If you’ve always wanted to learn how to program a computer, or to learn the widely used C++ programming language in particular, C++ Without Fear, Second Edition, offers an ideal way to get you started.   Written with the same approach that earned the first edition rave reviews, the author first emphasizes short, simple examples that are easy to enter; then, within a couple of chapters, he has you creating useful utilities, playing games, and using the computer to solve interesting puzzles. His approach is a welcome departure from many programming texts, which quickly get bogged down in complex and sometimes meaningless examples. You’ll find here, patiently explained and clearly illustrated, everything you need to learn programming quickly, and to have fun doing it!   Yes, programming can be a complex task, and C++ is a language often used by professionals. In fact, many of the coolest games, graphics, and Internet applications are created with C++, and it’s even been used on the Mars rovers. But the language, like the monster pictured on the cover, need not be all that fearsome. Broken down to its essentials, and enhanced by simple examples, practical exercises, and the whys and tricks behind each language feature, you’ll be amazed at the rapid progress you can make.   With C++ Without Fear, Second Edition, you will Learn the basics of C++ programming Get started writing your own programs See how and why each piece of a program does what it does Create useful and reusable program code Understand object-oriented programming–for once explained in simple, down-to-earth terms NEW AND IMPROVED While compatible with nearly every version of the C++ language, this second edition has been updated to cover important features of the newest and greatest C++ standard (C++0x). In addition, it now includes Even more figures, examples, and exercises Even more puzzles and games An expanded 75-page language reference Instructions for downloading free C++ software Whether you wish to learn C++ programming for pleasure, or you’re considering a career in programming, this book is an outstanding choice.

Table of Contents:
Preface xxiii Acknowledgments xxix About the Author xxxi   Chapter 1: Your First C++ Programs 1 Thinking Like a Programmer 1 What’s Different About C++? 7 Building a C++ Program 8 Installing Your Own C++ Compiler 10 Advancing to the Next Print Line 16 Storing Data: C++ Variables 19 Introduction to Data Types 20 A Word about Variable Names and Keywords 28 Chapter 1 Summary 30   Chapter 2: Decisions, Decisions 33 But First, a Few Words about Data Types 33 Decision Making in Programs 34 Introducing Loops 43 True and False in C++ 50 The Increment Operator (++) 51 Statements vs. Expressions 52 Introducing Boolean (Short-Circuit) Logic 53 Introducing the Math Library 57 Chapter 2 Summary 64   Chapter 3: The Handy, All-Purpose “for” Statement 67 Loops Used for Counting 67 Introducing the “for” Loop 68 A Wealth of Examples 70 Compound Statements (Blocks) with “for” 74 Declaring Loop Variables on the Fly 74 Comparative Languages 101: The Basic “For” Statement 79 Chapter 3 Summary 80   Chapter 4: Functions: Many Are Called 83 The Concept of Function 83 The Basics of Using Functions 85 Local and Global Variables 93 Recursive Functions 95 Games and More Games 113 Chapter 4 Summary 115   Chapter 5: Arrays: All in a Row... 117 A First Look at C++ Arrays 117 Initializing Arrays 119 Zero-Based Indexing 119 Strings and Arrays of Strings 128 A Word to the Wise 141 2-D Arrays: Into the Matrix 142 Chapter 5 Summary 143   Chapter 6: Pointers: Getting a Handle on Data 145 What the Heck Is a Pointer, Anyway? 145 The Concept of Pointer 146 Declaring and Using Pointers 148 Swap: Another Function Using Pointers 155 Pointer Arithmetic 161 Pointers and Array Processing 163 Chapter 6 Summary 168   Chapter 7: Strings: Analyzing the Text 169 Text Storage on the Computer 169 It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That String 171 String-Manipulation Functions 172 Reading String Input 178 Individual Characters vs. Strings 185 The New C++ String Type 189 Other Operations on the string Type 193 Chapter 7 Summary 194   Chapter 8: Files: Electronic Storage 197 Introducing File-Stream Objects 197 How to Refer to Disk Files 199 Text Files vs. “Binary” Files 206 Introducing Binary Operations 208 Chapter 8 Summary 217   Chapter 9: Some Advanced Programming Techniques 221 Command-Line Arguments 221 Function Overloading 227 The do-while Loop 230 The switch-case Statement 232 Multiple Modules 234 Exception Handling: I Take Exception to That! 237 Chapter 9 Summary 240   Chapter 10: New Features of C++0x 243 Overview of C++0x Features 243 The long long Type (not long long long) 244 Range-Based “for” (For Each) 256 The auto and decltype Keywords 261 The nullptr Keyword 262 Strongly Typed Enumerations 263 Raw String Literals 273 Chapter 10 Summary 273   Chapter 11: Introducing Classes: The Fraction Class 277 Object Orientation: Quasi-Intelligent Data Types 277 Point: A Simple Class 279 Private: Members Only (Protecting the Data) 281 Introducing the Fraction Class 286 Inline Functions 289 Find the Greatest Common Factor 291 Find the Lowest Common Denominator 292 Chapter 11 Summary 305   Chapter 12: Constructors: If You Build It… 307 Introducing Constructors 307 Multiple Constructors (Overloading) 309 C++0x Only: Initializing Members within a Class 309 The Default Constructor–and a Warning 310 C++0x Only: Delegating Constructors 313 C++0x Only: Consistent Initialization 314 Reference Variables and Arguments (&) 321 The Copy Constructor 323 A Constructor from String to Fract 329 Chapter 12 Summary 331   Chapter 13: Operator Functions: Doing It with Class 333 Introducing Class Operator Functions 333 Operator Functions as Global Functions 336 Improve Efficiency with References 338 Working with Other Types 348 The Class Assignment Function (=) 349 The Test-for-Equality Function (==) 350 A Class “Print” Function 351 C++0x Only: User-Defined Literals 357 Chapter 13 Summary 360   Chapter 14: Dynamic Memory and the String Class 363 Dynamic Memory: The “new” Keyword 363 Objects and “new” 365 Allocating Multiple Data 366 Introducing Class Destructors 370  “Deep” Copying and the Copy Constructor 376 The “this” Keyword 378 Revisiting the Assignment Operator 379 Writing a Concatenation Function 380 Chapter 14 Summary 387   Chapter 15: Two Complete OOP Examples 389 Introducing Linked Lists 389 Tower of Hanoi, Animated 402 Chapter 15 Summary 411   Chapter 16: Easy Programming with STL 413 Introducing the List Template 413 Designing an RPN Calculator 422 Correct Interpretation of Angle Brackets 432 Chapter 16 Summary 432   Chapter 17: Inheritance: What a Legacy 435 How to Subclass 435 Problems with the FloatFraction Class 440 C++ Only: Inheriting Base-Class Constructors 441 Protected Members 445 Object Containment 447 Safe Inheritance Through Class Hierarchies 448 Chapter 17 Summary 451   Chapter 18: Polymorphism: Object Independence 453 A Different Approach to the FloatFraction Class 453 Virtual Functions to the Rescue! 454 C++ Only: Requiring Explicit Overrides 460 “Pure Virtual” and Other Abstract Matters 461 Abstract Classes and Interfaces 462 Object Orientation and I/O 464 A Final Word (or Two) 470 A Final, Final Word 472 Chapter 18 Summary 472   Appendix A: Operators 475 The Scope (::) Operator 478 The sizeof Operator 478 Old and New Style Type Casts 479 Integer vs. Floating-Point Division 480 Bitwise Operators (&, |, ^, ~, <<, and >>) 480 Conditional Operator 481 Assignment Operators 482 Join (,) Operator 482   Appendix B: Data Types 483 Precision of Data Types 484 Data Types of Numeric Literals 485 String Literals and Escape Sequences 486 Two’s Complement Format for Signed Integers 487   Appendix C: Syntax Summary 491 Basic Expression Syntax 491 Basic Statement Syntax 492 Control Structures and Branch Statements 493 Variable Declarations 498 Function Declarations 500 Class Declarations 502 Enum Declarations 503   Appendix D: Preprocessor Directives 505 The #define Directive 505 The ## Operator (Concatenation) 507 The defined Function 507 The #elif Directive 507 The #endif Directive 508 The #error Directive 508 The #if Directive 508 The #ifdef Directive 509 The #ifndef Directive 510 The #include Directive 510 The #line Directive 511 The #undef Directive 511 Predefined Constants 511   Appendix E: ASCII Codes 513   Appendix F: Standard Library Functions 517 String (C-String) Functions 517 Data-Conversion Functions 517 Single-Character Functions 517 Math Functions 520 Randomization Functions 521 Time Functions 521 Formats for the strftime Function 523   Appendix G: I/O Stream Objects and Classes 525 Console Stream Objects 525 I/O Stream Manipulators 526 Input Stream Functions 528 Output Stream Functions 528 File I/O Functions 529   Appendix H: STL Classes and Objects 531 The STL String Class 531 The Template 533 The Template 535   Appendix I: Glossary of Terms 537   Index 553