C++ Development – Course Outline

(4 days – RAT210)

C++ brings the benefits of object-oriented development to the much-used C programming language. This course leaves students with both an understanding of object-oriented principles and a practical knowledge of how to implement them in C++.

Attendees

Software developers and team leaders who need a professional level of understanding of the C++ programming language.

Features

At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

· Develop quality code using the object-oriented development paradigm

· Create extensible type libraries using inheritance and polymorphism

· Improve reliability by encapsulating attributes and functionality

· Use the symbolic operators with arbitrary, complex types

· Implement robust and reliable error handling in an application

· Customise an application’s memory allocation strategy

· Perform safer type conversions

· Develop generic, re-usable type and function libraries using templates

· Use all C++ features to the full

Agenda:

Introduction Introduces C++, explores its C lineage, and covers basic features of the language. The bool keyword Static members, function overloading and inlining Namespaces References Member Functions Introduces the concept of binding code to data and explores the C++ support for this core concept. Member function syntax, the ‘this’ pointer Inline member functions Constructors and destructors Copy constructors Unwanted/unexpected constructor/destructor calls The explicit keyword New and Delete Explores the shortcomings of malloc and then proceeds to the C++ dynamic allocation mechanism. New and delete When new fails, deleting non-existent objects Inheritance Explores the reasoning behind another major C++ feature and the mechanism by which it is implemented. · Inheritance theory, derivation syntax · Member functions and derived classes · Multiple inheritance · Multiple virtual inheritance · Inheritance misuse, abuse and limitations Access and State Control Covers the principles and practise of encapsulation by the restriction of visibility and mutability. The private, public and protected keyword Access specifiers and inheritance Friends The const keyword Const member functions and references The mutable keyword

Virtual Functions Examines the theory behind polymorphism and how this powerful concept is realised in C++. Virtual function syntax The virtual function mechanism Pure virtual functions Interaction of virtual functions with other features Operator Overloading Covers the support in C++ for ‘syntactic transparency’ through the use of operator functions. Operator overloading syntax Post and pre-fix operators Overloading new, delete, ‘->’ and “=” Conversion operators Interaction of operator overloading with other features Run Time Type Information Examines the dynamic acquisition of object identity. The typeid operator, the type_info class Misuse of RTTI Exception Handling Explores the problems with traditional error handling techniques before covering the C++ alternative. · Try, throw and catch · Trapping different exceptions, exception specifications · Ignoring and re-throwing exceptions · Exception handling and constructors/destructors Casting Covers explicit type conversion in C++ and its use. · Problems with old-style casting · C++ casting syntax Templates Explores the support C++ provides for parameterised function and type generation. Template functions and classes Nested templates, templates as template parameters Value parameters Templates and inheritance