beginner, very beginner c++ help

[blipblop]

Hi, i'm in a algorithms and data structures class. I am uitilizing all of my professors office hours. labs that usually take 2 hours are taking me about 10 in order to understand them. I mean like the simpliest of things suchs as ";" and like "int x" and such. Is there are c++ guide for really beginners that you would recommend? This is by far the hardest class I have ever taken and I've taken. Any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

[aCynic2]

It sounds like you skipped a class or two.

At my U, there was a first year computer programming class, that was the basics on just getting a program to run, grasping basic data structures (integers, floats, classes, etc), program control, etc.

Then there was a second year class that covered more advanced stuff, but not super advanced. However, it did go into detail on using STL.

My computer architecture class started to get really advanced with ASM programming, base number system conversions, bit manipulations, etc.

There was more advanced classes on more advanced data structures, covering linked lists, queues, trees, sorting algorithms, etc.

You might consider getting something like "C++ programming for Dummies," if there is anything like that. I'm sorry if it sounds insulting, but I actually consider these books awesome for the level of explaination for the basics they give. It should help you get up to speed.

Here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...17953/bigwebmasters-20
http://www.amazon.com/C-Progra...-Shammas/dp/0764500732

 

[blipblop]

actually i have never skipped any classes. This is a level 200 class, one of the very beginning ones. I was supposed to take this 3 years ago, but I redid my schedule and I have it my last semester. I am graduating in August with an EE degree and I will be coming back in the fall to study my masters. It's just a prereq class. This is pretty much a first year programming class yet I still don't get it and I'm a senior. I'd rather take a high level noise class or signals class than this. But now I have to face this beast.

 

[aCynic2]

Then get one of the Dummies books above. I'd recommend the first one.

 

[blipblop]

definately will do. maybe i should get a newer version of one than the one i got from the library. thanks

 

[sao123]

Having taught C++ & Data Structures Before, I always preferred the textbooks by Deitel as being some of the best. However that was for comp sci students, if you are taking this as an elective it might be too in depth for you.

BTW, 1 book does both classes (C++ programming & Data Structures)

 

[mlm]

My current partner and I make sure that this site is bookmarked on any computer we're working on. It doesn't teach you anything, but it is good for looking up stuff.

 

[aCynic2]

Originally posted by: sao123
Having taught C++ & Data Structures Before, I always preferred the textbooks by Deitel as being some of the best. However that was for comp sci students, if you are taking this as an elective it might be too in depth for you.

That book seems to be a good choice because my 2nd year programming class used a Deitel book.

 

[dealmaster00]

I found that the best way to learn is to spend a lot of time thinking about it. If a 2 hr lab takes 10 hours to complete...so be it. If you rush through and only do it in 4 hours, you aren't going to learn nearly as much. With that said, if you aren't understanding things like a semicolon or int x, it sounds like you just need to learn the syntax. In this case, a beginners C++ book would do very nicely. You could spend maybe 40 hours reading it and thinking about the problems and then you would be able to shave a lot of time off the labs that is spent trying to grasp the syntax.

I was in the same boat as you..in 11th grade I took my first real programming course (and I was pretty lost - it was Java). I got A's but I didn't have a solid foundation - I didn't even know how to use the API. Over the summer I bought a book (Head First Java) and poured over it. It helped me learn and it also boosted my confidence. When I came back senior year I aced AP computer science and went on to get 24th in a national java competition. I pretty much went from nothing to knowing a lot about Java in less than a year. But note that I could spend an hour just thinking about a particular problem, trying to work it out in my head. If you don't slow down and really grasp the materials, you will not learn. Make sure you do lots of practice programs too. Because doing is one of the best ways of learning in CS. You can't just read books all day - you need experience to cement those abstract ideas into your head.

 

[Schadenfroh]

If you want the basics, my old C++ professor has online supplemental notes for his freshman classes that are clearly written, you should be able to learn the basics on your own with them:

http://orca.st.usm.edu/~aspurgeo/

See chapter notes 1 - 9

 

[Cooler]

Most of my classes in college for cs did not have a text book that had real code in it. For Data stuctures and algorithms class we just got psudo code.

 

[Modelworks]

Having worked for years in the EE field I'm surprised they are pushing C++ and not C.
C is used far more in EE than C++.
Maybe they are just looking to the future.

Anyway , the books others have mentioned are a good start.

 

[Cooler]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Having worked for years in the EE field I'm surprised they are pushing C++ and not C.
C is used far more in EE than C++.
Maybe they are just looking to the future.

Anyway , the books others have mentioned are a good start.

Most C code will complie as C++ with a few changes. By learning C++ you basicly learn C.

 

[Modelworks]

Most C code will complie as C++ with a few changes. By learning C++ you basicly learn C.

Not when it comes to embedded micros and the compilers they use.
They have quite a few quirks that make moving the code to c++ a nightmare.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Most C code will complie as C++ with a few changes. By learning C++ you basicly learn C.

Not when it comes to embedded micros and the compilers they use.
They have quite a few quirks that make moving the code to c++ a nightmare.

But the point remains that C is as much of a subset of C++ as about practically possible. Anyone familiar with C++ should be able to "pick up" C in no time. In my current job we use C extensively and switch to that from C++ was just a matter of adapting to its many limitations. Anything platform specific you have to learn on the job anyway.