This is a list of topics intended as a checklist to help you recall what topics have been covered, both in lecture class and in the textbook.

General Computer and Programming Concepts

• Components (CPU, RAM, disk storage, I/O devices)
• bits and bytes
• evolution of programming languages
• interpreted vs. compiled languages
• Steps involved in software development
• Creation of a C++ program (source code, preprocessing, compilation, linking, execution)
• syntax vs semantics

C++ Basics

General structure

• sequence of statements
• Can consist of multiple code files and libraries
• A program starts with main()
• Types of statements (including compound statements)
• Pre-compiled libraries, #include

Atomic Data Types

• integer types -- char, short, int, long
  • signed and unsigned versions
• floating point types -- float, double, long double
• bool
• system dependent sizes (but common sizes currently in use today were discussed)

Declaring and Intializing Variables

• naming rules for identifiers
• declaration format
• difference between declaring and initializing
• how to initialize built-in variable types with values
• Declaring variables with const (constants)
• "Declare before use" rule

Literals:

• integer, floating-point, character, string
• Escape sequences for special characters
  • used for writing character literals, and used in string literals
  • Know the common ones

Comments:

• // Line comments
• /* Block-style coments */

Input and Output with Streams

• objects cin, cout, cerr
• ostream and istream
• Library <iostream>
• insertion and extraction operators << and >>
  • Know which operator used with which objects (cout, cin, etc)
  • Know what can be used on the right side of each operator
  • Cascading the << and >> operators
• Special formatting calls for floating-point numbers
  • Fixed format vs. scientific format
  • showpoint flag
  • setting decimal precision
  • Know how to set each of these
• namespace "std" (and using statements)

Operators:

• General Concepts
  • operators and operands
  • Arity (unary, binary, ternary)
  • Precedence and associativity
  • Cascading
• Arithmetic operators: + - / * %
  • understand int vs. floating-point division (/ and %)
• increment and decrement: ++ --
• Post-increment vs. Pre-increment: x++ vs. ++x
• Post-decrement vs. Pre-decrement: x-- vs. --x
• assignment operator: =(single equal sign)
  • Understand the concept of L-value vs R-value
• Other shortcut operators: += -= *= /= %=
• automatic type conversions
• using static_cast for explicit type-conversion
• Logical operators: == != < <= > >=
• Boolean operators: && (AND), || (OR), ! (NOT)
  • short-circuit evaluation of && and ||

Control Structures

• Flow of Control concepts:
  • sqeuential
  • Selection (branching)
  • Repetition (looping)
• The if/else selection statement
  • Syntax format and rules for if and for if/else statements
  • How the test expression is evaluated
  • Syntax vs. readability conventions (indentation, etc)
  • Know when to use a block
• The switch selection statement
  • Keywords switch, case, default, break
  • Understand how switch blocks work
  • only works with integer and character expressions
  • know when to use break
• Conditional operator
  • Special operator that acts similar to if-statements
  • Three operands (ternary operator)
  • Operator consists of three parts, separated by symbols: ? :
  • Example: x = (y < 0 ? 5 : 10);
• while and do-while loops
  • Syntax format and rules for both
  • How the test expression is evaluated
  • Know the difference between while and do-while
  • Know when to use a block
  • Know when the loop repeats and when it quits
• for loops
  • Three parts to the header: initial condition, test expression, iterative expression
  • Good for counting-controlled loops
  • scope of loop control variable (if declared inside header)
• Special statements affecting loop control
  • break
  • continue

Functions

Function Basics

• Know what a function is
• Reasons for writing functions (divide-and-conquer, reusability)
• Perspective: builder vs. caller

Using Functions

• Know how to call a function
  • syntax
  • passing arguments
  • using the returned value
• Understand how they are like mathematical functions
• Declare-before-use policy
• Predefined functions
  • Functions in libraries
  • Know how to use #include to include them in a program

Building Functions

• Declaration -- name, return type, parameter list
  • Know the format
  • Know what to specify in the parameter list
• Definition -- header, along with function body
  • the keyword return -- returning values from functions
  • using the formal parameters in the function
• Scope (and how it relates to functions)
  • Meaning of scope
  • Global scope
  • Variables local to function blocks
  • Scope of function parameters
• void as a return type
• Empty parameter lists

Other Function Topics

• Function overloading - functions with same name and different parameter lists
• Default parameters (new C++ feature, not available in C)
  • optional parameters, by giving them default values
  • Must be last in the parameter list
• Understand how default parameters on functions affects function overloading
• Random number generation (using library functions)