C++ Tutorial
Rob Jagnow
This tutorial will be best for students who have at least had some exposure to Java or another comparable programming language.
Overview
Pointers Arrays and strings Parameter passing Class basics Constructors & destructors Class Hierarchy Virtual Functions Coding tips Advanced topics
Advanced topics: friends, protected, inline functions, const, static, virtual inheritance, pure virtual function (e.g. Intersect(ray, hit) = 0), class hierarchy.
Pointers
int *intPtr; intPtr = new int; *intPtr = 6837;
Create a pointer Allocate memory Set value at given address
*intPtr intPtr 6837 0x0050
delete intPtr; int otherVal = 5; intPtr = &otherVal; *intPtr intPtr
Deallocate memory Change intPtr to point to a new location
5 0x0054 otherVal &otherVal
Arrays
Stack allocation
int intArray[10]; intArray[0] = 6837;
Heap allocation
int *intArray; intArray = new int[10]; intArray[0] = 6837; ... delete[] intArray;
C++ arrays are zero-indexed.
Strings
A string in C++ is an array of characters
char myString[20]; strcpy(myString, "Hello World");
Strings are terminated with the NULL or '\0' character
myString[0] = 'H'; myString[1] = 'i'; myString[2] = '\0'; printf("%s", myString);
output: Hi
Parameter Passing
pass by value
int add(int a, int b) { return a+b; } int a, b, sum; sum = add(a, b);
Make a local copy of a & b
pass by reference
int add(int *a, int *b) { return *a + *b; } int a, b, sum; sum = add(&a, &b);
Pass pointers that reference a & b. Changes made to a or b will be reflected outside the add routine
Parameter Passing
pass by reference alternate notation
int add(int &a, int &b) { return a+b; } int a, b, sum; sum = add(a, b);
Class Basics
#ifndef _IMAGE_H_ #define _IMAGE_H_ #include <assert.h> #include "vectors.h class Image { public: ... private: ... }; #endif
Note that private: is the default
Prevents multiple references Include a library file Include a local file
Variables and functions accessible from anywhere Variables and functions accessible only from within this class
Creating an instance
Stack allocation
Image myImage; myImage.SetAllPixels(ClearColor);
Heap allocation
Image *imagePtr; imagePtr = new Image(); imagePtr->SetAllPixels(ClearColor); ... delete imagePtr;
Stack allocation: Constructor and destructor called automatically when the function is entered and exited. Heap allocation: Constructor and destructor must be called explicitly.
Organizational Strategy
image.h
Header file: Class definition & function prototypes
void SetAllPixels(const Vec3f &color);
image.C
.C file: Full function definitions
void Image::SetAllPixels(const Vec3f &color) { for (int i = 0; i < width*height; i++) data[i] = color; } main.C
Main code: Function references
myImage.SetAllPixels(clearColor);
Constructors & Destructors
class Image { public: Image(void) { width = height = 0; data = NULL; } ~Image(void) { if (data != NULL) delete[] data; } int width; int height; Vec3f *data; };
Constructor: Called whenever a new instance is created Destructor: Called whenever an instance is deleted
Constructors
Constructors can also take parameters
Image(int w, int h) { width = w; height = h; data = new Vec3f[w*h]; }
Using this constructor with stack or heap allocation:
Image myImage = Image(10, 10); Image *imagePtr; imagePtr = new Image(10, 10);
stack allocation heap allocation
The Copy Constructor
Image(Image *img) { width = img->width; height = img->height; data = new Vec3f[width*height]; for (int i=0; i<width*height; i++) data[i] = new data[i]; }
A default copy constructor is created automatically, but it is usually not what you want:
Image(Image *img) { width = img->width; height = img->height; data = img->data; }
Warning: if you do not create a default (void parameter) or copy constructor explicitly, they are created for you.
Passing Classes as Parameters
If a class instance is passed by reference, the copy constructor will be used to make a copy.
bool IsImageGreen(Image img);
Computationally expensive
Its much faster to pass by reference:
bool IsImageGreen(Image *img);
or
bool IsImageGreen(Image &img);
Class Hierarchy
Child classes inherit parent attributes Object3D
class Object3D { Vec3f color; }; class Sphere : public Object3D { float radius; }; class Cone : public Object3D { float base; float height; };
Sphere
Cone
Class Hierarchy
Child classes can call parent functions
Sphere::Sphere() : Object3D() { radius = 1.0; Call the parent constructor }
Child classes can override parent functions
class Object3D { virtual void setDefaults(void) { color = RED; } }; class Sphere : public Object3D { void setDefaults(void) { color = BLUE; radius = 1.0 } };
Virtual Functions
A superclass pointer can reference a subclass object
Sphere *mySphere = new Sphere(); Object3D *myObject = mySphere;
If a superclass has virtual functions, the correct subclass version will automatically be selected
Superclass Subclass class Object3D { virtual void intersect(Vec3f *ray, Vec3f *hit); }; class Sphere : public Object3D { virtual void intersect(Vec3f *ray, Vec3f *hit); }; myObject->intersect(ray, hit);
Actually calls
Sphere::intersect
The main function
This is where your code begins execution
int main(int argc, char** argv);
Number of arguments
argv[0] argv[1]
Array of strings
is the program name through argv[argc-1] are command-line input
Coding tips
Use the #define compiler directive for constants
#define PI 3.14159265 #define sinf sin
Use the printf or cout functions for output and debugging
printf("value: %d, %f\n", myInt, myFloat); cout << "value:" << myInt << ", " << myFloat << endl;
Use the assert function to test always true conditions
assert(denominator != 0); quotient = numerator/denominator;
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
Typical causes:
int intArray[10]; intArray[10] = 6837;
Access outside of array bounds
Image *img; img->SetAllPixels(ClearColor);
Attempt to access a NULL or previously deleted pointer
These errors are often very difficult to catch and can cause erratic, unpredictable behavior.
Advanced topics
Lots of advanced topics, but few will be required for this course or protected class members inline functions const or static functions and variables pure virtual functions
friend virtual void Intersect(Ray &r, Hit &h) = 0;
compiler directives operator overloading
Vec3f& operator+(Vec3f &a, Vec3f &b);
