C++ Fundamentals

C++ has been a major player in the software development industry for more than 30 years, supporting some of the most successful companies in the world. In recent years, the interest in the language has been growing more than ever and the language is now extremely active, with many big companies sponsoring its advancement. C++ remains a complex language which leaves a lot of power in the hand of the developer: this also comes with a lot of opportunities to make mistakes. This course is going to provide a solid foundation and all the skills needed to start being proficient in modern C++, with care in highlighting the best practices of the language and how to avoid the common pitfalls. Learn the unique features of C++, discover the new features added in C++11, C++14, and C++17 and understand why the language has been so widely successful for more than 30 years, keeping up with other modern languages.

Authors: Antonio Mallia, Francesco Zoffoli

What you will learn

• Get a solid introduction on the language, its tools, and how you can transform your ideas into modern C++ code, using both the widespread C++11 features as well as more modern C++17 features.
• Get familiar with the C++ more advanced features : the standard library, resource management, OOP, templates, and more.
• Learn the best practices to maintainable and high performance solution.
• Upgrade your skills through multiple real-world use cases of C++

Hardware requirements

For an optimal student experience, we recommend the following hardware configuration:

• OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit, Ubuntu Linux (16.04 or later), or the latest version of OS X
• Memory: 4GB RAM
• Hard disk: 40GB or more
• An Internet connection

Software requirements

You’ll also need the following software installed in advance:

• Browser: Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox Latest Version
• VSCode IDE, Latest Version
• Compiler:
  • Windows: Build Tools for Visual Studio 2017
  • Linux: gcc, 6.0 or later
  • MacOS: Xcode 10.1, or later

Setting up the build environment

Windows

1. Install the build tools for visual studio 2017
2. Open "Developer Command Prompt for VS 2017" from the start menu
3. You can now run the C++ compiler (cl.exe) from that prompt

For problems see the walkthrough.

Ubuntu

1. Open a Terminal (ctrl + shift + T)
2. Type sudo apt-get update then perss Enter
3. Type sudo apt-get install build-essential then press Enter. Respond with yes at the questions.
4. You can now run the C++ compiler (g++) from any terminal

MacOS

1. Open a Terminal (found in /Applications/Utilities/)
2. Type xcode-select --install then press Enter
3. A software update popup window will appear, click “Install” and agree to the Terms of Service when requested.
4. You can now run the C++ compiler (clag++) from any terminal