I find using C++more enjoyable than ever.C++’s support for design and programming has
improved dramatically over the years,and lots of new helpful techniques have been developed for
its use.However,C++is not just fun.Ordinary practical programmers have achieved significant
improvements in productivity,maintainability,flexibility,and quality in projects of just about any
kind and scale.By now,C++has fulfilled most of the hopes I originally had for it,and also suc-
ceeded at tasks I hadn’t even dreamt of.
This book introduces standard C++?and the key programming and design techniques supported
by C++.Standard C++is a far more powerful and polished language than the version of C++intro-
duced by the first edition of this book.New language features such as namespaces,exceptions,
templates,and run-time type identification allow many techniques to be applied more directly than
was possible before,and the standard library allows the programmer to start from a much higher
level than the bare language.
About a third of the information in the second edition of this book came from the first.This
third edition is the result of a rewrite of even larger magnitude.It offers something to even the
most experienced C++programmer;at the same time,this book is easier for the novice to approach
than its predecessors were.The explosion of C++use and the massive amount of experience accu-
mulated as a result makes this possible.
The definition of an extensive standard library makes a difference to the way C++concepts can
be presented.As before,this book presents C++independently of any particular implementation,
and as before,the tutorial chapters present language constructs and concepts in a‘‘bottom up’’
order so that a construct is used only after it has been defined.However,it is much easier to use a
well-designed library than it is to understand the details of its implementation.Therefore,the stan-
dard library can be used to provide realistic and interesting examples well before a reader can be
assumed to understand its inner workings.The standard library itself is also a fertile source of pro-
gramming examples and design techniques.
This book presents every major C++language feature and the standard library.It is organized
around language and library facilities.However,features are presented in the context of their use.
That is,the focus is on the language as the tool for design and programming rather than on the lan-
guage in itself.This book demonstrates key techniques that make C++effective and teaches the
fundamental concepts necessary for mastery.Except where illustrating technicalities,examples are
taken from the domain of systems software.A companion,The Annotated C++Language Stan-
dard,presents the complete language definition together with annotations to make it more compre-
hensible.
The primary aim of this book is to help the reader understand how the facilities offered by C++
support key programming techniques.The aim is to take the reader far beyond the point where he
or she gets code running primarily by copying examples and emulating programming styles from
other languages.Only a good understanding of the ideas behind the language facilities leads to
mastery.Supplemented by implementation documentation,the information provided is sufficient
for completing significant real-world projects.The hope is that this book will help the reader gain
new insights and become a better programmer and designer.
Acknowledgments
In addition to the people mentioned in the acknowledgement sections of the first and second edi-
tions,I would like to thank Matt Austern,Hans Boehm,Don Caldwell,Lawrence Crowl,Alan
Feuer,Andrew Forrest,David Gay,Tim Griffin,Peter Juhl,Brian Kernighan,Andrew Koenig,
Mike Mowbray,Rob Murray,Lee Nackman,Joseph Newcomer,Alex Stepanov,David Vandevo-
orde,Peter Weinberger,and Chris Van Wyk for commenting on draft chapters of this third edition.
Without their help and suggestions,this book would have been harder to understand,contained
more errors,been slightly less complete,and probably been a little bit shorter.
I would also like to thank the volunteers on the C++standards committees who did an immense
amount of constructive work to make C++what it is today.It is slightly unfair to single out indi-
viduals,but it would be even more unfair not to mention anyone,so I’d like to especially mention
Mike Ball,Dag Br.
.u
ck,Sean Corfield,Ted Goldstein,Kim Knuttila,Andrew Koenig,Josée Lajoie,
Dmitry Lenkov,Nathan Myers,Martin O’Riordan,Tom Plum,Jonathan Shopiro,John Spicer,
Jerry Schwarz,Alex Stepanov,and Mike Vilot,as people who each directly cooperated with me
over some part of C++and its standard library.
Murray Hill,New Jersey Bjarne Stroustrup