I've recently started to learn C++ and am completely confused with the choices of IDEs and compilers out there. I am competent with interpreted languages and like the simplicity of using any IDE or text editor and then running the interpreter from the command line. Everything works as I expect, regardless of the IDE used, because I use the same interpreter each time.
Now that I have started learning C++ I am overwhelmed by the choice of different compilers and more importantly, their differences. It seems that things will be simpler for me (not necessarily easier) if, while learning, I use a text editor and a compiler that I run from the command line. I have a basic understanding of how compiling and linking works and I understand the role of header files.
Firstly, are there any books or websites that teach C++ from this approach? (IDE-less)
Many books try to point out the differences between IDEs and compilers by selecting two and comparing them, which confuses me.
Secondly, how should I set up my workflow? (Ignore the choice of text editor, I am talking about compilers, linkers etc.) I am struggling to understand what differences different compilers have and so please bear this in mind when answering. It seems like the most popular compilers are g++ and CL.
Similar question but I am more interested in why some programs will work with some compilers and not others: C++ Compiler for Windows without IDE?
Further information: I am developing on Windows and from what I understand, it seems that there is 'pure' C++ and then C++ that is somehow related to windows, is this Visual C++? I would like to write programs that make use of Windows features but I want to know when I am using windows features and when I am writting code that would work on any platform.
Update: So it seems that I shouldn't be worrying about compilers when I am just starting out. The reason for me wanting to understand the differences is because I don't want to write code for a specific compiler and get into bad habits. Is this a non-issue?
Firstly, are there any books or websites that teach C++ from this approach? (IDE-less)
Yes, definitely. Stroustrup's book has already been mentioned. For learning C++ I'd also recommend two other books: If you like thorough explanations and don't shy away from 1000 pages, look at Lippman et al. If you rather like a short introduction and don't fear a steep learning curve, look at Koenig/Moo. Both are excellent books. (BTW, a good place to look for good books has always been the book review section at the ACCU.)
As for which tool chain you want to use: If you rather have a standalone editor and invoke the compiler from the command line, you can do this with either GCC or VC. This approach has the advantage that it is more unlikely to lure you into using something proprietary (like C++/CLI). If you would like to try an IDE, VC Express is fine, once you're past setting up a new C++ project. Of course, the number of options you can tweak for a new project can be very overwhelming. But on the other hand you get things like an integrated debugger. Note that there are other integrated solutions, too. The most mature and prominent is probably eclipse.
Edit: If you don't mind spending a little money, look at Comeau. It's not free, but it's not expensive either and it's usually considered to be the most standard-conforming C++ compiler around and has excellent error messages. (You can test-drive it at the website.) Note that it emits C code, though. That means you have to have another compiler to create an executable program. But both GCC and VC Express will do, so there's no other cost. (Note that using VC you will get Dinkumware's std lib implementation, which is also considered to be a very good one.)
Use MinGW - it's a command-line C++ development toolchain that allows you create Windows applications. The SO link you quoted seems to have all the relevant details, so I don't really understand why you posted this question.
Firstly, are there any books or websites that teach C++ from this approach? (IDE-less)
Start from reading The C++ Programming Language book. Written by Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, this is the world's most trusted and widely read book on C++.
Take a look also at Programming — Principles and Practice Using C++. It is an introduction to programming for people who has never programmed before. It will also be useful for people who have programmed a bit and want to improve their style and technique - or simply learn modern C++.
I am developing on Windows and from
what I understand, it seems that there
is 'pure' C++ and then C++ that is
somehow related to windows, is this
Visual C++? I would like to write
programs that make use of Windows
features but I want to know when I am
using windows features and when I am
writting code that would work on any
platform.
MS Visual C++ 2008 Express is a free IDE aimed at folks like you, it's available by download from Microsoft, I recommend you try it out.
Visual C++ is the name of the IDE program package. Installing it installs many things including the compiler cl.exe, which can compile, depending on settings, program written in either the C, C++, or C++/CLI programming language (for the .Net framework).
You can use the compiler on the command prompt without the IDE by (for example) selecting Start > Programs > Microsoft Visual Studio X > Visual Studio Tools > Visual Studio X Command Prompt. This execute a script which sets various environment settings needed to compile programs before giving you the command prompt.
On Windows I'd recommend you Visual Studio Express - it's free and is widely accepted by C++ programmers on Windows platform.
Since you're starting to learn language, don't bother yourself with differences, advantages/disadvantages of compilers and IDEs - leave it when you'll be more proficient with the language and will be involved in writing real program.
I actually suggest IDE approach, Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition should do the trick. Excluding some fancy syntax most C++ compilers behave the same way. C++ is a language that has a very small standard library (covering mostly I/O functions, basic math etc..) this is probably what you refer as pure C++. For something more advanced you'll have to use system libraries.. In example if you want to write windows gui application you'll have to include windows.h header file which is platform specific and exists only on windows compilers..
If you won't use an IDE, you definitely want to use Makefiles to organize your workflow... and you can make easily from emacs or vim.
Anyway, may I suggest you to use a very simple, almost non intrusive IDE, that could be great for learning purposes: http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html
It comes with the MinGW compiler bundled, so it's just install and go.
I'd say to start out with Visual Studio. This is a great IDE for programming C++ on windows, might as well use it when it can speed up certain things a lot.
The differences between compilers aren't that huge - if you can write solid code in VS then it shouldn't be a problem to figure out how to get your code working in GCC/G++.
As for books; Exceptional C++ by Herb Sutter and The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup are a great read.
Visual Studio is the way to go when developing for Windows.
Related
I am just starting out learning to program C++. Visual Studio is nice but its so picky and its caused a lot of problems for me getting my code to compile. So I heard code blocks is a good one. Does anyone know of any others that are simple and hassle free? I tried to create a hello world program in VS 2010 with the instructions in my book and of course it went crazy and said you can't do this that and the other. =/
You are going to have to learn, sooner hopefully, than later.. C++ requires you to be very specific in writing your code, and it doesn't matter which version you use. C++ is a standard language, and all compilers more or less conform to the same specification.
If your code isn't compiling, it's because you're doing something wrong when you are writing it. Give some examples, and we may be able to help. A new compiler won't change anything.
The syntax is language specific. There's no (good) programming language that allows you to type your code loosely.
Nevertheless, take a look at my answer on another question.
If you are looking for lighter IDEs then you may take a look at this.
Not sure what you mean by picky – if you don't mean the compiler but the IDE (that it gets to much in your way in the writing process) I suggest you try it with a general-purpose text editor and standalone compiler instead. I like kate best, when forced to use Windows I take Notepad++. As the compiler you could e.g. continue using Visual, go for gcc (MinGW on Windows), or the Intel C++ compiler.
All that is IMO much easier on a Linux, so my recommendation would be [K/X]Ubuntu + kate + gcc. (You can still easily port the programs to Windows, much easier than it is the other way around.)
Take a look at Notepad++ a free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment and MinGW (windows port of gcc).
My teacher recommended us to use notepad++ and cygwin for our programming needs. Are there any better solutions anyone can recommend out there to program and compile?
Myriad of various IDE's.... Eclipse CDT, Visual Studio Express, Code::Blocks, DevCPP....
And yes, Notepad++ and Cygwin with gcc would be a very viable option if you only need to compile single files for your homework.
Use a IDE
An integrated development environment (IDE) (also known as integrated design environment, integrated debugging environment or interactive development environment) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. An IDE normally consists of:
a source code editor
a compiler and/or an interpreter
build automation tools
a debugger
A few of them to choose from
http://netbeans.org/index.html
http://www.codeblocks.org/
http://www.eclipse.org/cdt/
In my opinion, a very important tool for beginners is a debugger. A lot of question can be answered by yourself if you have a look into the debugger. You can use the gdb but it is hard to use and understand for beginners. So I would recommend to use Visual C++ 2010 Express which has an excellent and easy to use debugger.
Disclaimer:
The following are personal opinions, related to my personal taste on
the subject. Anyone in the programmer community has its own taste and
preferences an can agree or not. Here I just want to tell you about
some rationals. Consider products and related names as "examples."
My Answer
There are mainly three ways to write code:
The manual one
The assisted one
The automated one.
Think to them as:
Driving your car alone
Driving with a navigator
Driving with an autopilot.
Here "driving alone" means "use a generic text editor, a command-line based compiler and a command-line based debugger. The editor may eventually have a clue about the language syntax (thus differentiating different language structural elements, like keyword, literals, operators etc.) but knowing really nothing about what you are coding.
This is what notepad++ does. It makes coding harder, but for very simple things makes you really learn how to "drive".
A "navigator" is a basic IDE like Devc++, or like CodeBlocks: they have the notion of "project", manage the relation between files and manage the invocation of the compiler and debugger, managing the mapping on their output respect to your sources.
You write your own code, but the "road to compile" is told by the "navigator" you have to trust.
An "autopilot" is a more complex IDE (like VisualStudio, Netbeans, Eclipse ...) that can also "manage the code" providing code analysis for either syntax and semantics, context sensitive auto-completion, code generation for common tasks.
They can give you some code you have to complete and connect together.
They make you faster in producing code, testing it, debugging it, but you must have more trust in them or know how they "suggest".
They can be productive, but you have to "configure" them to suite your needs.
Now: since everything is a matter of "trust", and you cannot trust what you don't know yet, and is a matter of "knowing yuur needs" (but a learner may not yet have an idea abut them)
starting with "beasts" like VisualStudio (that mess arout 50% of your computer registry, pretend you to download GIGABYTES from the Internet and installs GIGABYTES of whatever MS library) is clueless: before you will start using all of that, will take years, and VS itself will be changed 2 or three times) or Eclipse (that has the more powerful syntax and semantic analizer, but requires lot of "arcane configuration" you don't even know since you didn't make the first step in programming) may be an excess. At least until your programs will stay in a couple of pages.
starting win notepad++ and GCC (or Mingw) is just a matter of dowload few megabytes, set a PATH, and you go. Fastest way to turn the key on.
when things become more complex, and require some help in organize them, simple IDE like CodeBloks or Codelite are more than effective at "to the point". I will avoid Dev-C++: it's OLD, and doesn't support the "state of art of the C++ language". You an live with them for all your scolarity
when going to more professional kind of projects, and your experience in "using tools" is better, things like Eclipse, or NetBeans may become more "effective". I will in any case avoid VisualStudio: it's not that "effective". But it is the best to develop in Microsoft environments producing MS oriented applications, especially in the ".Net" world. Something you will not see before 2/3 years of experience.
If you're learning you can download VStudio Express. I believe it's free. Easier to use than notepad and cygwin. This isn't a biased opinion. I'm a Linux C++ developer most days but acknowledge the fact that it might be easier to learn using VStudio.
If you are using linux, you can use kate and g++ for editing and compiling c++ files.
If you are using windows, I think your teacher's recommendations are good. Althought there are various IDE's for C++, it is better to use a simple editor that doesn't have code completion and compilation feature while learning a programming language for the first time. IDE's are nice but not good for learners I think.
It's probably a good idea to go with your teacher's suggestion, since you might also need some help in the future, either from him or your colleagues. Another advantage is that, being in school, you'll probably develop using more than one programming language. Notepad++ has support for almost everything you can think of, so you can use it not only for this course. That way you'll have an advantage because you'll learn shortcuts, etc...
If you plan on doing a lot of programming in the future, I highly recommend putting the effort into learning VIM. Nothing else can touch it in terms of speed and power. It has built-in shell access and it is programmable. It is like having God in your text editor. The major down-side is the steep learning curve.
Also, you want to use Git in-case you screw-up and want to go back to a previous point. It lets you periodically check-point your code so you can always go back. For example, maybe you delete something, then later on decide you want to use that code after all. If you've been check-pointing with Git, you can get it back.
Graphical differs sometimes come in handy too.
I started coding in C++ using Turbo C++(the default program available on college computers, I told them it was prehistoric), but then I found Visual Studio Express and never looked back since that day.
Also since i could not install Visual Studio on College computers, I put a portable version of DevC++ on my pen drive to use there.
Eventually I got the College to install Visual Studio Express editions on all Lab Computers (Once I managed to convince them that it was free with no Licensing issues)
For a beginner, go with a text editor and a compiler. Helps you in understanding what actually goes on.
You could use Dev-C++, which is a good compiler for C and C++, if you want lightweight.
Otherwise Visual Studio probably.
I am new (in a way) to C++ programming. I would like to start doing development in Linux using C and/or C++ as programming languages. I have done some development for a while in Java.
Unfortunately I am not sure where to start. Can you point me to some good resources, and also give me an outline as to what would be the primary difference between C and C++ in Windows and Linux?
Any special steps I need to do to get started? Also any good IDEs. I plan to use Eclipse currently. I am using Kubuntu (version 9.x).
IDEs:
QtCreator: http://qt.nokia.com/products/appdev/developer-tools/developer-tools
Kdevelop: http://www.kdevelop.org/
Books:
Thinking in C++ / Bruce Eckel http://www.mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html
Brose standard libraries:
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/iostream/
It is good that you are using a Linux platform as it will help you to program as per the C and C++ standards.
I would recommend
vi/vim --> text editor
gcc --> C compiler
g++ --> C++ compiler
gdb --> Command line debugger
ddd --> GUI debugger
I use the above mentioned tools. If you are hell-bent on IDEs, you can use the ones mentioned by Chen Levy
If you have done development in Java, then you can start with any tutorial on the internet. There are literally hundreds of them!
I don't expect it to be hard since you have a Java background.
Here is a nice tutorial on CPlusPlus.com.
Also, check out this question on StackOverflow: The definitive C book guide and list.
IDE
Eclipse is very good as a starting point.
The new CDT provides a completely set up environment.
Just be sure to install gcc and gdb before
trying out anything.
And don't use the eclipse in the ubuntu repos, download a
current release.
Difference Windows/Linux:
The language standard is completely the same in both worlds. (Compiler implementations vary in fullfillment of the standard, but you shouldn't notice anything in the beginning.)
If you stick to cross-platform tools, compiler(gcc/mingw), ide and debugger it can stay this way. (I imply that the obvious differences, like .so s and .dlls and stuff are known)
If you move over to other compilers and library implementations (MSVisualC++ for instance) it can get interesting in the advanced stages, but it shouldn't be too difficult to bridge the gaps.
Good/essential libs to know:
the stl, boost, and maybe for productivity and ease in the beginning: qt.
These are as platform independent and generally useful as possible. Know them, and they are usable through your complete c++ lifetime.
(Don't make the mistake to want to learn it all in one go, just go step by step.
Don't try template programming in the beginning, it is mind-boggling ;) but using
templates is fun)
IDE / Editor I think with Eclipse you can quite good start with. I perfer emacs and use of the command line tools of gcc. Why? I think you learn more of the basics how they work.
Good libs: STL, QT, boost with these tree you have the ability to create/develop most of the parts you like or you need.
In my opinion very important is that you stuck (in the beginning) to the libray you selected. And also to the IDE/editor.
Starting point: As earlier mentioned Thinking in C++, Second edition (Volume 1 &2) by Bruce Eckel. He trys to explain the difference between C and C++. In volume 1 he explains the basics of C++ and in volume 2 he introduces some parts of the STL.
Another usefull ressource for me was C++ FAQ lite Here you can find a lot of usefull tipps.
If you will ever want some library good places to start are sourceforge.net and freshmeat.net
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I'm about to start work on my first C++ project. I've done lots of C# and VB (VB6 and VB.NET), plus Java and a few other things over the past 10 years or so, just never had a requirement for C++ until now.
I plan to use Visual Studio 2008, but I'm interested to find out from experienced C++ programmers whether Visual Studio is a good IDE for a C++ newbie.
Will VS in any way make it harder for me to learn to program C++ correctly?
Will VS encourage any bad habits?
Are there any pitfalls I should look out for?
First off, VS 2008 is quite powerful and probably one of the best IDEs for C++ programming (at least with a supporting plugin such as Visual Assist X).
Beware, however, that C++ is a hard language to get right for the compilers and that the default warning level is quite lenient to boot. So it will tolerate bad/wrong code quite often. It is always advisable to check the code on other compilers as well – at the very least in g++ with high warning level in strict mode.
Also setting the warning level higher in Visual Studio is encouraged.
Visual Studio is an excellent IDE for C++. If you know it from C#, it will be comfortably familiar.
There is something to be said for starting to learn a language like C++ by not using an IDE at all, but by building from the command line. This will impress on you the various phases of the c++ compilation and linking process, and will serve you in good stead if you ever need real cross-platform portability.
VS 2008 is fine for developing C++. Like someone else said I would purchase Visual Assist X simply because it gives you Intellisense on steroids and a better code outliner. Also the MSDN docs you get with VS are excellent quality and include a full description of the C++ language and standard library. On Windows you would be mad to use anything else.
Use Visual Studio, especially if you already know it through C#. I agree with the others that you should invest in Visual Assist though.
You better off with code-editor + build tools
as an IDE, VS is pretty bad (subjective). There are a lot of alternatives (more lightweight, for sure)
By build tools I mean not only compiler but also some kind of make/jam etc
This way you'll be ready for real cross-platform development (first) and as a bonus you'll get the possibility for much quicker and comfortable builds for "not small" projects -- one command builds everything. And while you can get the same in VS (really?) it will be faster. Plus you can have project structure the way YOU want 8)
As for reference, for my pet-project i use source insight + kjam + msvc compiler
I remember a few years ago having some troubles with VS. Actually the problem was with the C++ compiler, because they didn't implemented some features of the language, or at least they didn't implemented in a standard way.
We switched to Eclipse CDT because it was relatively easy to use other compilers, supported custom makefiles, and multiple targets.
But if you plan to develop for Win32, VS it's probably the safest choice.
I'm doing something similar; I've done a lot of Java programming and started learning C++ not too long ago. When I am starting to learn a new language, I like to work through the various bits of syntax differences by writing smaller programs. As great as Visual Studio is for larger projects, I think it tends to add a lot of bulk for that kind of practice. I'm with Konrad on the command line idea - great place to start. I am also using Dev-C++ for the smaller projects. It's a nice, compact little gcc IDE that is only about 60MB total footprint on the hard drive, and it compiles to windows executables without any problem. Good luck in your endeavors!
Yes, use Visual Studio, it's an IDE you already know, so it has the lowest learning curve in terms of tooling. Since you've never done any C++ before, please use the IDE, not a console window to learn. The one thing you will miss is the .NET framework. You can use Managed C++ with VS, but if you plan on using pure C++, with no managed code at all, it's going to be scary at first.
One thing I've always noticed about C++ is that if you expect all the same tools you had with C# to be there for C++ when you start, you might be disappointed. VS is a great IDE, and it's had C++ support long before .NET came around, so trust it, enjoy it, and remember, nothing is perfect.
I asked a similar question here except using C on Visual Studio. Although I personally couldn't imagine doing C# without VS, I find using VS for C an exercise in masochism. I know this isn't exactly the same as what you're asking, but if you find that it is a similar experience in C++, know that it's not just you.
Using VS allows you to not having to get under the hood and understand how the chain of buildtools work. Use VS to automate what you know how to do manually and make sure you understand what happens behind the scenes. In the world of C++ you are more expected to understand the build chain than in high level languages like C# or VB.
If you're using the VC project system, you should be fine. If, however, you are using a makefile-based project, it's extremely important that you tell the IDE about your include paths, preprocessor macros, etc, so that intellisense will work correctly.
Some people form a bad impression of Visual C++'s code browsing capabilities because they are used to C# where there's no configuration required.
Another thing to be aware of: occasionally, I have found that intellisense stops working well in a project where I have worked for a few days or weeks. If your solution is called foo.sln, deleting the foo.ncb file will cause the IDE to reparse your code, and intellisense will start working again.
Finally, I've heard that VS 2010 will be a major improvement to the C++ IDE experience for the first time in years.
http://blogs.msdn.com/somasegar/archive/2008/11/21/c-enhancements-in-vs-2010.aspx
Yes, use visual studio, but be aware that applications that you build with it wont run on some computers unless they have the visual studio runtime redist installed. If you find your app wont work on other machines, go download it.
I was a C++ developer (mostly ATL/COM stuff) until, as many of us, I switched to C# in 2001. I didn't do much C++ programming since then.
Do you have any tips on how to revive my C++ skills? What has changed in C++ in the last years? Are there good books, articles or blogs covering the language. The problem is that most material I could find either targets people who are new to the language or those with a lot of experience.
Which C++ libraries are popular these days? I guess I will need to read on the STL because I didn't use it much. What else? Boost? ATL? WTL?
Boost - though it, and other libraries were around back then, its only relatively recently that it's taken off in a big way. Google for TR1 and c++0x standards too. You should defintely read up on STL because (IMHO) its the thing that makes C++ special.
ATL is as good a dead technology (don't get me wrong, I liked it and still use it somewhat, but its not fashionable in the MS world anymore).
Something like QT is probably more new and cool for C++ developers, and has the advantage of getting you into all the new Linux and web development that'll be increasingly popular over the next few years.
However, once you start looking at the things you can do, I think it'll all come back quite quickly.
I personally find that syntax is where i mostly need to catch up when i wander back to a language i havent used in a long time. But the concepts and what the language is about stays the same in memory.
Assuming its the same with you, i would say its a good idea to relook at the texts you remember to have been useful to you while learning C++. I would recommned Thinking in C++ for getting up fast on the syntax.
STL would be really useful yes. Thats one thing i have found commonly appreciated by all mature C++ programmers. It would be useful to know the libraries that Boost provides.
The changes to C++ world, depends on the changes your favourite compiler has decided to implement. Since you mentioned ATl/COM i assume it would be VC++. The changes to MFC would be support for Windows Forms (2005 vc++) and Vista compliant uI's and ribbon support(?) (2008 Vc++)
VC++ now supports managed C++ -i'm sure you know what that is coming from the C# world - 2008 adds supports for managed STL too.
VC++ is trying to be more standards compliant and are making some progress in that area.
They have introduced lots of secure functions that depreciate the old stds like strcpy and the compilers will also give warnings if you use the old fns.
VC++2005 also has something called function attributes, which it uses to describe the parameters so that it can do more checking on the inputs you pass in and statically flag a warning if it sees soething amiss. Usefuli would say though our shop has not progressed to using the 2005 compiler.
MSDN has the list of breaking changes for each releases. Oh & Support for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, and Windows NT 4.0 has been removed from 2005 version of VC++. Additionally the core libraries you required till now (CRT, ATL, MFC etc) now support a new deployment model which makes them shared side sy side assemblies and requires a manifest.
This link should get you going - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/y8bt6w34.aspx
2008 adds even more like Tr1 recommendations, more optimizning compiler, parallel compilation(/mp), support for new processor architectures etc. Open Mp support has also been enhanced in one of these versions is what i remember.
Again refer MSDN - thats the suthentic source for all the answers.
Good luck.
Definitely read the latest edition of "Effective C++" by Scott Meyers. I would also recommend "C++ Gotchas: Avoiding Common Problems in Coding and Design" by Stephen C. Dewhurst.
To sharpen your C++ skills I'd suggest going over some of your old C++ code if you still have access to it. Revisiting it will hopefully trigger those parts of your brain that have laid dormant after switching to C# :)
For libraries STL is good, then boost. I don't think there is too much new stuff going on with ATL/WTL from what you would have known back in 2001.
Just start a project. The libraries you use will depend on your project, but you should certainly read up on the STL. If you haven't used C++ for a long time you might need learn more about templates.
Pickup one of the C++ Unit Test frameworks out there (I suggest Google C++ Testing Framework, aka. gtest). Pick a small project that you can start from scratch and try some TDD. The TDD will encourage you to make small steps and to reflect on your code. Also, as you build your suite of unit tests, it gives you a base from which you can experiment with different techniques.
Rewrite some of your C# stuff using C++
For a start, I'd say try writing code that will work on both a Mac and Windows or Linux and Windows. This will force you to write code that is much more portable than the type of C++ code you can get away with on Visual C++ - there a lot of finer points that are very different when you go cross platform.
I'd suggest stay away from libraries for now if you can - perfect your ANSI C++ game first. I'd also suggest reading up on C++0x - the next standard is due soon and it would help you more to work towards that. To that end, brush up on the STL (the concepts behind it, not the implementation so much) and templates.
If you'd like to try BOOST, go ahead, but you can generally get by without using it. The reason I stayed away from it mostly is because of the way templates are used to do what is needed - a lot of which will become much easier once the new standard is introduced.
UPDATE: Once you're comfortable with the STL and start needing to do things that require a lot of code with the STL or are just plain tricky, then head over to BOOST. Buy a book on BOOST and read it and understand it well.
Take some old piece of code and add to it. This won't get you back on top of the latest C++ trends but it will get your feet wet.
At my job I had to add some features to a C++ ActiveX control and I hadn't touched C++ in years and years and have never done it professionally. Figuring out how to do it again was actually pretty damn cool.
I was in a similar situation: switched from C++ to C# in 2005 and then switched back to C++ in 2007. I can't say C++ universe really changed in those 2 years. The most crucial thing was to regain my memory-management instincts, but that can only be done by practicing.
Now that you have both C++ and .NET under your belt you might want to study C++ CLI a bit (new incarnation of late "Managed C++").
As for books, read everything with "Meyers" and "Sutter" on the cover.