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

Making Templates Easier to Use


We always said that we need to provide the template arguments to the parameters of a template function or class. Now, in this section, we are going to see two features that C++ offers to make it easier to use templates.

These features are default template arguments and template argument deduction.

Default Template Arguments

Like function arguments, template arguments can also have default values, both for type and non-type template parameters.

The syntax for default template arguments is to add after the template identifier the equal, followed by the value:

template<typename MyType = int>
void foo();

When a template provides a default value for a parameter, the user does not have to specify the parameter when instantiating the template. The default parameter must come after the parameters that do not have a default value.

Additionally, you can reference the previous template parameters when defining the default type for a subsequent template parameter.

Let's...