🖥️

Ultimate C++ Course

Jul 12, 2024

Ultimate C++ Course 🖥️

Introduction

  • Goal: Learn C++ from basics to advanced concepts.
  • Outcome: Write C++ code with confidence.
  • Target Audience: No prior knowledge of C++ or programming needed.
  • Instructor: Mosh Hamedani, software engineer with 20+ years of experience.
  • Resource Website: codewithmosh.com
  • Video Content: Regular updates, subscribe to the channel for more videos.

Overview of C++

  • Popular Uses: Performance-critical applications, video games, device drivers, web browsers, servers, operating systems.
  • Notable Users: Adobe, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, NASA, etc.
  • Versioning: New version every three years; latest is C++20, with C++23 coming soon.
  • Relevance: Despite new languages like Java or C#, C++ remains fast and memory-efficient.
  • Learning Benefits: Influences many other languages; opens job opportunities with high salaries (~$170k/year).

Mastering C++

  • Key Areas: C++ language syntax and the Standard Library (STL).
  • STL: Provides pre-written code for data structures, algorithms, etc., avoiding the need to write everything from scratch.

Course Highlights

  • Approach: Step-by-step learning with exercises to reinforce concepts.
  • Goal: By the end of the course, students will confidently write C++ code.

Tools for Development

  • IDEs: Integrated Development Environment (IDE) options.
    • Microsoft Visual Studio: Free Community Edition (Windows).
    • Xcode: For Mac.
    • CLion: Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux), free 30-day trial.

Setting Up CLion

  • Procedure: Instructions for installation and project setup in CLion.
  • Creating Projects: Example project setup and writing a 'Hello World' program.

Writing and Running C++ Programs

Basic Structure

  • Functions: Special main function as program's entry point.
  • Returning Values: int type, value 0 indicates successful termination.
  • Syntax Sensitivity: Case sensitivity and proper formatting.

Including Libraries

  • Include Directive: #include <iostream>, using standard library functionalities like cout for output.

Example: Hello World

  1. Writing the Code: Initializing and writing a basic 'Hello World' program.
  2. Compiling and Running: Creating and running the C++ executable.
  3. Debugging: Understanding error messages and fixing them.

IDE Customization

  • Appearance: Changing themes in CLion (e.g., Dracula theme).

Course Structure Overview

  • First Part: Basics of C++ (data types, statements, loops, functions).
  • Second Part: Intermediate concepts (arrays, pointers, strings, etc.).
  • Third Part: Advanced topics (classes, exceptions, templates, etc.).

Section I: Basics of C++

Variables and Constants

  • Variables: Temporary data storage, initialization, and best practices for naming.
    • Example: int fileSize = 100;, double sales = 9.99;
  • Exercise: Swap values of two variables using a temporary variable.
  • Constants: Using const to prevent values from changing, e.g., const double PI = 3.14;

Naming Conventions

  • Various Styles: Snake case, Pascal case, Camel case, Hungarian notation (now outdated).
  • Preferred Style: Camel case for variables, Pascal case for classes.

Mathematical Expressions

  • Operators: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulus.
  • Increment and Decrement: ++ and --, understanding postfix and prefix.
  • Order of Operations: Operator precedence and using parentheses for clarity.
  • Exercise: Implement a given mathematical expression in C++.

Console I/O

  • Writing Output: Using cout and stream insertion operator <<.
  • Reading Input: Using cin and stream extraction operator >> for user inputs.
  • Exercise: Convert temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Working with Standard Library

  • Mathematical Functions: Using <cmath>, e.g., floor, pow.
  • Exercise: Program to calculate the area of a circle given its radius.

Comments

  • Purpose: Explain code to make it easier to understand.
  • Types: Single-line (//) and multi-line comments (/* ... */).
  • Best Practices: Avoid overusing; focus on explaining complex logic or assumptions.

Section II: Fundamental Data Types

  • Built-in Types: int, short, long, long long, float, double, long double, bool, char.
  • Initialization Techniques: Assignment operator =, brace initializer {} for more safety.
  • Number Systems: Decimal (base 10), binary (base 2), hexadecimal (base 16).
  • Signed vs Unsigned: Impact of using unsigned keyword.
  • Narrowing Conversion: Problems when smaller data types are used for larger values.
  • Random Numbers: Generating random numbers using <cstdlib> and <ctime> libraries.

Exercises

  1. Declare and Initialize Variables: Use different data types and initialization techniques.
  2. Narrowing Conversion: Observe issues of narrowing conversion and use brace initializers to prevent them.
  3. Random Numbers: Program to simulate rolling a dice.

Conclusion and Next Steps

  • Course Continuation: Further study materials and course options.
  • Resources and Support: Downloadable cheat sheets and summaries.

This summarization of notes provides a structured overview for studying key points and understanding C++ programming from basics to more advanced topics. The exercises included throughout the sections help in practical application and reinforcement of the concepts. Happy coding!

Full transcript