15-445/645 C++ Bootcamp

This bootcamp aims to provide a basic introduction to coding in modern C++. The features of the C++ language are too vast and expansive to cover in one bootcamp, and quite frankly, it is learned best through experience. The staff is certain that 15-445 will make you a more confident C++ programmer! However, we do cover some C++ topics that are necessary to know while doing the programming assignments. This tutorial does not cover basic C/C++ syntax. It mainly covers C++ programming features, particularly concepts that do not exist in C.

Feedback for the C++ bootcamp is always appreciated! Feel free to submit issues/PRs.

Format

The bootcamp consists of C++ code files, located in src/, that are meant to be read in depth. Each of these files can be compiled into an executable with the same name. Use CMake to build these executables. This set of commands should build all the executables. After running these commands, these executables should be located in the build directory.

$ mkdir build
$ cd build
$ cmake ..
$ make -j8

For instance, the src/references.cpp file compiles into the references executable, located in ./build. The same holds for every file in the source directory.

Files

There are fifteen files in the src/ directory, each which cover different concepts. They are meant to be read in the order below, since each file builds up on the previous one. However, if you know some modern C++ concepts and are looking to refresh your knowledge, it is probably okay to start by reading the files on concepts you are unfamiliar about.

References and Move Semantics

• references.cpp: Covers C++ references.
• move_semantics.cpp: Covers C++ move semantics.
• move_constructors.cpp: Covers C++ class move constructors and move assignment operators.

C++ Templates

• templated_functions.cpp: Covers C++ templated functions.
• templated_classes.cpp Covers C++ templated classes.

Misc

• wrapper_class.cpp: Covers C++ wrapper classes.
• iterator.cpp: Covers implementing a basic C++ style iterator.
• namespaces.cpp: Covers C++ namespaces.

C++ Standard Library (STL) Containers

• vectors.cpp: Covers std::vector.
• set.cpp: Covers std::set.
• unordered_map.cpp: Covers std::unordered_map.
• auto.cpp: Covers the usage of the C++ keyword auto, including using auto to iterate through C++ STL containers.

C++ Standard Library (STL) Memory

• unique_ptr.cpp: Covers std::unique_ptr.
• shared_ptr.cpp: Covers std::shared_ptr.

C++ Standard Library (STL) Synch Primitives

• mutex.cpp: Covers std::mutex.
• scoped_lock.cpp: Covers std::scoped_lock.
• condition_variable.cpp: Covers std::condition_variable.
• rwlock.cpp: Covers the usage of several C++ STL synchronization primitive libraries (std::shared_mutex, std::shared_lock, std::unique_lock) to create a reader-writer's lock implementation.

Other Resources

There are many other resources that will be helpful while you get accquainted to C++. I list a few here!

• https://en.cppreference.com/w/: Unofficial but quite accurate summary and examples of both C++ and C standards.
• https://cplusplus.com/: Contains both a C++ language tutorial and a C++ library reference.
• Modern C++ Tutorial. This GitHub repo contains some information and exercises that are useful!

Appendix: C++ Documentation for Topics Covered in the Bootcamp

This documentation may be useful to you! It's very comprehensive (much more comprehensive than this bootcamp) but it may lack some readability. Overall, I think it's still a good idea to try to read and understand this documentation, especially when working on the projects. Although the bootcamp tries to be as comprehensive as possible, it still only covers the bare bones of using modern C++.

• References
• std::move
• Move Constructors and Move Assignment Operators
• Templated Functions
• Templated Classes
• Iterators
• Namespaces
• std::vector
• std::set
• std::unordered_map
• auto
• std::unique_ptr
• std::shared_ptr
• std::mutex
• std::scoped_lock
• std::condition_variable
• std::shared_mutex
• std::shared_lock
• std::unique_lock