Learning C++, Basic Data Types and Operators (C++)

The Coronavirus lockdown here in the UK is starting to ease, but it still means a lot of time at home. I’m trying to use that time to be more productive and learn more, which has lead me to C++.

C++

C++ has a long history (going back to 1985) and is a high level programming language. It was created by Bjarne Stroustrup and is an extension of the programming language C. C++ looks to have a new version every three years. Wikipedia’s C++ page has more details.

Why C++

Depending on the source, C++ is (at time of writing) one of the top five programming languages to know. I have already got some experience with Python, Java and C, so I thought it was time to learn a bit about C++.

For this learning I have started with Microsoft’s Introduction To C++ via EdX and No Starch Press’ C++ Crash Course (written by Joshua Lospinoso). I’m hoping to use my blog to make notes about C++ that I may need in future, starting with the basic data types and operators.

Basic Data Types

This is a small sample of some of the data types available in C++ but should be enough for me starting out. char is a single character, and multiple characters are a string.

Operators

C++ comes with several operators already defined, these include the basic mathematical operators such as:

+        addition         e.g.      x+y
-        subtraction      e.g.      x-y
*        multiplication   e.g.      x*y
/        division         e.g.      x/y
%        modulo           e.g.      x%y

The short hand mathematical operators:

+=       e.g. x+=y which would be the same as x=x+y
-=       e.g. x-=y which would be the same as x=x-y
*=       e.g. x*=y which would be the same as x=x*y
++       increase by 1
--       decrease by 1

The comparison operators:

==       equal to
!=       not equal to
>        greater than
>=       greater than or equal to
<        less than
<=       less than or equal to

The logic operators:

&&       logical AND
||       logical OR
!        logical NOT