This tutorial is meant, first and foremost, to give a person with no prior C++ experience a kick-start into the world of C++. It by no means tries to replace textbooks or other learning aids. C++ can be difficult, and getting the right start is difficult as well, especially since no printed matter is available that focuses on the BeOS _AND_ the beginning programmer. The goal here is to give enough "push" for the potential programmer to get past this initial barrier in current C++ textbooks.
The programs and samples featured here are only command line programs. This means that there will not be much of how to work with things such as the BeAPI or the Graphical User Interface (GUI) windowing system, only C++ for the sake of learning C++. If you already know C++, you may browse through the tutorials to get a vague familiarity with programming on the BeOS, but I would recommend purchasing the book Programming the Be Operating System published by O'reilly, as it will introduce those familiar with C++ to the operating system's API and interface kits.
These tutorials are from notes taken and homework assignments given over the course of several college classes that Donovan took years ago, some of which were introductory programming classes in Pascal. Therefore, much of the coursework given in this tutorial has been translated from Pascal to C++ and then merged with the more advanced topics in C++, and may not follow the traditional methods of introducing C++, although we've tried to put it all in a understandable, step-by-step order, and as such, you should traverse this tutorial from top down. Do not skip any sections, as they may have tips and/or tricks that will be needed later on. At the end of each section are "homework" assignments for you to practice. We recommend doing these on your own before moving on to the next section.
Some assumptions we have taken in this tutorial:
And that's it! Go to the Helloworld link to begin your journey into the world of C++!
1 - Basics:
2 - Data Types and Variables:
3 - Control Structures
Upcoming Topics:
As you can see, we have a lot of work ahead of us. These topics comprise of both of Donovan's two Introduction to Programming with Pascal courses and his two C++ courses all packed together to deliver maximum content with maximum understanding in a minimal amount of time.
Some sections will be loaded with info, and some will just lightly touch on topics. But you'll find that, afterwards, you should be able to gain enough knowledge and background to be able to breeze through some of the more advanced C++ books out there, and even start delving into the BeAPI.
We may or may not, in the future, convert some of Donovan's Algorithms notes to C++ (as they are based in Pascal as well). We'll see how we feel when this is complete.
This tutorial is brought to you by Donovan Schulteis, John Ashmun, and Joel Timmins, as well as all of the NPC Members, who are always there to answer any questions. Check out the Neo-Programmer's Collective Mailing List Page online to Join!
The permission to publish and otherwise use and abuse the course materials contained within has been given to Donovan Schulteis by Dr. James McCaffrey, a very special thanks goes out to him (even though he now works at that other company ;).
Your comments are desired, welcomed and expected.