CR: COMP 2404 Learning Objectives

Calendar Description

In-depth study of the language C++ from a software engineering perspective, with emphasis on features supporting the development of large efficient and reusable systems. Topics include: encapsulation, templates, references, constructors and destructors, overloading, memory management, exception handling, and the standard template library.

Assumed Background

• Able to understand an assignment description and identify the objects that are required

• Understand and apply basic programming conventions:
  • proper variable names
  • appropriate commenting
  • indentation using established style

• Understand and apply basic programming constructs:
  • Variables
    • primitive data types
    • scope
    • storage class
  • Functions
    • pass-by-value
    • pass-by-reference
  • Program memory organization
    • function call stack, contents of stack frame
    • heap
    • data segment
    • code segment
  • Memory management
    • static vs. dynamic memory allocation
    • pointers, double pointers
    • garbage collection

• Familiarity with shell environment

• Able to build programs across multiple header and source files

• Able to program with system calls:
  • stream and file I/O
  • signal handling
  • multiprocess programming
  • inter-process communications (sockets, RPC)

• Able to research and understand standard library function and system call documentation

Learning Objectives

• Gain experience in design techniques for small to medium size object-oriented programming assignments

• Gain proficiency with basic and intermediate-level C++ programming

• Identify standard design patterns and programming idioms in existing code.

Topics

Software Design Techniques

• Able to identify the required objects
• Able to apply concepts of encapsulation to organize the required objects
• Able to identify opportunities for code reuse and implement them

Basics of C/C++

• Understand fundamental programming constructs (review):
  • variables (scope, storage class)
  • program memory organization (call stack, heap)
  • memory management (pointers, memory allocation)
• Able to use references, and understand difference between references and pointers

C++ Basic Classes and Objects

• Understand and be able to construct basic class definitions, using the following:
  • data members, member functions
  • encapsulation using access specifiers, constant members
  • constructors, destructors
  • friend functions, friend classes

• Understand and be able to use dynamic memory management

• Inheritance
  • able to setup appropriate inheritance hierarchy
  • understand how to use:
    • types of inheritance
    • multiple inheritance

• Able to organize code with multiple classes
  • separating class definition and interface from implementation

C++ Advanced Features

• Overloading
  • understand how to overload functions and operators
  • able to overload different types of operators
    • stream insertion/extraction
    • unary, binary
    • increment/decrement, prefix/postfix
  • understand how to cascade function calls and recognize when it is appropriate
• Templates
  • understand reason for generic programming
  • able to define function templates, class templates
• Polymorphism
  • understand use of virtual, pure virtual functions
  • understand difference between static and dynamic binding, and how to implement each one
  • know how to use RTTI functionality, especially dynamic casting
• STL
  • understand the basics of containers, iterators, algorithms, and how to use them
• Files and streams
  • understand basic operations
  • recognize basic overloaded operators on streams
• Exception handling
  • understand when and how to use exception handling
  • know how to define multiple catch blocks
  • understand how to gracefully unwind the function call stack when an exception is thrown