On To C++---Contents

The Table of Contents for On To C++ follows. Additional information about this book, along with access to software, is available via http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/phw/Books/

In this Table of Contents, you learn about what On To C++ contains in detail.

1 How this Book Teaches You the Language

Why you should learn C++
Object-oriented programming languages
Procedure-oriented programing languages
Programming cliches

2 How To Compile and Run a Simple Program

Compiling, linking, and executing
Statements and declarations
The output operator, <<, and character strings
Case sensitivity and blank insensitivity
Operators and operands

3 How To Declare Variables

Data types and variable declarations
Initialization and assignment
Integral data types

4 How To Write Arithmetic Expressions

Arithmetic
Precedence and association
Binary and unary operators
Type casting

5 How To Write Statements that Read Information from your Keyboard

The input operator, >>
Input redirection

6 How To Define Simple Functions

Calling and returning from functions
Arguments, parameters, and values
Function overloading

7 How To Benefit from Procedure Abstraction

Making programs easier to reuse, read, and debug
Making programs easier to augment, improve, and adapt

8 How To Work with Local and Global Variables

Extent and scope
Local, static, and global variables
Compound statements

9 How To Create Classes and Objects

User-defined data types, classes, and objects
Class specification and member variables
The class-member operator

10 How To Define Member Functions

The special, class-object argument
Member function prototypes
The class-scope operator, ::

11 How To Define Constructor Member Functions

The default constructor
Argument-bearing constructors

12 How To Define Reader and Writer Member Functions

Reader and writer member functions
Imaginary member variables

13 How To Benefit from Data Abstraction

Access functions and data abstraction
Making programs easier to reuse

14 How To Protect Member Variables from Harmful Reference

Private member variables and member functions
The public interface

15 How To Define Classes that Inherit Variables and Functions

Inheriting member variables and member functions
Derived classes and base classes
Multiple inheritance and shadowing

16 How To Design Classes and Class Hierarchies

Explicit representation
Reusing functions and avoiding duplication
The local-view and the look-it-up principles
The need-to-know and the keep-it-simple principles

17 How To Perform Tests Using Numerical Predicates

Equal, ==, and not equal, !=
Greater than, >, and less than, <
Not, !

18 How To Write One-Way and Two-Way Conditional Statements

Boolean expressions
if and if else
Empty and compound statements
The conditional operator, ?:

19 How To Combine Boolean Expressions

And, &&, and or, ||
Evaluation order

20 How To Write Iteration Statements

while and for statements
Augmented assignment operators
Increment, ++, and decrement, --, operators
Side effects and evaluation order

21 How To Process Data in Files

while reading and for reading loops
Action of the input operator at the end of a file

22 How To Write Recursive Functions

Functions that call themselves
The base part and the recursion part
Efficiency considerations

23 How To Solve Definition Ordering Problems with Function Prototypes

The definition-before-call requirement
Declare now, define later

24 How To Work with Arrays Of Numbers

Arrays of numeric elements
Filling a numeric array from a file

25 How To Work with Arrays of Class Objects

Arrays of class-object elements
Filling an object array from a file

26 How To Create File Streams for Input and Output

Creating streams
Opening and closing files for reading and writing
ifstream and ofstream statements

27 How To Create New Class Objects at Run Time

Pointers and the free store
Allocating space with new
The dereferencing operator, *
The class-pointer operator, ->
The address-of operator, &

28 How To Store Pointers to Class Objects

Wasting space by defining too-large object arrays
Saving space by defining too-large pointer arrays

29 How To Write Programs that Find Member Functions at Run Time

Arrays of pointers to miscellaneous objects
Virtual member functions
Pure virtual functions

30 How To Write Multiway Conditional Statements

switch statements
The cerr output stream
exit statements

31 How To Use Enumerations to Improve Readability

The mnemonic sterility of numbers
The enumeration data type
The integral data types
The character data type

32 How To Write Constructors that Call other Constructors

33 How To Write Member Functions that Call other Member Functions

34 How To Use Protected and Private Variables and Functions

35 How To Use Protected and Private Class Derivations

36 How To Write Functions that Return Character Strings

Character strings and character arrays
The null character, \O

37 How To Use Call-by-Reference Parameters

Call by value and incomplete argument copying
Using call by reference to access entire objects
Using call by reference to save time
Using call by reference to alter arguments

38 How To Overload the Output Operator

Copy-free function return
Pass-through objects
Operator overloading

39 How To Produce Tabular Displays

The printf function}
Field widths and padding characters
Printing strings, characters, and numbers

40 How To Write Statements that Read Character Strings from Files

Input buffers
Using the input operator with a character pointer
Array names viewed as constant pointers

41 How To Test String Characters

Characters viewed as integers
Obtaining character codes
Using enumeration constants as character codes

42 How To Deposit Character Strings into Class Objects

Creating character arrays at run time using new
Using strlen and strcpy to measure and copy

43 How To Reclaim Memory with Delete and Destructors

Garbage and memory leaks
delete viewed as the complement of new
Destructor member functions
Static member variables

44 How To Prevent Object Copying

The excess-reclamation bug
Defining your own copy constructor

45 How To Organize a Multiple-File Program

Header files
Separating class and member-function definitions
Inline functions
Managing global variables with static and extern

46 How To Compile a Multiple-File Program

Recording file dependencies in a makefile
Maintaining systems using the make utility

47 How To Implement Lists

Using lists to conserve memory
Internal and external pointers
The null pointer, NULL

Contents