C++ Programming for Beginners

What you'll Learn

1. Introduction to C++

• History of C++: Brief history and importance of C++ in modern programming.
• Setting Up Development Environment: How to install and configure C++ compilers (e.g., GCC, Visual Studio).
• Writing and Running Your First C++ Program: Basic structure of a C++ program, including main() function, and how to compile and run it.

2. Basic Syntax and Data Types

• Variables and Data Types: Understanding data types like int, float, double, char, and bool.
• Input and Output (I/O): Using cin for input and cout for output in C++.
• Comments: Writing single-line (//) and multi-line (/* */) comments in your code.

3. Operators

• Arithmetic Operators: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and modulus.
• Relational and Logical Operators: Greater than, less than, equal to, AND, OR, NOT, etc.
• Assignment and Compound Operators: =, +=, -=, *=, etc.

4. Control Structures

• Conditional Statements:
  • if, else if, else: Decision-making based on conditions.
  • Switch Statements: Multi-way branch using switch and case.
• Loops:
  • for loop, while loop, and do-while loop: Repeating a block of code.
• Break and Continue: Controlling the flow of loops.

5. Functions

• Function Definition and Declaration: Creating reusable blocks of code.
• Return Types and Parameters: Understanding function return values and passing arguments.
• Function Overloading: Defining multiple functions with the same name but different parameter types.

6. Arrays and Strings

• Arrays: Declaring and using arrays to store multiple values of the same data type.
• Multi-dimensional Arrays: Working with 2D arrays.
• String Manipulation: Working with char arrays (C-style strings) and the string class from the Standard Library.

7. Pointers and Memory Management

• Introduction to Pointers: Understanding memory addresses and how to use pointers.
• Dynamic Memory Allocation: Using new and delete for dynamic memory management.
• Pointer Arithmetic: Working with pointer increments, dereferencing, and pointer-to-pointer concepts.

8. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) Concepts

• Classes and Objects: Defining and using classes in C++.
• Constructors and Destructors: Special member functions for initializing and cleaning up objects.
• Encapsulation: Using access specifiers like private, protected, and public.
• Inheritance: Extending classes to reuse code.
• Polymorphism: Function and operator overloading, virtual functions, and dynamic binding.

9. File Handling

• Reading from and Writing to Files: Using file streams (ifstream, ofstream) to handle external files.
• Error Handling in File Operations: Checking for errors and adequately opening and closing files.

10. Standard Template Library (STL)

• Introduction to STL: Understanding generic programming using STL.
• Standard Containers: Overview of vector, list, map, set, etc.
• Iterators and Algorithms: Using iterators and applying algorithms like sort, find, etc.

11. Error Handling

• Introduction to Exceptions: Using try, catch, and throw for handling runtime errors.
• Debugging: Understanding common bugs and how to use a debugger.

12. Best Practices in C++

• Code Structuring: Organizing code for better readability and maintainability.
• Commenting and Documentation: Writing effective comments and documentation.
• Code Efficiency: Writing optimized code in terms of time and space complexity.

13. Hands-On Projects and Exercises

• Small Programming Challenges: Implementing algorithms or solving mathematical problems.
• Mini-Projects: Simple projects like creating a calculator, number guessing game, or text-based menu-driven programs.