G52CPP

C++ Programming
Lecture 1
Dr Jason Atkin

This Lecture

Pre-requisites
Module Aims and Information
History of C and C++
Module Structure and Assessment
Why Learn C and C++
What is C++ (vs Java?)
Suggested Course Texts
C++ Hello World (vs C Hello World)
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G52CPP Module summary from Saturn

You will cover the programming material and
concepts necessary to obtain an
understanding of the C++ programming
language. You will spend around four hours
per week in lectures and computer classes
for this module and will be expected to take
additional time to practice and to produce
your coursework.
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Pre-requisites
Procedural C Programming
You should already know a fair amount about C
programming
You should understand a considerable number of C
functions
You will understand more by the time you finish this
module

Object Oriented Java

You should have an understanding of what a class is,
what members are, how classes work together
You should understand what Java is doing for you by
the time you finish this module
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Module Information
All information is available on the moodle
web page:
http://moodle.nottingham.ac.uk/course/view.
php?id=36352
Including:
Lecture slides (drafts a day or so before lectures)
Code samples (when relevant)
Lab notes (as they are released)
Coursework information (later)
Revision information (later)

Aims and skills (from Saturn)

Education Aims:
To acquire knowledge and practice in programming in C and C++.
Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding:
Understanding of the theory and practice of procedural (C) and
object-oriented (C++) programming.
Intellectual Skills:
Understand and logically evaluate program requirements and
specifications.
Understand the complex ideas of programming solutions and relate
them to particular problems.
Professional Skills:
The ability to write procedural and object-oriented programs in
C/C++.
Transferable Skills:
The ability to solve problems using programming and communicate
the results in writing.
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My Module Aims
Understand and write C++ source code
This is a PROGRAMMING module
Understand what your code actually does
Know something of how C++ implements features
You are using C/C++ for the speed (otherwise choose an
easier language) so understand the issues

We will see:
The similarities and differences between C, C++ and Java (& why)
The C++ basics the most commonly used features
What advanced features exist, to look them up if needed

I will not be teaching:

Object oriented methodology
Object oriented C++
How to create C++ programs to satisfy purists
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The Iceberg of C++

We will only look at the top the common things
It has many other features that we will not cover

Five reasons to learn C & C++?

1. (Still) utilised in industry C even more so
Why so popular? (after so long)

2. Choose the appropriate tool for the task

Understand the Java/C# vs C/C++ differences

3. More programming practice

Much is common across languages

Easier to learn: much will be familiar

So many similarities to Java

1. Useful for other modules

And for 3rd year projects

The history of C/C++

In Bell Labs, B language created, based on BCPL
1971-1973 : Dennis Ritchie extended B to create C
Main features of C developed over this time
1973-1980 : New features were added. C needed to be standardised!
1979 : Bjarne Stroustrup (Bell labs) extended C to make C with classes
1982 : K&R (Kernighan and Ritchie) unofficial C standard
1983 : C with classes renamed C++, features still being added
1989 : ANSI standard C (started in 1983!) (=> ISO standard in 1990)
Differs in some ways from K&R C and is often named C89
Together with Amendment 1, forms C element of C++
1990s : C++ took centre stage (Standardisation progressing)
1994 : Standard Template Library makes it into the ISO standard C++
(Some template implementation arguments ongoing as late as 2003)
1995 : Java released by Sun
1998 : ISO standard C++ ratified (C++98)
1999 : New version of C standard (C99) (Differs from C++98)
2011 : C++11, a newer C++ standard, released, MANY additions 10
2013, 2014, etc C++13, C++14, etc, etc, etc

Popularity: Java then C then C++?

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The aims of C and C++

In 2013, C was more popular than C++ and Java
Differs across ratings depending upon measurement methods
Especially for operating systems and device drivers
Where layout in memory matters control needed

C came first : with specific design aims

Ability to write low-level code (e.g. O/S)
Speed and efficiency
Ease for programmers (rather than non-programmers)

Cross-platform compilation
Compared with Assembly code, but not as much as Java

Why is C still so popular?

Control and visibility dont have the side-effects/simplifications

Simpler compiler support / implementation
Anything you can do in C++ can be done in C
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But may need (a lot) more code

Why C++ rather than C?

Everything in C++ could be done in C
So why learn C++?

C++ gives you higher level concepts

Hides complexity
Java hides even more and gives no choice but do it my way
C++ keeps the ability to do things as you wish
But can be overwhelming in its options (especially C++11)

Higher level view is sometimes very useful, when large

amounts of code can be reused
C++ Class libraries are ideal for a GUI on Windows, OS/X, Linux
(then decide appearance/speed vs portability)

C++ also adds to C a lot of non-OO features

e.g. templates, new/delete, operator overloading, references,
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Useful for procedural programming as well as O.O.

Object Oriented or Procedural?

C is procedural (no classes, hard to do OO, but not impossible?)
In C++:
You CAN write procedural C++ (OO purists will frown at you)
Or you can write object oriented C++
Or mix both together (often a bad idea)

Procedural or O.O. are ways of thinking

A lot of communicating objects or do this then this then this

Whichever you use: (within a thread)

Functions are called and operations are executed one at a time

Object oriented techniques can hide some complexity (a good thing?)

Make it easier to understand a program (?)
Make it easier to structure a large program (?)
Some facilities hide what is actually happening, to simplify things (bad?)

We will consider C++ as a language for programming

Understand what you can do and how to do it

We will not look at object oriented design/programming theory

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C++ knowledge is respected

It has been said:
If you can do C++, you can do Java and C#

What does this mean?

Both coverage and complexity
C++ is NOT easy!
You need to understand a lot to do C++

Do not expect an easy module!

Expect to have to think!
A good memory will not get you through

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Module Structure

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Organisation

3 lectures per week

Monday 5pm, Thursday 3pm, Friday 12noon

Introducing C and C++ concepts

Writing or modifying some C++ code

Using a development environment or text editor

Prep for labs and coursework

1 one-hour lab session

Mostly from lecture slides

Thursday 4pm, after the 3pm lecture

Get help and feedback on progress
Work on demo programs to learn better
and mark coursework later on

Demo day coursework demo/marking

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What you need to (or should) do

Attend the lectures
Try the samples from lectures
Attend the lab sessions
I suggest doing the exercises
Come with questions
Work on it outside of labs

Read books & online web sites about C/C++

Try your own sample programs
From books or online

Change existing code, observe the effects 18

Feedback

How do you know how well you are doing?

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Feedback

How do you know how well you are doing?

Brilliant automated feedback device:

the compiler
Check compilation warnings as well as errors!

Utilise lab sessions please

Many helpers have done this module before,

from your position
Come along with issues/questions ready
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Assessment

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Assessment: 60% is Exam

60% Exam, 1.5 hours, 2 compulsory questions
I will assume the following are valid for exam questions:
Things covered in the lectures
Even if not on the lecture slides!
I will put any extra code on the web page

Things in the samples or lab notes

Especially the first few labs

The basic C/C++ language constructs

You were introduced to many of these in G51PRG
Operators, loops, conditionals, etc

The common C library functions (part of C++)

e.g. input/output functions, string functions, printf,
Even where we have not covered them in detail
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Assessment : Coursework (40%)

10% Stage 1 of coursework
Easy to complete
Tick list have you done this?
Marked in labs before Easter
by Thurs 17th March

30% Stage 2 of coursework

After Easter
Submit source code by Monday 9th May
Demo day to demonstrate your work
10-15 minute demo on 11th May in one of two smaller labs
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Formal Coursework : 40%

C++ programming
A simple graphical program using the SDL
multimedia library and the supplied framework
A framework which none of you will already know!

You need to provide a number of features

A lot of flexibility for you to choose how to meet the requirements
(helps me catch plagiarism too)

Hall of fame for previous years can be found here:

http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~jaa/cpp/CPPHallOfFame/halloffame.html
Download and try some of the games
Look at the variety of things produced
Think about what you would like to do

Some changes from last year (requirements and

marking) with a compulsory demo this year
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C++ vs Java?
(A comparison, not a contest)

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What is C++?
Procedural C
Global Functions
File-specific functions
Structs
Pointers (addresses)
Low-level memory access
C Preprocessor
Variables
Arrays
Loops
Conditionals
Function Libraries
Standard functions
Custom libraries
O/S functions

Classes
- Grouping of related data together
- With associated methods (functions)
new for object creation
delete for object destruction
Constructors, Destructors
Operator Overloading
Assignment operators
Conversion operators
Inheritance (sub-classing)
Virtual functions & polymorphism
Access control (private/public/protected)

Templates
(Generic classes)
Non-C features
e.g. References

Class Libraries
(+templated classes)
Standard library (much C++11)
BOOST (beta libraries?)
Platform specific libraries 26

What about Java?

Procedural C
Global Functions
File-specific functions
Structs
Pointers (addresses)
Low-level memory access
C Preprocessor
Variables
Arrays
Loops
Conditionals
Function Libraries
Standard functions
Custom libraries
O/S functions
Java Native Interface

Classes
- Grouping of related data together
- With associated methods (functions)
new for object creation
delete for object destruction
Constructors, Destructors
Operator Overloading
Assignment operators
Conversion operators (toString()?)
Inheritance (sub-classing)
(ONLY) Virtual functions & polymorphism
Access control (private/public/protected)

Templates
Generics (weaker)
Non-C features
(ONLY) references

Class Libraries
(Generics ~ C++ templates)
Collections
Networking, Threading, etc
Graphics - standardised 27

What Sun changed for Java

Remember: C++ came first
Java was based on C++ and the changes were deliberate!
Java is cross-platform
Interpreted intermediate byte-code (.class files)
Standard cross-platform class libraries
Libraries include graphics (AWT, SWING, ), networking,
Platform independent type sizes
Cannot easily take advantage of platform-specific features
Java prevents things which are potentially dangerous
Pointer arithmetic (but it can be fast)
Writing outside arrays (checks take time)
Low-level access to memory (dangerous per powerful/quick)
Uninitialised data (initialisation takes time)
Java forces you to use objects
Even when it would be quicker not to
Java does garbage collection for you
Safer(?), but may execute slower than freeing memory yourself
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Java does exceptions better making them practical

My view of C/C++ vs Java

C++:
Power and control: What to do? How to do it?

Java:
Do it my way and Ill do more of the work for you
But it may be less efficient than doing it yourself
Some things cannot be done in Java alone (JNI)

Java hides many things from you

And decides how you will do things

Java prevents you doing some things and

checks others
C++ trusts that you know what you are doing
If you do not understand it properly, then you can
REALLY break things

Q: Do you want/need the power/control of C++?

Probably a per-project decision
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Which is better? Java or C++?

What does better mean?
What are you trying to do?
Do you need the power and control that
C++ gives you?
With fewer options, things may seem simpler
Potentially harder to make mistakes
But you lose the flexibility to optimise

If you know both, then you have more

options (and the basics are very similar)
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Platform specific class-libraries

E.g. Visual studio provides easy support for
windows:

MDI Child/container windows

SDI (Single Document Interface)
Dialog based
Ribbon bar
Tool bar
Splitters
ActiveX containers and servers

App-wizard will include these for free

Cost: platform dependence
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Course Text?

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Semi-recommended text
The Complete Reference: C++, Fourth Edition
by Herbert Schildt
Similar structure to this module (C then C++)
A reference, not a tutorial!

(Images courtesy
of amazon, but
books are available
from many places)

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You are better off using the time to try coding though!

Other Texts (1)

Many other C++ books in the library
But most books now introduce classes from the
start (so you think in an OO way)
E.g. C++ How to Program, Deitel and Deitel
Many other books in the Jubilee library
Online references are probably the most help
E.g. http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/
To look up examples or explanations
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Other Texts (2)

The C++ Programming Language,
by Bjarne Stroustrup
The definitive book on the language
but not a tutorial (a technical reference)
Only 4th edition covers C++11!
Effective C++ and More Effective C++,
by Scott Meyers
Explain many confusing elements
Ideal for understanding why as well as how
NOT an introduction to C++
Written before C++11
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Hello World
A simple C++ (and C) program

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The Hello World Program

#include <stdio.h> /* C file */
int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
printf("Hello world!\n");
return 0;
}

C version

#include <cstdio> /* C++ file */

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
printf("Hello world!\n");
return 0;
}

C++ version
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Next lecture
C and C++ similarities and
differences
Practical demos ensuring that you
understand key C/C++ elements
May go beyond what you already know

Really important underpins what

we will do in C++
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