C++ for C Programmers Course Outline

The C++ programming language is a widely used powerful tool for producing modern object-oriented programs. This course guides programmers, already experienced in the C Programming Language through the complexities of writing and maintaining object-oriented programs in C++. It is fully up to date with the latest ISO standard for C++ and includes coverage of the important Standard Template Library.

Course Duration

4 Days

Upon completion of the course the delegate should be able to:

Write, maintain and debug C++ programs, use dynamic memory, make effective use of the Standard Library including the Standard Template Library, write object-oriented code using encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for experienced C programmers that need to write or maintain object-oriented C++ programs.

Prerequisites

It is assumed that anyone attending this course is experienced in the C programming language. They should be familiar with all the basic constructs of C and in particular with structures, pointers and the use of dynamic memory.

Course Format

The course is spread over a four-day period and comprises of instructor-led presentations and practical hands-on exercises. The practical sessions are structured to give the delegates the opportunity to put into practice all of the language constructs covered during the instructor-led sessions. The delegates will be able to take away with them copies of all the code they have written, along with sample solutions and demonstration code.

Course Content

Fundamentals
Coverage of some features that may be unfamiliar to some C programmers and some basic differences between C and C++.

Classes
Object-orientation and classes, encapsulation, automatic construction, copying and conversions.

Strings and Vectors
Coverage of two fundamental classes from the standard library that will be used throughout the course. 

Class Construction
Defining constructors and using member initialization lists. Issues of copy construction. Using constructors as converters.

Dynamic Memory
Accessing the heap or freestore with new and delete, dynamic arrays, automatic destruction.

Object Relationships
Aggregation and association, delegation, managing custody of dynamic memory, copying custodial objects.

Operator Overloading
Class operators, overloading with globals or members, lvalue operators, copy assignment.

STL Containers
Introducing templates and the main Standard Template Library container classes; vector, deque, list, set and map. Guidelines on choosing the right container for the job.

Iterators
Using Iterators to access the elements of Standard Template Library containers, introducing the standard algorithms.

Streams
Working with the Standard Streams; file streams, manipulators, string streams.

Inheritance
Object-orientation and inheritance.  Creating and using derived classes, vertical delegation, standard conversions.

Polymorphism
Declaring and using virtual functions and the need for virtual destructors.  Pure virtual functions and abstract classes.

Advanced Topics
Overview of some advanced features; exception handling, namespaces, multiple inheritance, smart pointers, template functions, extending the STL, function objects