Thinking in C++, Vol. 1: Introduction to Standard C++, 2nd Edition

Description

In the first edition of Thinking in C++, Bruce Eckel synthesized years of C++ teaching and programming experience into a beautifully structured course in making the most of the language. It became an instant classic, winning the 1995 Software Development Jolt Cola Award for best book of the year. Now, Eckel has thoroughly rewritten Thinking in C++ to reflect the final ANSI/ISO C++ standard. Every page has been revisited and rethought, with many new examples and exercises -- all designed to help you understand C++ "down to the bare metal," so you can solve virtually any problem. Eckel starts with a detailed look at objects, showing how C++ programs can be constructed from off-the-shelf object libraries. This edition includes a new, chapter-length overview of the C features that are used in C++ -- plus a new CD-ROM containing an outstanding C seminar that covers all the foundations developers need before they can truly take advantage of C++. Eckel then walks through initialization and cleanup; function overloading and default arguments; constants; inline functions; name control; references and the copy constructor; operator overloading; and more. There are chapters on dynamic object creation; inheritance and composition; polymorphism and virtual functions, and templates. (Bonus coverage of string, templates, and the Standard Template Library, can be found at Eckel s web site.) Every chapter contains many modular, to-the-point examples, plus exercises based on Eckel s extensive experience teaching C++ seminars. Put simply, Eckel has made an outstanding book on C++ even better.

The effective presentation, along with dozens of helpful code examples, make this book a standout. The text first sets the stage for using C++ with a tour of what object-oriented programming is all about, as well as the software design life cycle. The author then delves into every aspect of C++, from basic keywords and programming principles to more advanced topics, like function and operator overloading, virtual inheritance, exception handling, namespaces, and templates. C++ is a complex language, and the author covers a lot of ground using today s Standard C++, but without getting bogged down in excessive detail.

The emphasis here is on practical programming, so there s basic advice on using header files, preprocessor directives, and namespaces to organize code effectively. Each chapter ends with exercises (usually about two dozen), and the entire text of the book is available on the accompanying CD-ROM. (So is the second volume, which tours Standard C++ classes and other advanced topics.)

Whether you have read the first edition of this book or not, there is much to mine from Thinking in C++. This new version continues to set a high standard as an approachable and thorough tutorial. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Introduction to objects, inheritance, composition, polymorphism, exception handling, analysis and design fundamentals, advantages of C++, transitioning from C, compiling and building programs, writing C++ functions, flow control, C++ operators, data types, casting, debugging tips, pointers to functions, designing reusable C++ classes, conditional compilation and header files, access specifiers, constructors and destructors, function overloading and default arguments, using const and static effectively, inlining, namespaces, references, copy constructors, operator overloading, using new and delete for dynamic objects, virtual functions, abstract classes, introduction to templates, and iterators.