Book Image

C++ Fundamentals

By : Antonio Mallia, Francesco Zoffoli
Book Image

C++ Fundamentals

By: Antonio Mallia, Francesco Zoffoli

Overview of this book

C++ Fundamentals begins by introducing you to the C++ compilation model and syntax. You will then study data types, variable declaration, scope, and control flow statements. With the help of this book, you'll be able to compile fully working C++ code and understand how variables, references, and pointers can be used to manipulate the state of the program. Next, you will explore functions and classes — the features that C++ offers to organize a program — and use them to solve more complex problems. You will also understand common pitfalls and modern best practices, especially the ones that diverge from the C++98 guidelines. As you advance through the chapters, you'll study the advantages of generic programming and write your own templates to make generic algorithms that work with any type. This C++ book will guide you in fully exploiting standard containers and algorithms, understanding how to pick the appropriate one for each problem. By the end of this book, you will not only be able to write efficient code but also be equipped to improve the readability, performance, and maintainability of your programs.
Table of Contents (9 chapters)
C++ Fundamentals
Preface

Member Functions


Member functions are functions that are used to manipulate the data members of a class, and they define the properties and behavior of the objects of the class.

Declaring a member function is just a matter of declaring a function inside the body of a class. Let's examine the following syntax:

class Car
{
  public:
  void turnOn() {}
};

Member functions, like the data members of a class, can be accessed using the dot (.) operator that's applied on the object:

Car car;
car.turnOn();

Let's understand how to declare a member function outside the class scope.

Declaring a Member Function

Member functions, like data members, must be declared inside the class. However, a member function's implementation can be placed either inside or outside the class, body.

The following is a definition of a member function outside of the class, scope. This is done by using the scope resolution operator (::) to declare that the function that's being referred to is a member of the class. In the class, body...