ideas for my C++ book

**Carlos** · 09-24-2003

Originally posted by Shakti
Well I only have one suggestion and that is, never use code examples that uses things you havent covered yet...

Good point!

**Carlos** · 11-18-2003

Hi,
I try do give as many examples as possible, and use the newest gcc and visual c++ 6.0. to compile.

Lately I covered some compiler matters also, especially the preprocessing phase, presenting the preprocessor directives as well. Here I presented a method for preventing recursive inclusion.

I think it is worth it to show some editor-related trickeries as well, which make our lives easier.
That's why an extra chapter discusses regular expressions.
Many don't know what is it good for, or how can it be used.

It's not C++ related, indeed, but it might be of help.

What do you think, guys?

**Mikro** · 11-19-2003

Do not use Visual C++ 6.0 it sucks when it comes to handling ANSI standard. Use instead Visual C++.net 2003.

**Carlos** · 11-19-2003

Hello Mikro!

Originally posted by Mikro
Do not use Visual C++ 6.0 it sucks when it comes to handling ANSI standard. Use instead Visual C++.net 2003.

I was speaking about the editor, regarding regular expressions.
Besides, Visual C++ 6.0 is still the mostly used compiler, don't you think?

About ANSI conformity - that's why I use gcc

My question is whether it is worth it to include a chapter about regular expressions in a C++ book?

**Gerard** · 11-19-2003

Carlos,

I'm a newbie myself, and i find it difficult to use databases.
What is a programm today without manipulation off a database
or file.
In most books there is just a little part covering databases.
And i think that is a little strange for an topic that much important.

Let us know when you book is ready, maybe we can order it by
post.

Sorry for the bad english and goodluck with your book.

Greetings Gerard

**Carlos** · 11-19-2003

Hi Gerard,

Originally posted by Gerard
In most books there is just a little part covering databases.
And i think that is a little strange for an topic that much important.

Database is a separate, huge topic, and my book is about C++.
The purpose of my book is to explain through examples as much as possible details of this great language, especially those parts which might be harder to understand.

It is a ground-up C++ book and more, as I try to cover problems met in the real life by me or my colleagues.

Advanced themes like exception handling, pointer validation, memory leak detection, crash dumping, etc are also discussed.

Originally posted by Gerard

Let us know when you book is ready, maybe we can order it by
post.

Well, to be honest, my book is planned to be published in autumn 2004 in Hungary. In case it will be a bestseller

(can a programming book ever become a bestseller??), the publisher might eventually translate it.

Anyway, thanks for your interest!

**laserlight** · 11-19-2003

My primary goal is to discuss some interesting parts of C++, and a whole chapter is dedicated to Error and exception handling.
The book should help a newbie to easily understand e.g. pointers and inheritance, but I'm trying to dig deeper

So your target audience are those with some C++ knowledge, but generally are clueless beyond the most trivial of programs?

**curlious** · 11-19-2003

My sugestion is to include an open source or free compiler on disk with the book. New people can't afford or are not willing to shell out for an expensive IDE w/o knowing if they are going to fully persue this line of programming. Second I suggest putting thought into making your examples fun, infromative, unique and for the most part simple. Having read several beginners books I have come across to many repeated examples that are just boring. Personally I find the technique of OOP is difficult to master when confronted with things like windows C OOP and more advanced API's like Direct Draw that use little C++ OOP. I am not saying cover these API's just give a clear explanation and many examples of good OOP practices and implementation examples. I still need to brush up on this and only have about a year of experience.

Also Data Structures can be a completely boring topic when it comes to the STL but I think you can make it fun. I have yet to see it done though. Also don't get to far off on the fringe, for instance including chapters like CGI in C++ as deitel does is catering to a specific audience and I found myself just wanting to skip that chapter. Good luck with the book I hope to read it some day.

**Carlos** · 11-19-2003

Originally posted by laserlight
So your target audience are those with some C++ knowledge, but generally are clueless beyond the most trivial of programs?

Not quite. Please #define

what's trivial when speaking of a complex issue, such as the C++ programming language, which is still subject to discussions, even between experts (why are "Bug of the day"-alike articles still the most popular ones?).

I'm trying to present the basics, and give hints, clues, for interesting problems.

Working with C++ professionally for more then three years, I must admit that I still find really obscure problems, which are neither trivial nor easy to solve...

**Brian** · 11-19-2003

Originally posted by Carlos

Besides, Visual C++ 6.0 is still the mostly used compiler, don't you think?
[/B]

I would hope gcc is the most widely used compiler, in all its many flavours and platforms.

cygwin, mingw, linux, unix, arm, sparc, etc.

MSVC is perhaps the most widely used compiler/IDE combo.

**CornedBee** · 11-19-2003

I fear not, Brian. It might be the most often invoked one (few people compile their own Windows apps), but speaking in count of large projects...

**heat511** · 11-19-2003

im an intermediate programmer (hopefully

) and i think i maybe fall under the target audience for your book

i think recursion would be a good subject to hit on, along with linked lists of course, and classes are still a little blurry to me (and most of my peers it seems)... maybe these would be areas to discuss

**CornedBee** · 11-19-2003

300 pages aren't much though...

**lyx** · 11-19-2003

A book...
I'm no expert, just an amateur and so, I would suggest that, if you want to make it an interesting reading experience for those like me, you should put in your it things that aren't covered by other books, details about the language that most authors just don't think useful to tell.
Not only pure practical cases, otherwise, it would not be amusing. ^^