Foundations for Native C++ Styles

Over the past decade, C++ has become the most commonly used language for introducing object-oriented programming and other abstraction techniques into production software. During this period, C++ has evolved to meet the challenges of production systems. In this, C++ differs radically from languages that come primarily from academic or research environments, and from less widely used languages. Although C++ has also been extensively used in academia and for research, its evolution was driven primarily by feedback from its use in industrial applications. In this paper, we focus on three design areas key to successful C++ use. In doing so, we explore fundamental C++ concepts and facilities and present distinctive C++ design and programming styles that have evolved to cope with the stringent demands of everyday systems building. First we explore C++’s support for concrete data types and containers and give examples of how the C++ generic programming facilities, together with welldesigned libraries, can yield flexibility and economy of expression. Next we examine some uses of class hierarchies, touching on issues including encapsulation, interface design, efficiency, and maintainability. Finally, we note that languages succeed for reasons that are not entirely technical and review the background for C++’s success. This paper is not a C++ tutorial. However, it does include enough code examples and supporting commentary that readers familiar with programming languages in general but unfamiliar with C++ can grasp the key C++ language constructs and programming techniques.