Study sheet: Introduction to C++ and OOP

📋 Course Outline

1. C++ Motivation and Course Framework
2. Programming Languages and Abstraction
3. Program Development Cycle
4. C++ Development Toolchain
5. C++ Fundamentals and Variables
6. Object-Oriented Programming Principles
7. Classes Objects and Memory
8. Access Specifiers in C++

📖 1. C++ Motivation and Course Framework

★ Must-know

• C++ was created by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs in 1985 as an extension of C with object-oriented features.

📌 C++ combines near-assembly performance, manual memory control, object-oriented programming, generic programming, and procedural programming.

Further detail

• C++ is used in:
  • operating systems
  • compilers
  • drivers
  • games
  • trading systems
  • robotics
  • embedded systems
  • performance-critical applications

💡 Memory Hook

C++ performance and control → systems, games, embedded software

📖 2. Programming Languages and Abstraction

★ Must-know

• The abstraction levels are:
  • machine
  • assembly
  • low-level
  • mid-level
  • high-level
  • very high-level

Further detail

• The listed programming paradigms are:

  • procedural
  • object-oriented
  • functional
  • scripting
  • declarative
  • logic

• C++ was introduced in 1985 after C in 1972, and Python and Java were introduced in 1991 and 1995 respectively.

💡 Memory Hook

Machine → Assembly → C/C++ → Java/Python

📖 3. Program Development Cycle

★ Must-know

• 🔄 The development stages are:
  1. problem definition
  2. algorithm design
  3. coding
  4. testing and debugging
  5. documentation

Further detail

• Problem definition identifies requirements, inputs, outputs, and constraints and produces a problem statement.

• Algorithm design uses flowcharts and pseudocode to produce an algorithm before coding begins.

💡 Memory Hook

Define → Design → Code → Test → Document

📖 4. C++ Development Toolchain

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Compiler : translates high-level source code into machine code, checks errors, performs optimization, and can create an executable file

★ Must-know

• 🔄 The compilation stages are:
  1. preprocessing
  2. compilation
  3. assembly
  4. linking

📌 A linker combines object files, resolves external references, and creates an executable, whereas a loader places the executable in memory and starts it.

Further detail

📌 Static linking copies libraries into the executable, whereas dynamic linking loads libraries at runtime and requires DLL or .so files.

💡 Memory Hook

Source → Compiler → Object files → Linker → Executable → Loader

📖 5. C++ Fundamentals and Variables

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Variable : a named storage location in memory that holds a value that can change during program execution

★ Must-know

• Variable naming rules require that a name:
  • start with a letter or underscore
  • contain letters, digits, and underscores
  • be case-sensitive
  • not be a reserved keyword
  • contain no spaces

📌 A local variable is declared inside a function or block, whereas a global variable is declared outside all functions.

Further detail

• The presented primitive types are:
  • int
  • float
  • double
  • char
  • bool
  • void

📖 6. Object-Oriented Programming Principles

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Encapsulation : binds data and methods together while hiding internal implementation details

📝 Essential Points

📌 Procedural programming focuses on functions and separates data from functions, whereas object-oriented programming combines data and methods in objects.

• The four core OOP principles are:
  • encapsulation
  • inheritance
  • polymorphism
  • abstraction

💡 Memory Hook

EIPA: Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction

📖 7. Classes Objects and Memory

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Class : a user-defined data type that encapsulates data members and member functions and serves as a blueprint for objects without allocating object memory
• Object : an instance of a class that occupies memory and can be manipulated through the properties and behaviors defined by the class

★ Must-know

📌 The dot operator accesses members through an object, whereas the arrow operator accesses members through a pointer to an object and is equivalent to (*pointer).member.

📌 Objects allocated on the stack are destroyed automatically, whereas objects allocated on the heap with new require a matching delete to prevent memory leaks.

Further detail

📌 A member function defined inside a class is inline by default, whereas a member function defined outside the class separates its interface from its implementation using the scope-resolution operator.

💡 Memory Hook

Class is the blueprint; object is the memory-resident instance

📖 8. Access Specifiers in C++

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Access Specifier : defines the visibility and accessibility of class data members and member functions from different parts of a program

📝 Essential Points

• Public members are accessible from inside the class, derived classes, and outside the class.

• Protected members are accessible inside their class and derived classes but not from outside the class.

• Private members are accessible only inside their class, and the default access specifier in a class is private while the default access specifier in a struct is public.

💡 Memory Hook

public: everywhere; protected: class and children; private: class only

📊 Synthesis Tables

Access Specifier Visibility

Specifier	Inside class	Derived class	Outside class
public	Yes	Yes	Yes
protected	Yes	Yes	No
private	Yes	No	No