C++ Quick Guide Class 1

**A_Qayoom** · 6th January 2016, 03:36 PM

C++ is a statically typed, compiled, general-purpose, case-sensitive, free-form programming language that supports procedural, object-oriented, and generic programming.

C++ is regarded as a middle-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features.

C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey, as an enhancement to the C language and originally named C with Classes but later it was renamed C++ in 1983.

C++ is a superset of C, and that virtually any legal C program is a legal C++ program.

C++ Compiler:
This is actual C++ compiler, which will be used to compile your source code into final executable program.

Most C++ compilers don't care what extension you give your source code, but if you don't specify otherwise, many will use .cpp by default

Most frequently used and free available compiler is GNU C/C++ compiler, otherwise you can have compilers either from HP or Solaris if you have respective Operating Systems.

C++ Program Structure:
Let us look at a simple code that would print the words Hello World.

Code:

#include <iostream> using namespace std; // main() is where program execution begins. int main() { cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World return 0; }

Comments in C++
C++ supports single line and multi-line comments. All characters available inside any comment are ignored by C++ compiler.

C++ comments start with /* and end with */. For example:

Code:

/* This is a comment */ /* C++ comments can also * span multiple lines */

A comment can also start with //, extending to the end of the line. For example:

Code:

#include <iostream> using namespace std; main() { cout << "Hello World"; // prints Hello World return 0; }

C++ Primitive Built-in Types:
C++ offer the programmer a rich assortment of built-in as well as user-defined data types. Following table list down seven basic C++ data types: