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Closed 10 years ago.
I loved the Head First series book on object oriented design. It was a very gentle and funny introduction to the subject. I am currently taking a data structures class and find the text we are using (Kruse/Ryba Data Structures and Program Design in C++) to be very dry and hard to comprehend. This is mostly due I think to my own limitations in the area of Mathematics.
Does anyone know of a Data Structures text that is written in a lighter style, with a sense of humor, that still covers all the basics like Binary Trees, B Trees, and Graphs?
The Algorithm Design Manual by Steve Skiena isn't exactly a barrel of laughs, but it's relatively light on the deeper mathematics and contains lots of what he calls "War Stories", which are illustrative examples from real world situations where algorithm work really paid off (or, sometimes, totally failed). He's also got his audio and video lectures online, and he's got a nice lecture style with bits of humor interspersed, so it might be what you are looking for.
This too is not light either but it is pretty decent
Algorithms and data structures by Robert Lafore
There is nothing more readable and meaningful, in my opinion than http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Algorithms-Parts-1-5-Fundamentals/dp/020172684X
It's 2 books, part 5 being graphs and is not as useful as the other book - unless of course, you want to use graphs to solve a problem. :)
How to Solve it By Computer by Dromey though not exactly an algorithms book takes the approach of re-discovering the process by which many data-structures and algorithms were arrived at over the years. This allows us to understand the flow of thought behind the code and some of the forces at work.
Related: This book follows in the foot-steps of another great book: How to Solve It by G. Polya which talks about how great mathematicians go about the problem-solving process.
I'm currently using Larry Nyhoff's ADTs, Data Structures, and Problem Solving with C++.
It's not as light or enjoyable to read as a Head First series book, but it's really well detailed on binary trees, b trees, and graphs. Its code samples have been really helpful for completing my assignments. No higher math knowledge is required to understand the text (except, of course, on the chapter dedicated to algorithm analysis).
Beginning Algorithms by Harris and Ross (a Wrox Press book) was one I liked, although its examples are presented in Java, not C++. Might be a nice accompaniment to the text you're trudging through in class.
I've heard good things about "Introduction to algorithms, A creative approach - Udi Manber"
I can't verify it though since it's not available locally :(
http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Algorithms-Creative-Udi-Manber/dp/0201120372
Related
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Closed 10 years ago.
In my early days of programming, before I started working professionally, I wrote a fair share of trinket/exercise apps in C++ and felt fairly confident that I know the language. Then, as opportunity came, I went to do real work and left the C/C++ world. For the past 5 years I've written tons of code in C# and have had scarcely any encounters with the C/C++ languages. Now, after spending some time on SO and teh interwebs, I see that what I thought I know as "C++" is actually a mix between C and C++, with large gaps in my knowledge about the more intricate workings of the language. At the same time I also realize that I am intrigued by the language and would like to learn it more.
Googling for "C++ tutorials" reveals a wealth of tutorials, but they are all aimed at complete beginners, spending a lot of time explaining basics that I'm already familiar with. I don't expect that there will be any tutorials made exactly for me, but are there some that have at least been written with an experienced programmer in mind, not spending a lot of time on trivial things, and discussing the finer points of the language and compilers?
C++ is too complex to be learned through tutorials, you could only scratch the surface that way. Especially the advanced usage of the STL (and templates in general) is usually beyond the scope of online tutorials.
Therefore, I would recommend books: Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language", and Scott Meyer's "Effective C++", "More effective C++" and "Effective STL".
You can skip the first few chapters of Stroustrup if you feel confident you know that part already, but it's the best book for going into the details of the language. There should be a law for every aspiring C++ programmer to read at least the first two of Meyer's books I mentioned.
Once you're through with that, check out "Modern C++ Design" by Andrei Alexandrescu for a real eye-opener for what templates can be used for.
Update: In reaction to a downvote eight years later (...), be aware of The Definite C++ Books List. My personal recommendations above hold true, but that list is community-driven.
C++ is a very old language so there are lots of good books available. I would recommend to read those books, rather than searching sites and blogs. My personal experience says in harder to find lot of good articles at one place, by most of the good articles are already in books.
Regarding sites:
Dr. Dobb's site and journal have lots of good articles.
Books:
Effective C++
Exceptional C++
C++ Object Model
Bjarne Stroustrup
Beyond the C++ Standard Library
I suggest, though rather as supplement, the C++ FAQ Lite. It has information ranging from basic things to really obscure C++ features and many tips to write good C++ and helped me more than once when some stupid template thing or whatever wouldn't do what I expect.
1.C++ Object model is nice book for professionals.
2.Design and evolution of C++ by bjarne stroustrup give you in-depth insight.
3.Scott Meyers' Effective C++ series is also nice one.
You've gotten a number of good recommendations, but none seems to have included the one that was really written to fit your situation. Accelerated C++ was written for people who already know the basics of programming, and just want to learn how to program in C++.
Workings of the language? What areas exactly do you think are worth improving? I have a slight trouble extracting it from your question.
One book that i always keep on my table and peek into frequently is C++ Primer by Lippman et al, 4th ed., ISBN 0-201-72148-1. This is not a tutorial, this is a reference. Whenever you have a question about the language itself, this is where you can find a short and precise answer.
If you want specifically a tutorial which aims at experienced C programmers, see Bruce Eckel's Thinking in C++. Available as free download on author's site and also printed through Prentice Hall.
At some point you will have learnt a great many things which you CAN do, from then on, you should learn what NOT to do. This is a long and painful part, and i don't have a precise recipy, but accept my sympathies. The deeper you get involved into complex stuff the more likely is it to bite you at some point due to conflicts between language features. I suggest taking a look at Imperfect C++ by Matthew Wilson, C++ Coding Standards by Sutter and Alexandrescu.
You probably want to skip the stuff you already know and move on to harder more fun stuff. I assume you already know a lot about the language and it's syntax, methods, classes, etc.
Where to start? Well, there are very good books and papers on the language. I can recommend many books on the language but you can probably find them using the stackoverflow search.
I can only tell you what you already know. You wont find a book that covers it all. You will have to browse through many books in order to get what you desire. Take a randomly recommended book, browse through it skip the stuff you know and try to fit it all together. Try to make something out of the fresh knowledge by writing some code to understand it better. Do it until you understand it fully.
Here is a brief tutorial for advanced C programmers to refresh your memory on the language.
Essential C++ by Lippman is a small but great book.
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Closed 11 years ago.
I need to read "A Practical Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis" by Shaffer for class but the code examples in the book are all in C++ which I do not know. I know C and Java already and was wondering if you knew any resources that helped learn enough C++ to understand these examples fast if you already know another language. Thanks!
Another free textbook is The C++ Annotations by Frank B. Brokken. You can browse it online, or you can download the pdf version.
A quote from the first page:
This document is intended for
knowledgeable users of C (or any other
language using a C-like grammar, like
Perl or Java) who would like to know
more about, or make the transition to,
C++. This document is the main
textbook for Frank's C++ programming
courses, which are yearly organized at
the University of Groningen
What I like about "The C++ Annotations" is that is being kept uptodate, version 8.0.0 has
added C++0x chapters.
Yes, (the first edition of) Thinking in C++ taught me how to read C++ syntax; it was designed for C programmers and each chapter built incrementally onto my existing knowledge of C, which I found helpful (and it's now available in print or as a download). Many people recommend it.
I'm not familiar with the book, but any good Algorithms and Data Structure book should be understandable to anyone with programming experience, weather they understand the language the examples are in or not.
Especially, in your case where you already know Java and C, I can't see that you will have any problems following the algorithms just because they are written in C++
This is quite a textbook (and quite expensive, so see if your library has it), but I would recommend the man's book itself, the C++ Programming Language linky. I used it to enhance, rather than create, my understanding of C++, but I used it in the form of a dictionary, and it seemed to work out well. It is written for people comfortable with programming, and you've gotten the pointers AND the OO stuff down, so it may mesh well.
For example... Chapter 2, a Tour of C++ (as I have it open in my lap now), talks about a large number of things, many of which compare themselves to the "C" way of doing things. The things are not new to a Java programmer, but different syntax, etc. Basically, if you want to learn about C++ iterators, look up the iterators chapter, etc.
I think you'll do ok without necessarily needing a book, but C++ has ridiculously tricky syntax, (try figuring out how to assign a constant field in an object instance using the constructor, for example) and I found the book to be quite illuminating. Thankfully, there's a pretty nifty index including operators, which is quite helpful.
Lastly, if you want to be a guru (which I certainly am not), there are discussions about everything from "Exception-Safe implementation techniques" (Appendix E.3) to philosophy of developing large software projects.
So I've given you quite the advertisement (I've never met the guy, honest), but I've found the book to be quite useful.
See the following previous questions for online C++ learning resources:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/45175/resources-online-to-learn-c
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/909323/what-are-good-online-resources-or-tutorials-to-learn-c
I'd recommend taking a look through C++ Primer Plus (5th Edition). What you probably need to get your head around is the syntax for:
the type system
templates
operator overloading
The basic syntax of C++ is usually fairly easy to get a hold of, however, C++ is a complex multi-paradigm language, which requires some serious study to use it effectively.
C++ Primer Plus (5th Edition) http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YAKQF6BML._SL160_.jpg
I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned Accelerated C++. It's not based as much on your existing knowledge of C (or Java), but it will teach you the language as it stands alone.
I found 'C++' by Till Jeske, 2002, ISBN 0-201-75879-2 very good. It is not a pet killer, only 1.25 thick, and quite well written - concise and to the point. I knew some C++ before but Jeske's book really helped me.
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Closed 11 years ago.
I'm currently learning C++ and would like to start reading others sourcecode to pick up tips. I was wondering if anyone has examples of well written C++ that I can take a look at (and not pick up bad habits from)
As you've probably discovered, there are many Internet sources for examples of C++ code. StackOverflow, CodeProject, etc. all have examples of source. But of course, they're all over the map in terms of quality and educational value.
I think, in this area, books still trump the Internet. There's no substitute for going to the bookstore, thumbing through a few tomes, and picking one that you find readable. They've been proof-read (unlike may Internet submissions), so the samples are more likely to work and to be of high-quality.
While the books typically have small snippets of code or a few functions, they usually come with a CD or URL that points you to more full-blown examples.
O'Reilly, Thinking in C++, Petzold, and Wrox (and more) all have good books on C++.
The Boost library? It is generally considered some of the highest quality C++ code written. (A lot of it is also more or less unreadable unless you're a C++ guru yourself, though)
In general, I'd advise against you to be cautious with this approach though. In C++, the source code probably won't be as informative as in many other languages.
If you see some Python code, you can pretty much assume it's correct as long as it runs. If it's written by someone who seems to know what they're doing, you can even assume that it's well written.
In C++, there are just so many nasty pitfalls and subtle exceptions to every rule that you really need to know what you're doing. Going by what compiles, or what seems to work, or what you saw in someone else's source code is dangerous, and pretty much guarantees that you'll sooner or later end up with a program that relies on undefined behavior, and will crash when you least expect it.
If I were you, I'd try to stick to books. There are some very well written ones, which in addition to letting you see some source code, also teach you the langage "properly". And as long as you stick to reputable authors, you're ensured that they won't teach you any bad habits or plunge you into nonportable code.
In my opinion if you read a good C++ book (like "The C++ Programming Language", "(More) Effective C++" or "Exceptional C++").
You will not only learn good practices but should also get sense of how to write code.
Of course the samples in these Books are mostly artifical. If you read 'real-world-applications' you will always encounter pieces of code which are pretty ugly, but sometimes there wasn't just a nice clean solution for it (or a not-so-clean solution was just more efficient in terms of speed).
So I don't know if it's best to start with real applications since they can also be very overwhelming due to the amount of codesize and complexity, whereas sample codes in Books are compact and clearly laid-out.
I think for starters you would be best off reading such references as the books I have listed.
If you have to be flexible at some point in the future and have to produce ugly code, you will at least know that it's ugly code and not mistake it for "that's how it should be" ;)
Reading through open source software can be very educational if you already have a little bit of knowledge of C++. If you're just starting out, I imagine the Boost libraries will go right over your head. You could start with the WebKit project, which is an excellent resource. Also Google releases a lot of their source code, which also happens to be VERY clean: Protocol Buffers is a great example. And while you're at it, you may as well read their C++ Style Guide as well.
Personally, I started learning C++ by picking up a couple of books and writing some little challenge applications. Bear in mind that learning a language as extensive as C++ takes a long time, like 10 years long.
Many years ago, I was told that if I ever wanted a career as a C++ developer, I should definitely read Effective C++ by Scott Meyers. That should prevent you from falling into many of the language's pitfalls. If you find you need something even simpler, start with The C Programming Language by Kernighan & Ritchie. Be patient and good luck!
If you want a complete project to browse through, I would recommend Ogre3d. It is a well structured graphics engine with decent documentation and the source code itself is nice, too.
How about: Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup?
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Closed 11 years ago.
I have a Phone interview coming up next with with a company which works in financial software industry. The interview is mainly going to be in C++ and problem solving and logic. Please tell me the method of preparation for this interview. I have started skimming through Thinking in C++ and brushing up the concepts. Is there any other way I can prepare?? Please help.
Edit:
Thank you all everyone for the advice. I just want to add that I am currently fresh out of grad school and have no previous experience. So Can you suggest some type of questions that will be asked to new grads??
Make sure you know your basic data structures and algorithms. You're more likely to be asked about that stuff than something higher up the food chain. Those are usually saved for the in-person interview.
Put another way: be solid with the fundamentals and solid with your C++ syntax. Also, knowledge of common libraries like STL and Boost couldn't hurt...but be sure you know what those libraries give you! In the end phone screens are there to cull out people who can't do the basics. Prove you can and you should move on to the next step. Good luck!
Here's some links of interview questions to check out:
C++ Interview Questions # DevBistro
C++ Interview Questions # Blogspot
C++ Interview Questions # FYI Center
Steve Yegge's Five Essential Phone Screen Questions (added this in response to your edit. This isn't C++-only, but a lot of it applies to C++ and I think would be a good read in your situation).
Now, for completion's sake, some books:
Scott Meyers "Effective" series (Effective C++, More Effective C++, Effective STL)
Herb Sutter's "Exceptional" series (Exceptional C++, More Exceptional C++, Exceptional C++ Style)
The C++ Standard Library by Josuttis
C++ Primer by Lippman et al
Stroustrup's text as a reference
I have interviewed several candidates specifically focusing on their C++ knowledge, and if there was one question that worked well to put peoples' knowledge of C++ on a gradient, it was this one:
Fix this memory leak as robustly as you can:
void doSomething()
{
Foo* pFoo = new Foo();
[do some stuff]
}
+1 for putting delete pFoo at the end
+2 for putting pFoo in a std::auto_ptr
+3 for knowing what RAII is - the concept, if not the acronym
+4 for mentioning exception-safety guarantees of the auto_ptr
+5 for putting pFoo in a boost:shared_ptr
+6 for knowing when a shared_ptr might not be freed.
+7 for talking about garbage collection techniques to fix circular references
This always worked to show how long someone had been working with C++. This is one datapoint you can use to tell where you are in the scale of C++ knowledge.
Edit: I would recommend someone for hire at level 3 or above.
Try some practice problems on TopCoder.
Check out Marshall Cline's C++ FAQ. Its a good way to learn some new stuff and bone up on the things you already know in case the decide to ask you some 'knowledge' questions as opposed to 'problem solving' questions.
Grab a knowledgeable friend and have them ask you some C++ programming problems that you can solve on a whiteboard. A lot of interviews will have you solve a problem on a whiteboard, and it can be disconcerting to think on your feet and write things out in front of someone if you are not used to it.
Even if they're interviewing for a C++ position not all questions may be specific to C++. For example, I've been hit with questions related to the following all in the same set of interviews for a single C++ position:
Algorithmic complexity of well known sort and search algorithms
Multithreaded programming
Multiprocess programming
Sockets programming
Software development philosophy / approach
Software test and validation philosophy / approach
Debugging
Benchmarking
Dynamic and static analysis of code (e.g. run-time memory leak detection vs compile-time)
In my case, the phone interview was part of a screening process to determine if I could take an online C/C++ knowledge test (e.g. through BrainBench). The online test results then determined if I would be flown out for on-site interviews, which also included more "hands-on" software development tests.
YMMV. A lot depends on what you claim on your resume, as well.
Interviewers often try to help you by giving you hints so that they can see if you can arrive at the answer they're looking for. Besides gauging your knowledge, they also want to see how you think. Occassionally you might get a crummy interviewer that is neither helpful nor positive. The key is to be confident in your abilities and be truthful.
HTH and good luck!
Something which I am starting to believe is that there is sometimes a clear divide between candidates that enjoy programming as a hobby versus those who consider it "just a day job".
Even if you don't know the answer to a specific question it is worth mentioning that normally you'd look up the answer on < your favourite resource > (eg. StackOverflow).
Based on your experience I don't think the interviewer will expect that you'll get every question right. They're most likely trying to decide if you've got "potential".
So relax and try to enjoy it!
Besides the obvious parts of the language, I've found that employers will want to see if you fully understand pointers, references, how copy-constructors come into everything, probably STL, and of course the basics of classes.
Read (or skim, depending on how much time you have to prepare) "Large-Scale C++ Software Design" by John Lakos. Chances are, you will need it.
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Closed 10 years ago.
I haven't used C++ since college. Even though I've wanted to I haven't needed to do any until I started wanting to write plugins for Launchy.
Is there a good book to read to get back into it?
My experience since college is mainly C# and recently ruby. I bought some book for C# developers and it ended up being on how to write C++ with CLI. While a good book it wasn't quite what I was looking for.
My favorites are Effective C++, More Effective C++, and Effective STL by Scott Meyers. Also C++ Coding Standards by Sutter and Alexandrescu.
The best way to get back into C++ is to jump in. You can't learn a real language without spending any serious time in a country where they speak it. I wouldn't try to learn a programming language without spending time coding in it either.
I wouldn't recommend learning C first though. That's a good way to pick up some bad habits in C++.
I haven't tried it myself but have heard from people and sources I trust that "Accelerated C++" by Koenig and Moo is a good book for people who want to pick up C++ quickly. Compared to the more traditional route of learning C first then C++ as a kind of C with classes the K+M approach helps you become productive quickly while avoiding pitfalls and bad habits associated with the legacy of the language.
A good starting place is "Thinking in C++" by Bruce Eckel, I've rarely had anyone complain about the book. Well written and also has a version available online.
Another online book that I pick up whenever I need to get back into C++ is "C++ In Action" by Bartosz Milewski. Its online at his site.
The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup covers C++ in depth. Bjarne is the inventor of C++. It also provides insights into why the language is the way it is. Some people find the book a little terse. I found it to be an enjoyable read. If you have done some C++ before it's a great place to start. It is by no means a beginners book on C++.
My book recommendations:
Essential C++ (Lippman)
C++ Common Knowledge: Essential Intermediate Programming (Dewhurst)
...and I second the Effective C++ suggestion above.
A very handy alternative to buying books in meatspace is to subscribe to a service like Safari Books Online. For a not unreasonable monthly fee you'll get access to all of the above books plus a bajillion others. If you desire fast random access to more than a couple books, it pretty much pays for itself. It's an easy case to make if you want to convince your employer to pay for it.
Beyond that, sit yourself in front of an IDE that has a C++ code completion feature (I use Eclipse/CDT most of the time).