Old-Newbie-FAQ (C++ Learning Community)

Title: Old-Newbie-FAQ
Description: Read if you feel like it!

ih8censorship - February 26, 2004 12:54 AM (GMT)

well thanks to KTC heres the communitys Newbie FAQ!

Visual C++ the same as C++ right ?
NO, C++ is the programming language, whereas Viusal C++ is one of many implementation available that you can use to write and compile your program.

Okay, do people actually uses C++ ?
What programs are written in C++ ?
One word: YES!
Take a look at http://www.research.att.com/~bs/applications.html for a quick list of things built with C++.

Should I learn C before I learn C++ ?
If you want to know C, learn C, otherwise, if your ultimate goal is to know C++, then don't bother.

QUOTE (C++ FAQ Lite @ Marshall Cline)

If your ultimate goal is to learn OO/C++ and you don't already know C, reading books or taking courses in C will not only waste your time, but it will teach you a bunch of things that you'll explicitly have to un-learn when you finally get back on track and learn OO/C++ (e.g., malloc(), printf(), unnecessary use of switch statements, error-code exception handling, unnecessary use of #define macros, etc.).

If you want to learn OO/C++, learn OO/C++. Taking time out to learn C will waste your time and confuse you.

QUOTE (Stroustrup FAQ)

The common subset of C and C++ is easier to learn than C. There will be less type errors to catch manually (the C++ type system is stricter and more expressive), fewer tricks to learn (C++ allows you to express more things without circumlocution), and better libraries available. The best initial subset of C++ to learn is not "all of C".

Where can I get a free compiler then ?
If you're using Linux and the like, then the obvious choice would be the GNU C++ compiler. It comes with most Linux distro already, otherwise download it from GNU Compiler Collection

On Windows, there's various compiler one can try:

Dev-C++ - Nice IDE with integrated debugging (using GDB) that uses MinGW port of GCC. Tend to produce slightly larger executable than some other compilers.
Borland Command Line Compiler - Very good compiler, command line use only, no IDE.
Digital Mars C++ - Another command line only compiler, fast compile time.
Open Watcom C++ - Open source follow-up to Sybase Watcom C++ compiler. Not the most up-to-date in regards to implementation of the standard but are getting there.

For MS-DOS (Anyone still actually uses DOS?? :blink: ):

DJGPP - MS-DOS port of GCC.

Which online tutorial should I use ?
What books should I get ?
A word of warning before we start, most tutorials on the internet is either badly out-of-date, crap, or just plain incorrect.

Therefore, one should obtain (buy, beg, or borrow :D) some good books to supplement the learning if one does decide to use online tutorials.

http://cplus.about.com/library/blcplustut.htm - The best up to date online tutorial that I can find, assume no previous programming knowledge.
http://babbage.cs.qc.edu/STL_Docs/templates.htm - Great tutorial on templates. NOT for beginners to C++.
http://www.4p8.com/eric.brasseur/cppcen.html - A very quick overview of the difference of C++ to C for experienced C programmer.

One should get more than one book to learn C++ from as no one book can teach you everything you need to know:

C++ Primer 3rd Edition - A very very comprehensive book on C++. Need to have a little bit of programming knowledge. (Use this alongside the above tutorial for example)
Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example - Faster paced book aimed at people with previous programming knowledge using a different language.
Thinking in C++ 2nd Edition (Vol 1, Vol 2) - Another very good book. Assume previous C (or similar) knowledge. Buy or free download from author website!
The C++ Programming Language (Special 3rd Edition) - From the creator of C++. The book to get after reading one of the above book.
The C++ Standard Library : A Tutorial and Reference - Want to learn everything about the STL? Get this!
Effective C++: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Design (2nd Edition)
More Effective C++: 35 New Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs - The other books teaches you what you can and can't do in C++, these two teach you whether you should do it in the first place.
C++ FAQs (2nd Edition) - Covers around 500 topics in FAQ style Q&A format.

As always, the above list can't cover every book that deserve to be there, so take a look at
http://www.accu.org/bookreviews/public/index.htm for some book review from expert in C++. (Do take note of the review date as old review means the book might no longer be up to date)

My program flashes and then vanishes!! ?
How do I get the command prompt to stay open after program finishes ?
First, an explanation of why it flashes and then closed is necessary here.
Under windows (and possibly other OS as well, but definitely windows), one can run a console program by double clicking on it. (Note: same effect can occur if you tell your IDE to run your program) This in turn will cause a command prompt window to open and display the output from your program. When your program finish what it's doing and terminate, control is passed immediately back to the OS which will close the command prompt which it opened for you to run your program.

There's several different way one can make the command prompt stays open after your program finishs running, so that you can actually read the output from your program say. You can either open a command prompt, change directory to the one containing your executable, and run it from there, or you have to insert some codes into your program just before the end so that your program doesn't finish and quit. The various solution to adding codes is:

Add the line system("PAUSE"); to the end of the program just before the return statement. The function system( char* ) is declare in <cstdlib>, it takes a C-style character string and pass it to the OS just as if you have typed it stright into the command prompt. Now, since PAUSE is a windows program that basically send the command prompt to sleep until a button is press, this only works if you're running windows.
Have a temporary variable that wait for input from the buffer. (This only works if there's nothing already in the input buffer.)

CODE

std::string temp;
std::cout << "Press Enter to continue . . .\n";
std::cin >> temp;

Tell cin to ignore all input until Enter is pressed. (Again, only works if there's nothing already in the input buffer.)

CODE

#include <limits>
....
std::cout << "Press Enter to continue . . .\n";
std::cin.ignore(std::numeric_limits<std::streamsize>::max(), '\n');

CODE

std::cout << "Press any key to continue . . .\n";
std::cin.get();

Can I write void main() ?
main() returns void, right ?
Can I just write main() ?
No, no and NO!
For a standard conforming program, main() always, ALWAYS return int. void main() is not and never has been C++ (or even C for that matter). According to the ISO/IEC C++ standard 3.6.1[2], the two acceptable definition of main is

CODE

int main() { /* ... */ }

and

CODE

int main( int argc, char* argv[] ) { /* ... */ }

Note also that ISO C++ (or C99) does NOT allow you to leave the return type out of a function declaration so that the return type is implicitly assumed to be int.

Note the above applies only to hosted environment, none of it applies to freestanding environment, which does not require to have main(). However, chances are, if you're reading this, you'll be in a hosted environment.

What shall main() return then ?
The three values which one can use for program termination according to ISO C++ are 0, EXIT_SUCCESS, or EXIT_FAILURE (These two macros are defined in <cstdlib>). 0 and EXIT_SUCCESS represent a successful program termination, whereas EXIT_FAILURE represent unsuccessful. Any other return value produce a program termination status that is implementationally-defined.

What's the difference between <iostream> and <iostream.h> ?
Why doesn't cout, or anything from the Standard Library work ?
What's this namespace thing about ?
What is this std:: that appears in front of cout in other people's codes?
<iostream> is the correct header name. Unlike in C, ISO C++ standard headers does not have .h suffix.
When C++ was first invented, the io function was provided in a header file call iostream.h . A few years later, while the C++ standard was being worked on, namespaces was invented and put into C++. Since then, the correct header name for the io function is iostream (without the .h). At the same time, all the function that are provided for you in any of the standard header files are declared to be inside std namespace. Namespace essentially allows variables and fuction to be localized to certain area of codes. So, for example, two programmers working on the same program wouldn't have to worry about some of their variables having the same name.

There's three way for you to access the various functions provided by the standard headers:

You can fully qualify what namespace the function or object you're trying to access is in

CODE

std::cout << "hello, world\n";

You can use a "using declaration"

CODE

using std::cout;
....
cout << "hello, world\n";

Lastly, you can use a "using directive"

CODE

using namespace std;
....
cout << "hello, world\n";

The using directive dump everything into global scope, allowing you to use all of the C++ standard header functions without qualification. This is not recommended as it defeats the purposes of having namespace in C++, but for just starting out, you might find this the most convenient.

What's the difference between std::endl and '\n' ?
'\n' send to output buffer a newline, std::endl sends the newline and then flushes the output buffer (i.e. actually print the thing out on the command prompt). As such, std::endl is more expensive performance wise. So use only when you actually need to flush the output buffer.

How do I generate a (pseudo)random number ?
Why isn't my random numbers random at all ?
How do I use rand() so it doesn't produce the same numbers each time my program is run ?
"The function rand() as provided in <cstdlib> computes and return a pseudo-random integers between 0 and RAND_MAX where RAND_MAX is at least 32767.
The function srand( unsigned int ) uses the argument as a seed for a new sequence of pseudo-random numbers to be returned by subsequent calls to rand() .
Note that if rand() is called before any calls to srand have been made, the same sequence shall be generated as when srand is first called with a seed value of 1."

CODE

// Examples of generating random numbers using rand() and srand()
#include <cstdlib>
#include <ctime>
/* .... */
srand( time( NULL ) ); // Seeds rand(). Remember to only call ONCE in your program!

int random1 = rand(); // random number between 0 and RAND_MAX
int random2 = rand() % (n + 1); // random number between 0 and n (including n)
int random3 = (rand() % n) + 1; // random number between 1 and n (including b)
int random4 = (rand() % (y - x)) + x; // random number between x and y (including x, excluding y)

Why shouldn't I use == to compare two floating point number ?
Okay, this is a computer science issue rather than C++, but here goes anyway...
The problem is floating point number can only represent a finite set of numbers. In an ideal world, all the rational & irrational numbers can be stored. However, since that's not the case, some (most!) floating point numbers cannot be represented exactly. Now since == only return true if the two item being compared is EXACTLY the same, comparisons with floating points number don't always do what you expect.

So to compare two floating point numbers, one need to check whether they are very close to each other. One such method (among many) is

CODE

if( std::abs( a - b ) < precision )
// a == b

Couple of place you can read more about floating point and its computation:
What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic - Classic text, need to know your mathematics! Loads of images, so can take a while to load.
Doug Priest supplement to above paper

Any website with reference to the standard library ?

Dinkum C++ Library Reference - Seems to be complete.
C/C++ Reference - Good but incomplete.
C++ Library Reference - Another good site. Non-iostream C++ library still under construction.
SGI STL Programmer's Guide - Very good site with easy to use STL lookup. Doesn't contain iostream.

Where can I get a copy of the ISO/IEC C++ Standard ?
A copy of the standard can be obtained from ISO and various national standard organizations at a fee.
Now since I assume you wouldn't want to pay 10 times more than you have to, I'll suggest you get it off one of the national organization ;) A list of members of ISO and contact details: ISO Member bodies

Couple of quick links:
INCITS/ISO/IEC 14882:2003 - $18.00 USD available for immediate download on payment.
The C++ Standard : Incorporating Technical Corrigendum No. 1 - Hardcopy by British Standards Institute $65.00

Now I hear you ask whether there's anything available for free on the internet. If you're willing to put up with something that's non-authorative, out-of-date, and in some places, slightly incorrect, then the answer is yes :)
Committee Draft #2 (CD2) of the 1998 C++ standard - here or here
List of corridenda (corrections/updates/clarifications) voted into the 2003 standard - here

Home of the C++ standard committee. Contain C++ Standard Core Language, Standard Library Active Issues, Closed Issues & Defect Report List.

How do i make a full screen console window?
well an easy way is by simulating the keyboard shortcut keys
click here for how to make a fullscreen console window under the windows operating system

Im using Dev-c++ and i cant seem to make an exe...
if that is your problem there is a good chance that you downloaded the version of dev c++ that only contains a code editor and not the editor and the compiler. to be sure you get a compiler with dev c++ the download should be around 12mb. (as of 7/12/2004 anyway)

Editor: KTC
Credit: EVERYONE at C++ Learning Community who have ever provided any answer to any of the above questions, Marshall Cline's C++ FAQ Lite, The alt.comp.lang.learn.c-c++ FAQ, Comeau Computing, Jack Klein, Bjarne Stroustrup, ISO/IEC 14882.

Danny - February 26, 2004 04:03 AM (GMT)

Cool!

dr voodoo - February 26, 2004 04:26 PM (GMT)

Good work that will avoid some useless questions.

Anyway here is what I would like to add:

QUOTE

Borland Command Line Compiler - Very good compiler, command line use only, no IDE.

For instructions on how to use it you can visit my site (http://www.geocities.com/voodoocpp/). I also have a tool called batmaker there which alos you to set the commandline using a graphic user interface. Version 1.0 even alows the use of Turbo Debugger, which you can also download for free from Borland.

QUOTE

For MS-DOS (Anyone still actually uses DOS?? ):
DJGPP - MS-DOS port of GCC.

You can also compile Win32 console apps with it. It is commandline, although a few console IDEs exist.

QUOTE

Therefore, one should obtain (buy, beg, or borrow ) some good books to supplement the learning if one does decide to use online tutorials.

You forgot http://www.winprog.org/
A must for beginners to the WinAPI. For C and C++.

QUOTE

The function system( char* ) is declare in <cstdlib>,

or <stdlib.h> if you do not want to use a using construction.

QUOTE

What's the difference between std::endl and '\n' ?
'\n' send to output buffer a newline, std::endl sends the newline and then flushes the output buffer (i.e. actually print the thing out on the command prompt). As such, std::endl is more expensive performance wise. So use only when you actually need to flush the output buffer.

2 little examples to demonstrate this:

CODE

#include<iostream>
#include<string>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
//illegal pointer *ptr will make the prog
//crash and stop cout from flushing
//automaticaly
string*ptr=0;
cout<<"You can see me"<<endl<<*ptr;
return 0;
}

CODE

#include<iostream>
#include<string>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
string*ptr=0;//illegal pointer *ptr will make the prog crash
cout<<("You wont see me\n"+*ptr);
return 0;
}

Also note that "more expensive" is relativ. On today's computers you will probably not be able to mesure the difference, and if you write "\n" it can also be that the buffer is flushed, it just doesn't have to be.

KTC - February 26, 2004 07:23 PM (GMT)

QUOTE

You forgot http://www.winprog.org/
A must for beginners to the WinAPI. For C and C++.

Yeah I know about that. I was going to put it in, but couldn't really decide whether to put anything referring to Win32 programming in it so ended up not to... :rolleyes: Oh well, maybe someone else can do a Win32 programming FAQ ;)

QUOTE

CODE

For MS-DOS (Anyone still actually uses DOS?? ):
DJGPP - MS-DOS port of GCC.

You can also compile Win32 console apps with it. It is commandline, although a few console IDEs exist.

Didn't know that, thax for pointing out :)

buzz - March 5, 2004 10:41 PM (GMT)

www.cplusplus.com has a very good tutorial under documents!!

Sam Fisher vs Solid Snake - March 5, 2004 10:51 PM (GMT)

cprogramming.com
GameDev.net

are both good places

KTC - March 5, 2004 11:56 PM (GMT)

QUOTE (buzz @ Mar 5 2004, 10:41 PM)

www.cplusplus.com has a very good tutorial under documents!!

I refused to recommand it on principle no matter however good it is otherwise on the fact that they claim to teach ANSI-C++ yet is unable to teach people to use the correct standard header !!! :angry:

The same goes for the cprogramming.com !!

Sam Fisher vs Solid Snake - March 6, 2004 01:36 AM (GMT)

oh... :huh: well sorry

buzz - March 6, 2004 09:01 PM (GMT)

srry it doesnt meet ur standerds

dr voodoo - March 10, 2004 10:33 PM (GMT)

QUOTE

I refused to recommand it on principle no matter however good it is otherwise on the fact that they claim to teach ANSI-C++ yet is unable to teach people to use the correct standard header !!!

Do you mean:

CODE

#include<stdlib.h>

instead of

CODE

#include<cstdlib>

? If so then there are reasons. It's called C/C++ reference and <stdlib.h> is C++ standard. C header are an exception to the rule and can be written with .h

But it's not complete and there are errors in the STL part however it's just fine to quickly lookup how a function was called.

KTC - March 10, 2004 11:53 PM (GMT)

Oh no, I have no problem about the reference. It's very good and I uses it a lot and you would see that a link was given above for the website as a reference B)

I was specificly referring to their tutorial which they claim is teaching ANSI-C++ when they uses <iostream.h> throughout.

sonicadvance1 - March 11, 2004 12:52 AM (GMT)

you Answered on of my Questions :D

Danny - March 11, 2004 03:54 AM (GMT)

HI EVERYBODY,
Im Back!!! :D :) B)

And thanks to this "Newbie FAQ" which has just answered some of my questions so a I dont have to bother asking! (I'm NOT a newbie)

Anywho, I'll put my other questions in a new post!

Seeya! B)

P.S.

QUOTE

well thanks to KTC heres the communitys Newbie FAQ!

Why? (Just curious) :lol:

KTC - March 11, 2004 10:57 AM (GMT)

QUOTE

Why? (Just curious) :lol:

Because I made the FAQ !! :lol: B)

dr voodoo - March 11, 2004 03:40 PM (GMT)

QUOTE

Oh no, I have no problem about the reference. It's very good and I uses it a lot and you would see that a link was given above for the website as a reference

I was specificly referring to their tutorial which they claim is teaching ANSI-C++ when they uses <iostream.h> throughout.

Sorry I missread.

Danny - March 12, 2004 12:30 AM (GMT)

Oh, thanks for replying KTC!

I thought noone was replying to my questions anymore :) B) :lol:

Thankyou!

Danny - March 12, 2004 12:33 AM (GMT)

Oh and I got a question for ya ih8!

were you an admin ever since this forum started (maybe a stupid question but I was just wondering) :)

Thanks!

ih8censorship - March 12, 2004 01:16 AM (GMT)

heh yeah i was an admin when this place started.......

19th angel - April 4, 2004 01:54 AM (GMT)

hehe

umm he is member 1 so he started the place up

KTC - May 24, 2004 01:48 PM (GMT)

Where can I get a free compiler then ? (cont...)
Win32:

Microsoft Visual C++ Toolkit 2003 (Remember to get the Platform SDK as well if you want to make windows GUI program.) (You might have a problem trying to link program and it says it requires UUID.LIB, add the switch /NODEFAULTLIB:UUID.LIB) Win9x not supported.

Mac:

Macintosh Programmer's Workshop (Yup, the same as what you get from the developer CD)

KTC - June 9, 2004 10:23 PM (GMT)

:blink: hmmm, don't exactly know how I missed this when I know about it for ages, oh well.....

Where can I get a free compiler then ? (cont...)
Win32:

Borland C++BuilderX Personal - Complete IDE package. Win 2000+SP2, WinXP, Linux, Solaris version available. Support multiple compilers. If on Windows, make sure you download the preview package as well for "A technology preview of a RAD designer for the wx framework and of a 100% ANSI/ISO C++ compliant compiler for Windows x86". Include commercial license with free personal edition. (Don't even bother thinking about downloading this if you're not on broadband.)

MasterMind - July 24, 2004 04:59 PM (GMT)

http://www.cprogramming.com

this is a good place...

dr voodoo - August 21, 2004 10:10 AM (GMT)

If anyone has a question about function pointer, here you'll find the answer:
http://www.function-pointer.org/

Incubator - August 21, 2004 02:40 PM (GMT)

dunno if its been posted yet but dont see too wel to look through it but here's someting usefull:

for those who like to program in Linux and want to use libraries in their programs but do not know where the include and library path is for that lib do this:

gcc (or g++) `pkg-config --cflags --libs packagename-versionnumber` source.c -o app

will only work if the library has a .pc file installed.

example:
g++ `pkg-config --cflags --libs gtkmm-2.4` mysource.cpp -o app
g++ `pkg-config --cflags --libs clanApp-0.7 clanSound-0.7` source.cpp -p app

something I find very usefull :)

for lining with wxWindows it works a bit different.
g++ `wx-config --cflags --libs` source.cpp -p app

if the command pkg-config is not there (if locate pkg-config returns nothing and your slocate database is up to date) you have to install

* dev-util/pkgconfig
Latest version available: 0.15.0
Latest version installed: 0.15.0
Size of downloaded files: 596 kB
Homepage: http://www.freedesktop.org/software/pkgconfig/
Description: Package Config system that manages compile/link flags for libraries
License: GPL-2

happy coding :)

iSamer - November 23, 2004 07:12 PM (GMT)

Hi…
The Newbie-FAQ really helped me since I'm fresh in C++.
I'm learning it now in my university courses. We have reached pointers.
What a great program language.

Anyway, I wanted to ask about using void main() instead of int main() and return 0. My teacher didn't mind using void main(), and since then I'm always using it with no troubles. So, what are the -side effect- of using it..?

C-Man - November 23, 2004 07:19 PM (GMT)

side effects of using void main () instead of int main() is an unpredictable program return code

KTC - November 23, 2004 08:01 PM (GMT)

http://home.att.net/~jackklein/ctips01.html#int_main
http://www.comeaucomputing.com/techtalk/#voidmain
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/newbie.html#faq-29.3
http://ma.rtij.nl/acllc-c++.FAQ.html#q3.4
http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/q11.12.html

iSamer - November 24, 2004 02:49 PM (GMT)

oh, I see ... your reply helped me understand it better....
I better go now and tell my teacher that HE'S WRONG!!! ;)
Oh well, thanks for your help.

ih8censorship - November 24, 2004 03:24 PM (GMT)

id say one major reason for me to return an int is just so thats one more thing that will make my code run on another compiler.... i have vc++ 6 so i CAN run code with a void main, but i know in dev c++'s MingW a void main is an error. so just kind of an issue of compiler portability for me.... those links were interesting too :D

PulseDriver - November 25, 2004 10:58 PM (GMT)

What a great place for a newbie to start C++

C-Man - November 25, 2004 11:01 PM (GMT)

man what cool sig ^_^ your a web designer by any chance ?

PulseDriver - November 25, 2004 11:15 PM (GMT)

Well, part-time. I have only made one site, but I have many projects I just keep for myself having fun making them, and it usually gets to keeping them private.

If you click the big part you will get to my WA5 skin, but there is no effort in the design of the page, it's only there to show how far my skin is, and is kept as simple as possible.

C-Man - November 26, 2004 10:47 AM (GMT)

your Skin is quite cool ^_^

PulseDriver - November 26, 2004 12:10 PM (GMT)

It's my first skin. I had to learn MAKI (the language used for scripting), and it's compiled. I don't have much experience with graphics of this kind, and this skin isn't 100% done. It is missing the shademode (or stickmode as some ppl like to call it) and lots of bugs. I have however started a second one, which will have much better functonality.

user posted image

C-Man - November 26, 2004 12:50 PM (GMT)

But it's still mutch better tehn some other cheep skins i saw

Sico1 - November 26, 2004 04:18 PM (GMT)

Cool this guide helps me a little, since im new to this C++ deal.

So you CAN make games like WarCraft 3 and Doom III with C++?

If you can... that's so cool...

C-Man - November 26, 2004 06:50 PM (GMT)

If i'm not mistaking , WC3 & DOOM3 were actualy made in c++ ( my guas would be MS VC++ 7 or something like that)

KTC - December 26, 2004 02:38 PM (GMT)

Where can I get a copy of the ISO/IEC C++ Standard ?
....

Committee Draft #2 (CD2) of the 1998 C++ standard - here
List of corridenda (corrections/updates/clarifications) voted into the 2003 standard - here

....

Gmakermaniac!!! - January 1, 2005 03:27 PM (GMT)

Why is it bad to define functions in headers??

Okay, here's a conversation C-man and I had on #C++. It tells (me and) you why it's bad to define functions in header (h, hpp) files.

QUOTE (Zorro(me) and C-man)

<Zorro> Can you explain to me why it's bad to define functions in a header? MonkeyMan tried yesterday but he said he couldn't explain it well. He told me to ask you.
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> i'll try ...
<Zorro> thanks
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> so here we go
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> you know what a preprocessor does ?
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ?
<Zorro> it replaces #defines and thing with text, and swiches out code and stuff
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> do you know what #include directive does ?
<Zorro> umm, I'm probebly missing something but I know how to use it
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ok it replaces #include header
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> with the contents of header
<Zorro> ok
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> get it ?
<Zorro> that makes sence
<Zorro> yeah
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ok so now lets move on to the compiler
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ok so what doe sthe compiler
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ?
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> do you know ?
<Zorro> yeah
<Zorro> ohh
<Zorro> that
<Zorro> umm
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> it compiles .cpp/.c modules to .oobject files
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> and what does the linker do ?
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> it links object files in to a exe
<Zorro> link them togethor
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ok so lets say you have this header
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> with void foo () {}
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ok so now you include it in 2 .cpp modules
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> compiler compiles one
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> in it there is void foo() {}
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ok compiles anotherone
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> theres again
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> void foo () {} in it
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> so when linker links them
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> it see WTF OMG
<Zorro> lol
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> theres 2 foo's
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> witch one to use
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ?!
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> O_o
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> i'm bailing out
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> FU
<Zorro> lol
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> understood ?
<Zorro> yeah
* Zorro han an epiphony
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ?!!?
* Zorro get's it
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> it wasn't hard to understand now was it
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ;)
<Zorro> no
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> need to post this up at the n00b faq
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ;)
<Zorro> thanks for the help
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> n p
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> ;)
<Zorro> sounds like a good idea
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> could you copy this convo and QUOTE on cpplc it for me ?
<Zorro> what this ^^^
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> yes
<Zorro> ok
<Zorro> faq right
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> from start till <C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> understood ?
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> <Zorro> yeah
<Zorro> ok
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> yes
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> call it why is it bad to define stuff in header
<Zorro> ok
<C-Man|coding|pm`me`if`what> or something

NOOB3000 - February 5, 2005 07:44 PM (GMT)

good guiding lines., but still some things are unsolved, like when somone try to learn c++ like me (see nick ;p~) he come with idea to make something, usualy is game but for me is mail client (outlok e*) p*** me off. He need to start from one point, and understand what he need to know in final matter to produce some project. i mean if u wona program games u need to know to program,OPEN GL, winsock , threading...in c++ , there no way of orienting what u need for what, u don wona know OGL programing if u wona make web browser. correct me if im wrong, im new in all this c++ but i learn fast ;p~

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