C++ is a middle-level programming language developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell Labs. C++ runs on a variety of platforms, such as Windows, Mac OS, and the various versions of UNIX. This tutorial adopts a simple and practical approach to describe the concepts of C++. This tutorial has been prepared for the beginners to help them understand the basic to advanced concepts related to C++. Before you start practicing with various types of examples given in this tutorial,we are making an assumption that you are already aware of the basics of computer program and computer programming language. 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.
C++ fully supports object-oriented programming, including the four pillars of object-oriented development −
- Encapsulation
- Data hiding
- Inheritance
- Polymorphism
Standard Libraries
Standard C++ consists of three important parts −
- The core language giving all the building blocks including variables, data types and literals, etc.
- The C++ Standard Library giving a rich set of functions manipulating files, strings, etc.
- 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 while learning C++ is to focus on concepts. 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++. If you are still willing to set up your environment for C++, you need to have the following two softwares on your computer. This will be used to type your program. Examples of few editors include Windows Notepad, OS Edit command, Brief, Epsilon, EMACS, and vim or vi. Name and version of text editor can vary on different operating systems. For example, 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. A text editor should be in place to start your C++ programming.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.
