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

Const Parameters and Default Arguments


In the previous chapter, we saw how and when to use references in function parameters and return types. C++ has an additional qualifier, the const qualifier, which can be used independently from the ref-ness (whether the type is a reference or not) of the type.

Let's see how const is used in the various scenarios we investigated when looking at how functions can accept parameters.

Passing by const Value

In pass by value, the function parameter is a value type: when invoked, the argument is copied into the parameter.

This means that regardless of whether const is used in the parameter or not, the calling code cannot see the difference.

The only reason to use const in the function signature is to document to the implementation that it cannot modify such a value.

This is not commonly done, as the biggest value of a function signature is for the caller to understand the contract of calling the function. Because of this, it is rare to see int max(const int, const...