CSC 201 Introduction to C++ Quiz

Introduction to C++

• Course: CSC 201
• Professor: O. R. Vincent
• Textbooks:
  • Teach Yourself C++ (Second Edition) by Herbert Schildt
  • Computer Programming with C++ by Kunal Pimparkhede

Programming Style

• Input Phase:
  • Variable declarations for input
  • Input reading
  • Initialization
• Process Phase:
  • Method computation
• Output Phase:
  • Outputting the result

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

• Organized around objects rather than actions
• Data-centric, focusing on objects to manipulate
• Historical approach: a program processes data in a procedure
• OOP objects range from humans to buildings
• Properties and management can be described down to the smallest unit.

Benefits of OOP

• Inheritance: Defines subclasses of data objects which share characteristics of a main class. Forces in-depth data analysis, shortens development time and guarantees accurate code creation.
• Data Hiding: A class defines only the required data. Prevents accidental access of other program data, enhancing system security and avoiding unintended data corruption.
• Reusability: Classes can be reused in other programs or networks.
• Flexibility: Creates new data types not already defined in the language itself.

OOP Defining Traits

• Encapsulation: Merging code and data.
• Polymorphism: A quality that allows one name (e.g., a function) to be used for different but related purposes.
• Inheritance: A process where one object can assume the properties of another.

C++ Program Structure

• Header: e.g., #include <iostream.h>
• Main Function (main()): Entry point for program execution
• Input Stage: Declarations, Input, Initialization
• Processing Stage: Computation
• Output Stage: Outputting the result

Variable Declarations

• Variables are memory locations for storing values.
• Common Types:
  • int: Integer numbers
  • char: Characters
  • double: Floating-point numbers

Input Statements

• cin >> variable_name;: Reads a value from the user and assigns it to the variable.

Output Statements

• cout << variable_name;: Prints the value of a variable to the user.
• cout << "message";: Displays a message to the user.
• cout << endl;: Prints a new line.

main() Function in C++

• Entry point of any C++ program.
• Execution control goes directly to main() during program execution.
• main() function appears only once in every C++ program.
• It takes no arguments and returns nothing

Syntax of main()

• void main() { //Code to be executed }
• int main(){ //Code to be executed return 0; }

Hello World Program

#include <iostream>
int main() {
cout << "Hello world!";
return 0;
}

• The program includes the iostream library to display the output on the console
• cout displays the output "Hello world!".
• return 0 Indicates successful execution of the program

Return Statement

• return 0: Indicates successful termination of the program.

Variable Declaration Data Types

• type variable-name;
  • Example: int a, b, c; double x; char my_char;

Loops

• Repeating a block of code until a condition is met.
• Types: If, If...Else, Switch, While, For, Do...While
• Relational Operators: (e.g. ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=)
• Boolean Operators: (e.g. &&, ||, !)

C++ Functions

• Blocks of code that run when called.
• Data can be passed into a function as parameters.
• Re-usable code: Code is defined once and used many times.
• Functions have a prototype declaration and a definition section

Function Prototypes

• A declaration that precedes the actual definition of a function.
• Provides the function's return type, name, and parameters.
• Used for type checking.

Function Definition

• Contains the actual code of a function.

Calling a Function

• Execute a function by writing its name followed by parentheses and a semicolon.

Creating a Function

• Specifying the function name followed by parentheses.
• Example structure: void name() {}

Creating a Function Example

• Example functions to perform specific actions.
• Including the call for functions within the main section of the program.

Function Declaration and Definition

• A function consists of a declaration (name, return type, and params) and a definition (code).
• Example of structure: return_type func_name (params) {code}

Additional Details

• Importance of placing function definitions before the main section
• Various ways to use functions to achieve efficiency and reusability

C++ Arrays

• A collection of elements of the same data type.

C++ Classes and Objects

• Classes: Blueprints for objects, combining data and functions.
• General Format:

class className {
  // data members
  // member functions
}; 

• Private section: Data members and functions that are accessible only within the class.
• Public section: Data members and functions accessible outside the class.
• Objects: Instances of a class, holding data values.

Member Functions

• Functions that operate on class data members.
• Can access private, public, and protected data.

Object Declaration

• Example: <class_name> <obj_name>;

Characteristics of Objects

• Separate data copies.
• Scope defined by their declaration place.
• Usable as arguments within functions.
• Accessible members through the dot operator.

Access Specifiers

• private: Data and functions accessible only within the class; default for members not explicitly specified.
• public: Data and functions accessible from anywhere.
• protected: Data members and functions accessible from within the class and its derived classes.

Pointers in C++

• Variables that store the memory address of another variable.
• Declared using the asterisk (*) symbol.
• Used to access data indirectly.

Arrow Operator (->)

• Used for accessing members of a class through a pointer to an object.
• Example: pointer_to_object->member_name;

Inheritance and Polymorphism

• Polymorphism: The ability of a function to behave differently depending on the object it is acting on.
• Base classes: Foundation classes with common properties and functions.
• Derived classes: Specialized classes inheriting from the base class, adding further properties.

Abstract Classes & Functions

• Abstract classes: Classes that cannot be instantiated directly.
• Virtual functions: Functions that can be overridden in derived classes.
• Methods are declared as 'virtual' for polymorphism.

Generic Programming

• Write code that works with different data types without extensive modifications.
• Polymorphism in Java, and Templates in C++ are examples.

Polymorphism Examples

• The behavior of an object is dependent on its type at runtime, when accessing a virtual method.

Additional Notes

• The specific code examples provided in the documentation would illustrate the implementations of concepts illustrated. Note that the slides from the document may require translation to the correct language, or may contain specific details based on language requirements.