Using the Book
To learn C++ with this book, you’ll need a compiler that conforms to the C++17 standard and a text editor suitable for working with program code. Several compilers are available currently that are C+ + 17 compliant,some of which are free.
The GCC and Clang compilers have comprehensive support for C++17 and are both open source and free to download. Installing them and putting them together with a suitable editor can be a lttle tricky if you are new to this kind of thing. An easy way to install GCC along with a suitable editor is to download Code:Blocks or Qt Creator. Both are free integrated development environments (IDEs) for Linux, Apple macOS, and Microsoft Windows. They support a complete program development for several compilers,including GCC and Clang. This implies you get support for both C and C++.
Another possibility is to use Microsoft Visual C++ that runs under Microsoft Windows. It is nearly fully compliant with C+ +17 as well; all examples in this book should compile with the latest version just fine. The Community and Express editions are free for individual use or even small professional teams. With Visual Studio you get a comprehensive professional editor and support for other languages such as C# and Basic.
There are other compilers that support C++17 as well, which you can find with a quick online search.The online download section for this book also contains a list of further useful resources on how to get started.
We’ ve organized the material in this book to be read sequentially, so you should start at the beginning and keep going until you reach the end. However, no one ever learned programming by just reading a book.You’ll only learn how to program in C++ by writing code, so make sure you key in all the examples- -don’tjust copy them from the download files- and compile and execute the code that you’ve keyed in. This might seem tedious at times, but it’s surprising how much just typing in C++ statements will help your understanding, especially when you may feel you’ re struggling with some of the ideas. If an example doesn’t work, resist the temptation to go straight back to the book to see why. Try to figure out from your code what is wrong. This is good practice for what you’ll have to do when you are developing C+ + applications for real.
Making mistakes is a fundamental part of the learning process, and the exercises should provide you with ample opportunity for that. I’s a good idea to dream up a few exercises of your own. If you are not sure about how to do something, just have a go before looking it up. The more mistakes you make, the greater the insight you’ll have into what can, and does, go wrong. Make sure you attempt all the exercises,and remember, don’t look at the solutions until you’ re sure that you can’t work them out yourself. Most ofthese exercises just involve a direct application of what’s covered in a chapter- -they’ re just practice, in other words-but some also require a bit of thought or maybe even inspiration.
We wish you every success with C+ +. Above all, enjoy it!
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