2 C++ Basics

1. 2.1 Variables and Assignments 40

   1. Variables 40

   2. Names: Identifiers 42

   3. Variable Declarations 44

   4. Assignment Statements 46

   5. Pitfall: Uninitialized Variables 47

   6. Programming Tip: Use Meaningful Names 49

2. 2.2 Input and Output 50

   1. Output Using cout 50

   2. Include Directives and Namespaces 52

   3. Escape Sequences 53

   4. Programming Tip: End Each Program with a \n or endl 55

   5. Formatting for Numbers with a Decimal Point 55

   6. Input Using cin 56

   7. Designing Input and Output 58

   8. Programming Tip: Line Breaks in I/O 58

3. 2.3 Data Types and Expressions 60

   1. The Types int and double 60

   2. Other Number Types 62

   3. C++11 Types 63

   4. The Type char 64

   5. The Type bool 66

   6. Introduction to the Class string 66

   7. Type Compatibilities 68

   8. Arithmetic Operators and Expressions 69

   9. Pitfall: Whole Numbers in Division 72

   10. More Assignment Statements 74

4. 2.4 Simple Flow of Control 74

   1. A Simple Branching Mechanism 75

   2. Pitfall: Strings of Inequalities 80

   3. Pitfall: Using = in place of == 81

   4. Compound Statements 82

   5. Simple Loop Mechanisms 84

   6. Increment and Decrement Operators 87

   7. Programming Example: Charge Card Balance 89

   8. Pitfall: Infinite Loops 90

5. 2.5 Program Style 93

   1. Indenting 93

   2. Comments 93

   3. Naming Constants 95

1. Chapter Summary 98

2. Answers to Self-Test Exercises 98

3. Practice Programs 103

4. Programming Projects 105

Don’t imagine you know what a computer terminal is. A computer terminal is not some clunky old television with a typewriter in front of it. It is an interface where the mind and the body can connect with the universe and move bits of it about.

DOUGLAS ADAMS, Mostly Harmless (the fifth volume in The Hitchhiker’s Trilogy)

Introduction

In this chapter we explain some additional sample C++ programs and present enough details of the C++ language to allow you to write simple C++ programs.

Prerequisites

In Chapter 1 we gave a brief description of one sample C++ program. (If you have not read the description of that program, you may find it helpful to do so before reading this chapter.)