C++ in a Nutshell

Table of Contents

Welcome to the C++ in a Nutshell prerelease site.

Ray Lischner is currently writing C++ in a Nutshell for O'Reilly. We expect the book to be published in early 2003.

During the development of this book, the author will publish chapters here for public comment. This is your opportunity to help ensure that C++ in a Nutshell is the best reference manual for C++ available anywhere.

If you find any mistakes, confusing or unclear text, organizational problems, or have any other constructive criticism, please send email to cpp@tempest-sw.com.

Please understand that chapters published on this site have not yet been edited or reviewed. Do not rely on them for technical information. In addition to the feedback we receive from this web site, the book will undergo a thorough technical review before publication.

Thank you for your participation in this endeavor.

About C++ in a Nutshell

C++ in a Nutshell is a langauge reference manual. It is not a tutorial. It is not for beginners. It is a concise, to-the-point reference for professionals and other serious programmers. C++ in a Nutshell is not a comprehensive reference for the entire C++ language, in all its intricacies and complexities. Instead, I focus on what is most important to the working professional. If you feel that I have included too many irrelevant details or omitted too much important information, please let me know.

Chapters 12 and 13 form the bulk of the book. Chapter 12 is an alphabetical reference for all the language keywords and constructs. Chapter 13 is a reference for the entire runtime library, organized alphabetically by header, and within each section, alphabetically by type, function, macro, or other name.

An alphabetical reference is not always the best way to present information, though. The first 8 chapters, therefore, cover the language organized by topic. Chapters 9 through 11 introduce the standard library.

Finally, the appendix includes brief introductions to some compilers, libraries, and interesting C++ projects, such as Boost and Loki.

About the Author

Ray Lischner is best known as the author of Delphi in a Nutshell. Well before he started using Delphi, though, Ray programmed in C++ (and quite a few other languages). He has been using C++ for over a decade and has taught C++ at Oregon State University.

1

Language Rules

2

Source Files

3

Declarations

4

Expressions

5

Statements

6

Functions

7

Classes

8

Templates

9

Standard Library

10

Input and Output

11

Containers and Algorithms

12

Language Reference

13

Library Reference

App

Library and compiler vendors and projects