C++ Gotchas (PDF)

"This may well be the best C++ book I have ever read. I was surprised by the amount I learned."

--Matthew Wilson, Development Consultant, Synesis Software

C++ Gotchas is the professional programmer's guide to avoiding and correcting ninety-nine of the most common, destructive, and interesting C++ design and programming errors. It also serves as an inside look at the more subtle C++ features and programming techniques.

This book discusses basic errors present in almost all C++ code, as well as complex mistakes in syntax, preprocessing, conversions, initialization, memory and resource management, polymorphism, class design, and hierarchy design. Each error and its repercussions are explained in context, and the resolution of each problem is detailed and demonstrated.

Author Stephen Dewhurst supplies readers with idioms and design patterns that can be used to generate customized solutions for common problems. Readers will also learn more about commonly misunderstood features of C++ used in advanced programming and design. A companion Web site, located at http://www.semantics.org, includes detailed code samples from the book.

Readers will discover:

• How to escape both common and complex traps associated with C++
• How to produce more reusable, maintainable code
• Advanced C++ programming techniques
• Nuances of the C++ language

C++ Gotchas shows how to navigate through the greatest dangers in C++ programming, and gives programmers the practical know-how they need to gain expert status.