Thread: Standard C++ API

  1. #1
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    Question Standard C++ API

    I am fairly familiar with Java and C# but new to c++. I feel it's very unclear where I should look for the standard c++ library documents. I found this one , provided by Microsoft, is pretty easy to look up and all the functions seems are well documented, but is it for the standard c++? Where do the experienced c++ programmers normally look for the standard c++ API documentations?

    Another questions is that unlike Java and .Net, there are seems many implemetations of standard c++ library available and I want to know which library should I use If want to write portable code?

    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Toaster Zach L.'s Avatar
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    There are a few good sites out there for C++ Standard Library documentation:

    SGI
    Dinkum
    Rogue Wave

    A rather nice implementation (in my opinion) of the standard library is STLport, however, assuming you have a modern compiler (GCC with Dev-C++ or VS.NET, etc), using whatever implementation you have will be fine. Be wary of older compilers, though (e.g. VC++6).
    The word rap as it applies to music is the result of a peculiar phonological rule which has stripped the word of its initial voiceless velar stop.

  3. #3
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    ...but is it for the standard c++?
    Yes, that's the standard library.

    If you have MS Visual C++, the help files contain all of the standard library, plus the entire Windows API. When you look-up a function in the help files or on MSDN, it will say ANSI if its a standard library function.

    For the "ultimate" reference, you can download the C and C++ language standards in PDF format from ANSI for about $20 each. You need both, because the C++ standard refers-back to the C Standard. (By ultimate, I'm not saying easy to use or easy to understand! )

  4. #4
    Toaster Zach L.'s Avatar
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    If you are interested in making the best use of STL, then Effective STL is one of the better books that I have found.
    The word rap as it applies to music is the result of a peculiar phonological rule which has stripped the word of its initial voiceless velar stop.

  5. #5
    Skunkmeister Stoned_Coder's Avatar
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    Effective STL is a good book but I would read this first
    Free the weed!! Class B to class C is not good enough!!
    And the FAQ is here :- http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/smartfaq.cgi

  6. #6
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    I rarely look online for standard library documentation. I almost always pull out Josuttis' book (linked to by Stoned_Coder) first.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DougDbug
    For the "ultimate" reference, you can download the C and C++ language standards in PDF format from ANSI for about $20 each. You need both, because the C++ standard refers-back to the C Standard.
    Not quite.

    The C++ standard refers back to the 1989 (1990?) C standard (which costs closer to US$200.

    The 1999 C standard is not referred to by the current C++ standard (although it may be referred to by a future version of that standard).

  8. #8
    Toaster Zach L.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grumpy
    The C++ standard refers back to the 1989 (1990?) C standard (which costs closer to US$200.
    It qualifies as an antique, eh?
    The word rap as it applies to music is the result of a peculiar phonological rule which has stripped the word of its initial voiceless velar stop.

  9. #9
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    The original C standard is aging a bit. Whether you'd say that was a "past era" is debatable. Compilers that support C99 are a bit less common than those that support C89 or C++.

    The reason for the price difference, BTW, is political, and not related to it's age. The cost of the original C standard was always up there in price. The C++ standard was released originally for $18, and [as I understand it] the low price of the C standard was in response to that.

  10. #10
    Toaster Zach L.'s Avatar
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    Yeah... my comment was just a joke about the price.
    The word rap as it applies to music is the result of a peculiar phonological rule which has stripped the word of its initial voiceless velar stop.

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