What is C++?

• General-purpose programming language

• Object-oriented programming language

• Extension of the C programming language

• Compiled language that produces efficient, high-performance applications

• Supports both procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms

History and Evolution

• Developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs in 1979

• Originally called "C with Cla"sses

• Renamed to C++ in 1983 (++ is the increment operator in C)

• Major standards:

• C++98/03 (First standardization)

• C++11 (Major update with modern features)

• C++14, C++17, C++20, C++23 (Continued evolution)

Key Features of C++

• Object-oriented programming

• Strong typing

• Memory management control

• Compile-time polymorphism (function overloading)

• Runtime polymorphism (virtual functions)

• Templates for generic programming

• Standard Template Library (STL)

• Exception handling

• Operator overloading

• Multiple inheritance
Basic Structure of a C++ Program

// This is a comment

#include <iostream> // Preprocessor directive

int main() { // Main function - program execution starts here

// Program statements

std::cout << "Hello, World!"; // Output statement

return 0; // Return statement }

Components Explained

• Preprocessor directives: Instructions for the compiler (begin with #)

• Comments: Notes for humans, ignored by compiler

• main() function: Entry point of every C++ program

• Statements: Instructions for the program to execute

• Braces {}: Define blocks of code

• return statement: Indicates program execution status

Data Types in C++

• Fundamental Data Types:

• int: Integer values (-2147483648 to 2147483647)

• float: Single precision floating point (7 digits precision)

• double: Double precision floating point (15 digits precision)

• char: Single character ('A', 'z', '5')

• bool: Boolean values (true or false)

• Type modifiers: short, long, unsigned, signed

• User-defined types: structs, classes, enums

• Named storage locations in memory

• Must be declared before use

• Syntax: dataType variableName = initialValue;

Examples:

int age = 20;

double salary = 50000.50;

char grade = 'A’;

bool isEnrolled = true;

Basic Input/Output

#include <iostream>

int main() {

std::cout << "Hello, C++!";

std::cout << "Value: " << 42;

return 0;

#include <iostream>

int main() {

int number;

std::cout << "Enter a number: ";

std::cin >> number;

std::cout << "You entered: " << number;

return 0;

}
Using namespace std: Simplifies code by removing need for std:: prefix

using namespace std; // Now we can use cout instead of std::cout

Compilation Process

• Write code in a text editor

• Save with .cpp extension

• Compiler translates source code to object code

• Linker combines object code with libraries

• Executable file is created

• Program can now be run

Basic Operators

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %

• Relational: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=

• Logical: &&, ||, !

• Assignment: =, +=, -=, *=, /=, %=

• Increment/Decrement: ++, --

• Bitwise: &, |, ^, ~, <<, >>

Control Structures

• Conditional Statements:

• if, if-else, switch

• Loops:

• for, while, do-while

• Jump Statements:

• break, continue, goto, return

• Definition: A variable is a named storage location in memory that can hold a value.

• Purpose: To store data that can be used and manipulated in a program

Variable Declaration

Syntax:

data_type variable_name;

Example:

int age;

Variable Initialization

• Definition: Assigning a value to a variable at the time of declaration.

Example: int age = 25;

Data Types in C++

Common Data Types:

• int – integer (whole numbers)

• float – floating point number (decimals)

• double – double precision floating point number

• char – character (single character)

• bool – boolean (true or false)

• string – sequence of characters (text)

Rules:

• Must start with a letter or underscore (_)

• Can contain letters, numbers, and underscores

• Case sensitive. “age” and “Age” are different.

Best Practices:

- Use meaningful names (e.g. “studentAge” instead of “a”)

Scope of Variables

 Definition:

 The region of the program where a variable is accessible.

 Types:

 Local Variables: Declared inside a function or block.

Global Variables: Declared outside all functions

Constants
- a variable whose value cannot be changed after initialization.

• Syntax:

- const data_type constant_name = value;

Example

- const float PI = 3.14;

• What are Loops?

• Loops are control structures that allow you to repeat a block of code multiples
times

• Essential for reducing code repetition and handling repetitive tasks

• Three main types of loops in C++:

1. for loop

2. while loop

3. do…while loop

For Loop - Basic Structure

Components explained:

o Initialization: Sets the loop variable initial value

o Condition: Determines how long the loop continues

o Increment/Decrement: Changes the loop variable after each iteration