Intro to C++ Part 0x1 by me

[RedJoker]

What you need:

1.C++ compiler(preferably DevC++ for this tutorial.) 

                                          |__

                                              http://bloodshed.net/

2.A pair of hands

3.A keyboard

4.A brain.

5.The ability to read and understand plain English.

And MOST OF ALL:  Patience.

+++++++++++++

Hello.  Im tired of the other C++ introductions.  The first code they present you with is always some 'Hello World' type of program. 

This introduction is different. Your program with actually do something when this intro is through. 

This tutorial is nothing major or intense.  Okay, lets get down to business. 

I'll start you off with this:

#include <iostream.h>

using namespace std;

int main()

{

cout << "I am a newbien";

return 0;

}

/***************************/

Seems like a stupid old 'Hello World' program to me.  I'm sure you feel the same way. 

If you compiled and ran this code, then you noticed that a console window popped up really fast and closed really fast without doing anything special.

This is because all your code is doing is telling the machine to display "I am a newbie" and close. 

Lets break make it so that your program shows up and stays up until you want it to close.

/***************************/

#include <iostream.h>

using namespace std;

int main()

{

cout << "I am a newbien"; //you are one

system("PAUSE");

return 0;

}

/***************************/

So far, this tutorial is like the generic tutorials you've seen in the past. 

I don't want that in this tutorial so lets spice up your program. 

First lets get through with the boring stuff(explaining the parts so far).

/***************************/

#include  - Tells the compiler what files to include while compiling. 

You need this in all C++ code you write because the header files are the files that declare certain variables/functions.

/***************************/

using namespace std;  -I think I'll explain this briefly in my second tutorial because there are more namespaces.

/***************************/

int main() - This is standard in all C++ applications. 

You need this in your code at this point.  You won't need to know how to bypass it until you are doing something more adavanced. 

For now, you need to put this at the beginning of your code.  Within the () you can put variables that you will declare later in your code. 

Example: 

int main(int x, int y, int z)

Don't worry about this yet.

{ }  - are brackets.  They seperate parts of your code into sections.

Example:

/***************************/

{

cout << "Your computer should be shutting down now...n";

system("shutdown -s -t 01");

}

else if(choices == "4")

{

cout << "Your computer should be restarting now...n";

system("shutdown -r");

cout << "CHOICE: ";

}

/***************************/

cout << "I am a newbien"; - Okay.  This line of code has a few things I want to explain. 

    1a. cout << "I am a newbien"; - This is the basic output command to output data in your basic console program.

    1b. n is an escape sequence.  I found a chart naming and labeling the escape sequences on cppreference.com:

'  Single quote

" Double quote

Backslash

nnn Octal number (nnn)