C++ Reference

klopyrev · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:32 pm

Can someone point out to me a good reference manual for C++? I need one that covers the language basics, like syntax in case I ever have questions. Also, I need a manual that covers all or most of the standard libraries of C++, including the IO Stream library, STL and others. Basically, I need something like the reference at http://cplusplus.com/reference/, but in book form. If you know any good ones, please point them out to me. Thanks!

KL

Fevian · **Posted:** Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:20 pm

I have a book that's decent for learning. I dont' mean extremely awesome, but it gets me by. And it wasn't insanely expensive. I don't know the author as I don't have it here, but it's the Visual Quickstart to C++.

klopyrev · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:05 pm

Any other books?

bugzpodder · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:07 pm

why don't you get a standard c++ book AND a STL book? usually the two doesn't combine since c++ standards have been around for a long time but STL is relatively new addition. a book that covers both wont have enough depth in STL for algorithm usage

klopyrev · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:09 pm

Damn:( I need one for contests! For most contests, they specify that you can have one reference book for each language you are using. Some stupid contests like ECOO even specify that the book has to come from the Hardware or Software manufacturer. Who the hell manufactured C++? I just need an overall reference that covers most of what I need on a contest. Something like the JAVA docs!!! Any suggestions?

KL

Skynet · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:25 pm

I'm not sure if it's got everything you need, but I've used "C++ In A Nutshell" before. (O'Reilly Media) Maybe you could go by a Chapters and see if it's got everything you need - it's fairly popular.

OneOffDriveByPoster · **Posted:** Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:51 pm

klopyrev @ Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:09 pm wrote:

Some stupid contests like ECOO even specify that the book has to come from the Hardware or Software manufacturer. Who the hell manufactured C++?

Go for a compiler reference. Maybe Microsoft, IBM, HP, Sun, etc. MSDN looks nice--maybe they have a hard-copy?

EDIT: Don't forget to try a library reference too (but if you can only have one book...)
Library implementations: Dinkumware, RogueWave, etc.

Martin · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:56 am

I guess the two essentials are "The C++ Programming Language" by Stroustrup and "The C++ Standard Library" by Josuttis. Also, I'd recommend picking up a copy of "C++ in a Nutshell" by Lischner, although it might be more advanced than what you're looking for. Also, "Exceptional C++" by Sutter isn't an overview of the language, but it has a lot of problems about various nuances of C++, which could be a nice reference.

If you're going to get any books, get them in the order that I listed them in. I'm pretty sure that the first 3 books will be okay for most contests (definitely the first one will, at least).

klopyrev · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:57 am

What about "The Annotated C++ Reference Manual" by Stroustrup? What's the different between that book and "The C++ Programming Language" by the same author?

KL

Martin · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:06 pm

I'd never heard of that before, but according to the amazon reviews it's "great but outdated."

wtd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:14 pm

"Great but outdated" sounds a lot like the current state of C++ in general.

Come on C++0x...

haskell · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:08 pm

Hey... C++ is recieving some pretty high calibur revision proposals.

From Google Code

Quote:

Google Hosts C++ Standards Meeting
3/13/2007 11:24:00 AM
Post by Matt Austern, Software Engineering Team

Two weeks ago, Google hosted a two-day informal meeting to discuss Concepts, a major new language feature for the next version of C++. Concepts are the foundation of generic programming, but until now they haven't been part of the actual C++ language. Last week's meeting was part of a multi-year effort to improve C++ by adding explicit support for Concepts. Papers have already been given at the Principles for Programming Language Symposium (pdf) and the Object Oriented Programming, Systems, Languages & Applications Conference (pdf).

Attendees at last week's meeting made significant progress: the group finalized many details of Concepts and resolved concerns about implementation issues. Keep an eye on the C++ Standards Committee Website, as the final version of the concepts proposal will be available in just a few weeks.

But yeah, C++ is really out-dated. Its a different time, it'll either have to step up, or step out. Most likely the only reason why C++ is still popular is due to the crap loads of legacy code... Porting all C++ code is both inefficient and stupid.

Hopefully at the next revision, it may come to offically support a few features that will take C++ into a more modern vibe.

wtd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:29 pm

Yes, when I said C++0x, those revisions (notably Concepts) are what I was referring to.

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