Week 1. At a Glance

As you prepare for your first week of learning how to program in C++, you will need a few things: a compiler, an editor, and this book. If you don’t have a C++ compiler and an editor, you can still use this book, but you won’t get as much out of it as you would if you were to do the exercises.

The best way to learn to program is by writing programs! At the end of each day, you will find a workshop containing a quiz and some exercises. Be certain to take the time to answer all the questions, and to evaluate your work as objectively as you can. The later lessons build on what you learn in the earlier days, so be certain you fully understand the material before moving on.

A Note to C Programmers

The material in the first five days will be familiar to you; however, there are a few minor differences if you want to follow the C++ standards. Be certain to skim the material and to do the exercises, to ensure you are fully up to speed before going on to Day 6, “Understanding Object-Oriented Programming.”

Where You Are Going

The first week covers the material you need to get started with programming in general, and with C++ in particular. On Day 1, “Getting Started,” and Day 2, “The Anatomy of a C++ Program,” you will be introduced to the basic concepts of programming and program flow. On Day 3, “Working with Variables and Constants,” you will learn about variables and constants and how to use data in your programs. On Day 4, “Creating Expressions and Statements,” you will learn how programs branch based on the data provided and the conditions encountered when the program is running. On Day 5, “Organizing into Functions,” you will learn what functions are and how to use them, and on Day 6 you will learn about classes and objects. On Day 7, “More on Program Flow,” you will learn more about program flow, and by the end of the first week, you will be writing real object-oriented programs.