If we carefully observe and examine our atmosphere, we will see different languages are being spoken. There are human beings speaking different languages in different areas of Earth. Even animals and birds have their own specific languages. Why they all need language? They all need it because Language is the most important tool to express our thoughts & feelings and convey information from one to each other. It is a mean and system of communication. There are many languages among people which they speak to communicate, depends on their respective culture and areas where they live. Similarly, when we want to give instructions to machine to solve our problems we need a language that can be understand by it and solve our problems according to our instructions.
In this article, we will explore the C++ Programming Language in detail which include its overview, history, syntax, data types, control structures, functions, classes, templates, standard library and applications.
Overview:
C++ is a general-purpose, powerful and versatile programming language that was created by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1983. It is an extension of the C language with additional features such as classes, templates, and object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts. Its popularity and extensive use in the industry make it a valuable language to learn for anyone interested in computer programming. Its ability to provide low-level control and high-level abstractions, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, from operating systems to games to scientific simulations. C++ is widely used in developing operating systems, system software, device drivers, embedded systems, video games, financial systems, and scientific applications. It is also a popular language for competitive programming and is taught in many universities as a fundamental language for computer science.
One of the strengths of C++ is its ability to create high-performance applications due to its low-level memory manipulation capabilities. C++ supports multiple inheritance, operator overloading, and templates, making it a powerful and flexible language. C++ also supports both procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms, giving developers the flexibility to choose the best approach for their specific project requirements. C++ has a vast standard library that provides many useful functions for working with strings, arrays, input/output operations, and more. Additionally, there are many third-party libraries and frameworks available for C++ that can help developers build complex applications quickly.
History:
In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of a topic, it is often necessary to delve into its historical background and also to inspire the new generations by it that what and how our ancestors had acheived irrespective of obstacles they faced for, only for us that we can live in more secure and better environment than their own and could not face those problems they had faced.
Similarly, we will explore how C++ Language has been came into this modern shape due to hard work of our old generation. Here is a detailed history of C++ programming languages:
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Creation of C++:
Bjarne Stroustrup created C++ in 1983 while working on his PhD thesis at Bell Labs. Stroustrup added new features to the C language, such as classes, virtual functions, and operator overloading, to create a new programming language that was both powerful and flexible.
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First C++ Compiler:
The first C++ compiler was created in 1985 by Bjarne Stroustrup himself. The compiler was used to compile the first C++ programs and was called "Cfront". The compiler translated C++ code into C code, which was then compiled by a standard C compiler.
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C++ Standardization:
In 1989, the first version of the C++ programming language was standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The standard was known as "ISO/IEC 14882:1998" and included features such as templates, exceptions, and namespaces.
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C++ 11:
In 2011, a new version of C++ was released, which was known as C++11. This version included many new features, such as lambda functions, range-based for loops, and type inference for variables. C++11 also introduced the "auto" keyword, which allowed the compiler to deduce the data type of a variable at compile-time.
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C++ 14:
In 2014, another version of C++ was released, which was known as C++14. This version included improvements to the standard library, such as improved support for user-defined literals and binary literals.
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C++ 17:
In 2017, C++17 was released, which added many new features, such as parallel algorithms, file system libraries, and new data types such as "std::optional" and "std::variant". C++17 also included improvements to existing features such as "constexpr" functions and "template" type deduction.
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C++ 20:
In 2020, C++20 was released, which introduced new features such as "concepts" (a new way to constrain template parameters), "ranges" (a new way to work with sequences of values), and "coroutines" (a new way to write asynchronous code).
Syntax:
The syntax of C++ is similar to that of C, with some differences such as the use of namespaces, the keyword 'new' to allocate memory dynamically, and the use of the scope resolution operator '::' to access class members. Here is an example of a simple C++ program that displays the text "Hello, World!" on the screen:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
cout << "Hello World !" << endl;
return 0;
}
In this example, the program starts with the '#include' directive that includes the 'iostream' header file. The 'using namespace std;' statement tells the compiler to use the standard namespace. The 'main()' function is the entry point of the program, and it returns an integer value to indicate the status of the program's execution. The 'cout' object is used to display the text on the screen, and the 'endl' manipulator is used to insert a newline character after the text.
Data Types:
C++ supports a wide range of data types, including integers, floating-point numbers, characters, booleans, arrays, pointers, and structures. Here is a list of some of the most common data types in C++:
- int: used to represent integers.
- double: used to represent floating-point numbers with double precision.
- char: used to represent a single character.
- bool: used to represent a boolean value (true or false).
- string: used to represent a sequence of characters.
- array: used to represent a collection of elements of the same type.
- pointer: used to store the memory address of a variable.
- struct: used to define a user-defined data type that contains multiple elements.
Control Structures:
C++ provides various control structures for controlling the flow of execution in a program. These include the if-else statement, switch statement, while loop, do-while loop, and for loop. Here is an example of a program that uses these control structures to check whether a number is even or odd:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int num;
cout << "Enter a number: ";
cin >> num;
if (num % 2 == 0)
{
cout << num << " is even." << endl;
}
else
{
cout << num << " is odd." << endl;
}
switch (num)
{
case 0:
cout << "The number is zero." << endl;
break;
case 1:
cout << "The number is one." << endl;
break;
default:
cout << "The number is neither zero nor one." << endl;
break;
}
int i = 1;
while (i <= num)
{
cout << i << " ";
i++;
}
cout << endl;
i = 1;
do
{
cout << i << " ";
i++;
}
while (i <= num);
cout << endl;
for (int i = 1; i <= num; i++)
{
cout << i << " ";
}
cout << endl;
int sum = 0;
for (int i = 1; i <= num; i++)
{
sum += i;
}
cout << "The sum of the first " << num << " numbers is " << sum << "." << endl;
int product = 1;
for (int i = 1; i <= num; i++)
{
product *= i;
}
cout << "The product of the first " << num << " numbers is " << product << "." << endl;
return 0;
}
Classes:
Classes are the building blocks of object-oriented programming in C++. A class is a user-defined data type that encapsulates data and behavior into a single entity. It consists of data members (variables) and member functions (methods) that operate on those data members. Classes are defined using the class keyword, followed by the name of the class, and the definition of its members. Classes can be used to create objects that have their own state and behavior.
Templates:
Templates in C++ allow generic programming, where a single function or class can be used with different data types. They are defined using the template keyword, followed by the definition of the template. For example, a function template for finding the maximum of two values might look like this:
template <typename T>
T max(T a, T b)
{
return a > b ? a : b;
}
This function template can be used with any data type T that supports the > operator. When the function is called, the compiler automatically generates the code for the specific data type used.
Standard Library:
The C++ Standard Library provides a set of pre-defined classes, functions, and templates that can be used to implement common programming tasks. It includes containers like vectors, lists, and maps, algorithms like sorting and searching, input/output functions, and more. The Standard Library is included with every C++ compiler, so it can be used in any C++ program without requiring additional libraries or dependencies.
Applications:
C++ is a popular programming language used for developing a wide range of applications, from operating systems to games to scientific simulations. Here are some of the key applications of C++ programming language:
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Operating Systems:
C++ is widely used for developing operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. C++ allows developers to write efficient code that can take full advantage of the hardware resources available on the system.
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Games:
C++ is a popular language for developing games due to its performance and flexibility. Many popular game engines, such as Unreal Engine and Unity, are written in C++. C++ is also used for writing game engines and graphics libraries.
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Desktop Applications:
C++ is often used for developing desktop applications, such as productivity software, media players, and graphics editors. C++ allows developers to write efficient and fast applications that can handle large amounts of data.
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Embedded Systems:
C++ is used for developing embedded systems, such as those found in cars, airplanes, and medical devices. C++ allows developers to write efficient and reliable code that can run on low-power devices with limited memory and processing power.
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Scientific Simulations:
C++ is often used for developing scientific simulations, such as weather modeling, fluid dynamics, and particle physics simulations. C++ allows developers to write high-performance code that can handle large amounts of data and complex calculations.
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Finance:
C++ is used extensively in the finance industry for developing trading platforms, risk management systems, and financial modeling software. C++ allows developers to write high-performance code that can handle large amounts of data and complex calculations.
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Web Browsers:
C++ is used for developing web browsers, such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. C++ is used for developing the browser engine, which is responsible for parsing and rendering web pages.
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Machine Learning:
C++ is used for developing machine learning algorithms and libraries, such as TensorFlow and OpenCV. C++ allows developers to write efficient code that can handle large amounts of data and complex calculations required for machine learning.
In summary, C++ is a versatile programming language that can be used for developing a wide range of applications, from low-level operating systems to high-level machine learning algorithms. Its performance and flexibility make it a popular choice for developers working in many different fields.
