C++ Tutorial for Complete Beginners

How to program in the popular (and tricky!) C++ programming language, for complete beginners.

Created byJohn Purcell

Last updated 12/2019

English

What you'll learn

You'll be able to develop powerful C++ programs
You'll be able to apply for C++ jobs, with at least a possibility of success
You'll understand the basics of computer programming, including Object Orientation

Course content

11 sections • 82 lectures • 17h 59m total length

Introducing C++14:55
What is C++ and why should you learn it?
Screen Resolution0:23
Setup and Installation8:38
What you need to get started with C++, and where you can get it.
Hello World C++23:15
Outputting Text19:17
How to "print" text to the console in C++.

Variables16:23
Strings - Working with Text7:29
Strings let you store bits of text that you can use later in your program.
User Input9:35
Our programs aren't very interesting until they are interactive. So in this tutorial we'll look at getting input from the user.
Binary Numbers and Computer Memory5:57
In C++, it helps a lot to know a bit about how the computer's memory is structured. So we'll take a look at binary numbers, bits and bytes in this tutorial
Integer Types13:02
C++ provides you with various kinds of variable types for working with numbers. In this tutorial we'll take a look at integer types.
Floating Point Types14:41
Other Types: Char and Bool11:34
If12:25
If-Else13:15
If-Else If-Else5:52
Comparing Floats4:03
C++ Conditions21:17
While Loops9:34
Do-While Loops13:48
"For" Loops6:43
Break and Continue10:50
Arrays - Lists of Data17:24
Multidimensional Arrays11:43
Sizeof and Arrays7:03
Sizeof Multidimensional Arrays6:58
Switch9:45

Particle Fire Explosion5:38
Using C++ Libraries11:57
Aquiring Simple Direct Media Layer12:57
Note: Lazy Foo's tutorials are a great resource for specific SDL setup instructions, and SDL in general: http://lazyfoo.net/tutorials/SDL/01_hello_SDL/index.php
A Basic SDL Program17:05
Note: for Windows you need both SDL2.lib and SDLmain.lib
Creating an SDL Window22:50
Textures, Renderers and Buffers30:34
Setting Pixel Colors11:06
Creating the Screen Class20:48
Bit Shifting and Colors8:56
Adding a Set Pixel Method8:16
Animating Colors18:19
Creating Particles29:53
Animating Particles21:43
Creating an Explosion14:27
Ensuring Constant Speed7:50
Bitwise "And"11:53
Implementing Box Blur28:54
Tweaking Particle Motion14:41

Requirements

You can use any C++ IDE (terms explained in the course) and compiler to follow this course; all the software you need is free, but you may need to do a little Googling to find explicit install instructions for your platform.

Description

This course teaches you the powerful, fast and popular C++ programming language from scratch, assuming only basic computer knowledge. If you want to develop apps that squeeze the most power from your computer -- high-end desktop games or complex artificial intelligence programs, for instance -- or if you want to use a language that let's you get close to your machine and access all of your computer's hardware, C++ is the language for you. While C++ is quite challenging, in this course we'll learn the basics step by step; towards the end of the course you'll learn how to create a beautiful "particle fire" program, including a smattering of the basic principles of game development.

Who this course is for:

This course is intended for those who are computer literate and familiar with downloading and unzipping files, using the Internet and so on, and who want to learn to program
C++ is one of the more challenging computer programming languages -- so expect to encounter difficulties! You will need a degree of patience and persistence.

C++ Tutorial for Complete Beginners

What you'll learn

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Course content

Getting Started5 lectures • 1hr 6min

Basic Syntax21 lectures • 3hr 49min

Subroutines: Reusable Blocks of Code4 lectures • 38min

Object Oriented Coding8 lectures • 1hr 51min

Pointers and Memory14 lectures • 3hr 7min

Inheritance3 lectures • 34min

Odds and Ends: Twos Complement and Static Variables2 lectures • 38min

Developing a Program: The Particle Fire Simulation18 lectures • 4hr 58min

Conclusion2 lectures • 28min

Bonus4 lectures • 50min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: