C++ BASIC SYNTAX

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When we consider a C++ program, it can be defined as a collection of objects that communicate
via invoking each other's methods. Let us now briefly look into what do class, object, methods and
instant variables mean.
Object - Objects have states and behaviors. Example: A dog has states - color, name, breed
as well as behaviors - wagging, barking, eating. An object is an instance of a class.
Class - A class can be defined as a template/blueprint that describes the behaviors/states
that object of its type support.
Methods - A method is basically a behavior. A class can contain many methods. It is in
methods where the logics are written, data is manipulated and all the actions are executed.
Instant Variables - Each object has its unique set of instant variables. An object's state is
created by the values assigned to these instant variables.

C++ Program Structure:

Let us look at a simple code that would print the words Hello World.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
// main() is where program execution begins.
int main()
{
cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
return 0;
}

Let us look various parts of the above program:

The C++ language defines several headers, which contain information that is either
necessary or useful to your program. For this program, the header <iostream> is needed.
The line using namespace std; tells the compiler to use the std namespace. Namespaces
are a relatively recent addition to C++.
The next line // main is where program execution begins. is a single-line comment
available in C++. Single-line comments begin with // and stop at the end of the line.
The line int main is the main function where program execution begins.
The next line cout << "This is my first C++ program."; causes the message "This is my
first C++ program" to be displayed on the screen.
The next line return 0; terminates mainfunction and causes it to return the value 0 to the
calling process.

Compile & Execute C++ Program:

Let's look at how to save the file, compile and run the program. Please follow the steps given
below:
Open a text editor and add the code as above.
Save the file as: hello.cpp
Open a command prompt and go to the directory where you saved the file.

Type 'g++ hello.cpp ' and press enter to compile your code. If there are no errors in your
code the command prompt will take you to the next line and would generate a.out
executable file.
Now, type ' a.out' to run your program.
You will be able to see ' Hello World ' printed on the window.
$ g++ hello.cpp
$ ./a.out
Hello World

Make sure that g++ is in your path and that you are running it in the directory containing file
hello.cpp.
You can compile C/C++ programs using makefile. For more details, you can check Makefile
Tutorial.

Semicolons & Blocks in C++:

In C++, the semicolon is a statement terminator. That is, each individual statement must be ended
with a semicolon. It indicates the end of one logical entity.
For example, following are three different statements:
x = y;
y = y+1;
add(x, y);

A block is a set of logically connected statements that are surrounded by opening and closing
braces. For example:
{
cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World
return 0;
}

C++ does not recognize the end of the line as a terminator. For this reason, it does not matter
where on a line you put a statement. For example:
x = y;
y = y+1;
add(x, y);

is the same as
x = y; y = y+1; add(x, y);

C++ Identifiers:
A C++ identifier is a name used to identify a variable, function, class, module, or any other userdefined item. An identifier starts with a letter A to Z or a to z or an underscore _ followed by zero
or more letters, underscores, and digits 0to9.
C++ does not allow punctuation characters such as @, $, and % within identifiers. C++ is a casesensitive programming language. Thus, Manpower and manpower are two different identifiers in
C++.
Here are some examples of acceptable identifiers:
mohd
myname50

zara
_temp

abc
j

move_name
a23b9

a_123
retVal

C++ Keywords:
The following list shows the reserved words in C++. These reserved words may not be used as
constant or variable or any other identifier names.
asm

else

new

this

auto

enum

operator

throw

bool

explicit

private

true

break

export

protected

try

case

extern

public

typedef

catch

false

register

typeid

char

float

reinterpret_cast

typename

class

for

return

union

const

friend

short

unsigned

const_cast

goto

signed

using

continue

if

sizeof

virtual

default

inline

static

void

delete

int

static_cast

volatile

do

long

struct

wchar_t

double

mutable

switch

while

dynamic_cast

namespace

template

Trigraphs:
A few characters have an alternative representation, called a trigraph sequence. A trigraph is a
three-character sequence that represents a single character and the sequence always starts with
two question marks.
Trigraphs are expanded anywhere they appear, including within string literals and character
literals, in comments, and in preprocessor directives.
Following are most frequently used trigraph sequences:
Trigraph

Replacement

??=

??/

??'

??(

??)

??!

??<

??>

??-

All the compilers do not support trigraphs and they are not advised to be used because of their
confusing nature.

Whitespace in C++:
A line containing only whitespace, possibly with a comment, is known as a blank line, and C++
compiler totally ignores it.
Whitespace is the term used in C++ to describe blanks, tabs, newline characters and comments.
Whitespace separates one part of a statement from another and enables the compiler to identify
where one element in a statement, such as int, ends and the next element begins. Therefore, in
the statement,
int age;

there must be at least one whitespace character usuallyaspace between int and age for the compiler
to be able to distinguish them. On the other hand, in the statement
fruit = apples + oranges;

// Get the total fruit

no whitespace characters are necessary between fruit and =, or between = and apples, although
you are free to include some if you wish for readability purpose.
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