes its output to appear immediately.The cerr is also used in conjunction with the stream insertion operator as shown in the following example.
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main( ) {
char str[] = "Unable to read....";
cerr << "Error message : " << str << endl;
} |
Error message : Unable to read.... |
The standard log stream (clog):
The predefined object clog is an instance of ostream class. The clog object is said to be attached to the standard error device, which is also a display screen but the object clog is buffered. This means that each insertion to clog could cause its output to be held in a buffer until the buffer is filled or until the buffer is flushed.The clog is also used in conjunction with the stream insertion operator as shown in the following example.
#include <iostream> using namespace std; int main( ) {
char str[] = "Unable to read....";
clog << "Error message : " << str << endl;
} |
Error message : Unable to read.... |
C/C++ arrays allow you to define variables that combine several data items of the same kind but structure is another user defined data type which allows you to combine data items of different kinds.
Structures are used to represent a record, Suppose you want to keep track of your books in a library. You might want to track the following attributes about each book:
- Title
- Author
- Subject
- Book ID
Defining a Structure:
To define a structure, you must use the struct statement. The struct statement defines a new data type, with more than one member, for your program. The format of the struct statement is this:struct [structure tag] {
member definition;
member definition;
...
member definition;
} [one or more structure variables];
|
struct Books {
char title[50]; char author[50]; char subject[100]; int book_id; }book;
|
Accessing Structure Members:
To access any member of a structure, we use the member access operator (.). The member access operator is coded as a period between the structure variable name and the structure member that we wish to access. You would use struct keyword to define variables of structure type. Following is the example to explain usage of structure:#include <iostream> using namespace std; struct Books {
char title[50]; char author[50]; char subject[100]; int book_id; }; int main( ) {
struct Books Book1; // Declare Book1 of type Book struct Books Book2; // Declare Book2 of type Book // book 1 specification
strcpy( Book1.title, "Learn C++ Programming");
strcpy( Book1.author, "Chand Miyan");
strcpy( Book1.subject, "C++ Programming");
Book1.book_id = 6495407;
// book 2 specification
strcpy( Book2.title, "Telecom Billing");
strcpy( Book2.author, "Yakit Singha");
strcpy( Book2.subject, "Telecom");
Book2.book_id = 6495700;
// Print Book1 info
cout << "Book 1 title : " << Book1.title <<endl;
cout << "Book 1 author : " << Book1.author <<endl;
cout << "Book 1 subject : " << Book1.subject <<endl;
cout << "Book 1 id : " << Book1.book_id <<endl;
// Print Book2 info
cout << "Book 2 title : " << Book2.title <<endl;
cout << "Book 2 author : " << Book2.author <<endl;
cout << "Book 2 subject : " << Book2.subject <<endl;
cout << "Book 2 id : " << Book2.book_id <<endl;
return 0;
} |
Book 1 title : Learn C++ Programming Book 1 author : Chand Miyan Book 1 subject : C++ Programming Book 1 id : 6495407 Book 2 title : Telecom Billing Book 2 author : Yakit Singha Book 2 subject : Telecom Book 2 id : 6495700 |
Structures as Function Arguments:
You can pass a structure as a function argument in very similar way as you pass any other variable or pointer. You would access structure variables in the similar way as you have accessed in the above example:#include <iostream> using namespace std; void printBook( struct Books book ); struct Books {
char title[50]; char author[50]; char subject[100]; int book_id; }; int main( ) {
struct Books Book1; // Declare Book1 of type Book struct Books Book2; // Declare Book2 of type Book // book 1 specification
strcpy( Book1.title, "Learn C++ Programming");
strcpy( Book1.author, "Chand Miyan");
strcpy( Book1.subject, "C++ Programming");
Book1.book_id = 6495407;
// book 2 specification
strcpy( Book2.title, "Telecom Billing");
strcpy( Book2.author, "Yakit Singha");
strcpy( Book2.subject, "Telecom");
Book2.book_id = 6495700;
// Print Book1 info
printBook( Book1 );
// Print Book2 info
printBook( Book2 );
return 0;
} void printBook( struct Books book ) {
cout << "Book title : " << book.title <<endl; cout << "Book author : " << book.author <<endl;
cout << "Book subject : " << book.subject <<endl;
cout << "Book id : " << book.book_id <<endl;
} |
Book title : Learn C++ Programming Book author : Chand Miyan Book subject : C++ Programming Book id : 6495407 Book title : Telecom Billing Book author : Yakit Singha Book subject : Telecom Book id : 6495700 |
Pointers to Structures:
You can define pointers to structures in very similar way as you define pointer to any other variable as follows:struct Books *struct_pointer; |
struct_pointer = &Book1; |
struct_pointer->title; |
#include <iostream> using namespace std; void printBook( struct Books *book ); struct Books {
char title[50]; char author[50]; char subject[100]; int book_id; }; int main( ) {
struct Books Book1; // Declare Book1 of type Book struct Books Book2; // Declare Book2 of type Book // Book 1 specification
strcpy( Book1.title, "Learn C++ Programming");
strcpy( Book1.author, "Chand Miyan");
strcpy( Book1.subject, "C++ Programming");
Book1.book_id = 6495407;
// Book 2 specification
strcpy( Book2.title, "Telecom Billing");
strcpy( Book2.author, "Yakit Singha");
strcpy( Book2.subject, "Telecom");
Book2.book_id = 6495700;
// Print Book1 info, passing address of structure
printBook( &Book1 );
// Print Book1 info, passing address of structure
printBook( &Book2 );
return 0;
} // This function accept pointer to structure as parameter. void printBook( struct Books *book ) {
cout << "Book title : " << book->title <<endl;
cout << "Book author : " << book->author <<endl;
cout << "Book subject : " << book->subject <<endl;
cout << "Book id : " << book->book_id <<endl;
} |
Book title : Learn C++ Programming Book author : Chand Miyan Book subject : C++ Programming Book id : 6495407 Book title : Telecom Billing Book author : Yakit Singha Book subject : Telecom Book id : 6495700 |
The typedef Keyword
There is an easier way to define structs or you could "alias" types you create. For example:typedef struct {
char title[50]; char author[50]; char subject[100]; int book_id; }Books; |
Books Book1, Book2; |
typedef long int *pint32; pint32 x, y, z; |

No comments:
Post a Comment