Introduction to C++

C++ is a general-purpose, high-performance programming language. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs starting in 1979. C++ is an extension of the C programming language, adding features such as classes, objects, and exceptions.

Basics of C++ Programming

Here are some basic components and concepts in C++ programming:

Including Libraries

In C++, we use the #include directive to include libraries or header files into our program. For example, to include the standard input/output library, we write:

#include <iostream>

Main Function

The entry point of a C++ program is the main function. Every C++ program must have a main function:

int main() {
    // Your code goes here
    return 0;
}

Input/Output

To perform input and output operations in C++, we can use the built-in objects std::cin for input and std::cout for output, available in the iostream library. Here’s an example of reading an integer and printing its value:

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    int number;
    std::cout << "Enter an integer: ";
    std::cin >> number;
    std::cout << "You entered: " << number << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

Variables and Data Types

C++ has several basic data types for representing integer, floating-point, and character values:

• int: integer values
• float: single-precision floating-point values
• double: double-precision floating-point values
• char: single characters

Variables must be declared with a data type before they can be used:

int x;
float y;
double z;
char c;

Control Structures

C++ provides control structures for conditional execution and iteration, such as if, else, while, for, and switch statements.

If-Else Statement

if (condition) {
    // Code to execute if the condition is true
} else {
    // Code to execute if the condition is false
}

While Loop

while (condition) {
    // Code to execute while the condition is true
}

For Loop

for (initialization; condition; update) {
    // Code to execute while the condition is true
}

Switch Statement

switch (variable) {
    case value1:
        // Code to execute if variable == value1
        break;
    case value2:
        // Code to execute if variable == value2
        break;
    // More cases...
    default:
        // Code to execute if variable does not match any case value
}

Functions

Functions are reusable blocks of code that can be called with arguments to perform a specific task. Functions are defined with a return type, a name, a parameter list, and a body.

ReturnType functionName(ParameterType1 parameter1, ParameterType2 parameter2) {
    // Function body
    // ...
    return returnValue;
}

For example, here’s a function that adds two integers and returns the result:

int add(int a, int b) {
    return a + b;
}

int main() {
    int result = add(3, 4);
    std::cout << "3 + 4 = " << result << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

This basic introduction to C++ should provide you with a good foundation for further learning. Explore more topics such as classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, templates, and the Standard Template Library (STL) to deepen your understanding of C++ and start writing more advanced programs.

• LearnC++
• C++ Full Course by freeCodeCamp

Help other