C++ Programming By Example

How to use the course source code?

   •  Obtain the source code

   •  Open CMake and open source directory in CMake

   •  Configure the project via CMake and then generate the solution

How do you generate random numbers in C++?

   •  Introduce cppreference for C++ documentation

   •  Understand probability distributions and which one is appropriate for a die

   •  Use the classes available in the C++ standard template library to generate a random number

How to display formatted output to the user?

   •  Know printf() via cppreference

   •  Use printf() to show formatted statements

   •  Implement different placeholders to print different values

How to get input from the user and use it in the virtual die?

   •  Introduce std::cin

   •  Show a brief example of using std::cin

   •  Allow viewers to implement the coding exercise to get user input on die range and number of rolls

What are the available containers for storing data in C++?

   •  Look at cppreference on available container classes

   •  Code small examples on how to use containers

   •  Run samples and observe the output to understand how the containers work

What is the proper use of std::vector?

   •  Analyze cppreference to show nuances of using std::vector

   •  Show the difference between push_back and emplace_back

   •  Understand the “proper” ways to initialize a std::vector

What algorithms are available in the standard template library?

   •  Introduce algorithms available in the standard template library via the documentation

   •  Implement examples of use of the various algorithms

   •  Show the output from program runs using the STL algorithms

How do you use STL algorithms with C++ containers?

   •  Explain iterators

   •  Show examples to further illustrate how they work

   •  Analyze the results of the examples via print statements

How to build a mini address book that is sortable by first name, last name, and phone number?

   •  Introduce std::pair and std::tuple

   •  Create fake data for “phone book”

   •  Show how to use the std::sort function to sort by first name, last name, and phone number

Why should you bother about classes/structures in C++?

   •  Learn to design code logically

   •  Understand how to re-use code

   •  Encapsulate ideas/models in code

How do you use/declare classes and structures in C++?

   •  Use the ‘class’ and ‘struct’ keywords

   •  Analyze { and }; to define where a class begins/ends

   •  Implement access modifiers such as ‘public’, ‘private’, and ‘protected’

What is the difference between a class and a structure?

   •  Understand that they basically do the same thing

   •  Default access modifier for classes is private. For structures, it’s public

   •  Structures are still around to preserve C compatibility

How can you use classes/structures to make a game?

   •  Think of the parts of the game

   •  Imagine what each class in the game should do

   •  Implement the game and play

How to structure and plan an application?

   •  Identify key parts of the application

   •  Plan out the class structure using class diagrams (UML)

   •  Create a class implementation using UML diagrams

How to build a library management system (books)?

   •  Plan out the classes

   •  Implement the classes based on the plan

   •  Compare functions for basic functionality in the application

How to add test data to the application?

   •  Define basic data in code

   •  Add a test .csv file with fake data

   •  Edit the .csv file to see how the library works

How can you add search functionality to the application?

   •  Learn what algorithms could be used from the STL

   •  Implement search by book title

   •  Experiment with search by author

How do you use CMake to set up a GUI project?

   •  Install Qt5

   •  Implement CMake for your Qt5 directory as shown in the video

   •  Reconfigure and generate the project via CMake

How can you add UI elements to your GUI application?

   •  Open Qt Creator

   •  Create a new Qt class

   •  Add the files to the correct folders in the course code

In what ways can you run your GUI application?

   •  Run the app through Visual Studio

   •  Run the app through PowerShell

   •  Run the app through File Explorer

How do you use CMake to set up a GUI project?

   •  Use the basic project setup provided by instructor

   •  Open Qt Creator and created the needed files as shown

   •  Put the files in the correct folders

How to use Qt Creator to make a basic GUI?

   •  Open the *.ui file in Qt Creator

   •  Add the QPlainTextEdit widget to the UI

   •  Arrange the layout contents vertically and add menu items

What are signals and slots in Qt?

   •  Go through the Qt documentation

   •  Understand that signals get emitted when something happens

   •  Learn that slots can be “connected” to signals to react to events

How do you write your own slots?

   •  Use access modifier “public” + keyword “slots”

   •  Implement the function declaration like any other class method

   •  Define the implementation like any other class method

How do you save the file on the system and open the same on the system later?

   •  Remove unnecessary signal and slot connections

   •  Allow for saving the text file to anywhere on the system

   •  Open any text file on the computer

How to set up a basic application?

   •  Use basic project setup provided by instructor

   •  Open Qt Creator and created needed files as shown

   •  Put the files in the correct folders

How do Qt5 widgets work under the hood?

   •  Look at the Qt5 documentation

   •  Understand that Qt widgets are “painted”

   •  Understand that Qt5 widgets use painters to “paint” their content

How do you create your own Qt5 widget?

   •  Look at the Qt documentation

   •  Inherit from QWidget

   •  Override parent methods that we need in the class

How can we react to user input in our custom widget?

   •  Look at the Qt documentation

   •  Override mouse event functions

   •  Print data to the console to confirm that the app is reacting properly

How can we paint user input on the screen?

   •  Introduce the QPainterPath class along with QPainter

   •  Update the list of paths in the widget and draw them

   •  Update the current path as the user uses the widget

How can we add the ability to draw shapes?

   •  Look at the QPainterPath documentation

   •  Change drawing style on a custom widget based on user selection

   •  Use the ‘addEllipse’ and ‘addRect’ functions

How can we allow for shapes to be resized as they’re drawn?

   •  Demo of what the result should look like

   •  Create simple structs to model a circle and square

   •  Use QPainter directly to update the widget when drawing shapes