Beautiful C++

Discover the Beauty of Modern C++

" Beautiful C++ presents the C++ Core Guidelines from a developer's point of view with an emphasis on what benefits can be obtained from following the rules and what nightmares can result from ignoring them. For true geeks, it is an easy and entertaining read. For most software developers, it offers something new and useful."
--Bjarne Stroustrup, inventor of C++ and co-editor of the C++ Core Guidelines

Writing great C++ code needn't be difficult. The C++ Core Guidelines can help every C++ developer design and write C++ programs that are exceptionally reliable, efficient, and well-performing. But the Guidelines are so jam-packed with excellent advice that it's hard to know where to start. Start here, with Beautiful C++.

Expert C++ programmers Guy Davidson and Kate Gregory identify 30 Core Guidelines you'll find especially valuable and offer detailed practical knowledge for improving your C++ style. For easy reference, this book is structured to align closely with the official C++ Core Guidelines website.

Throughout, Davidson and Gregory offer useful conceptual insights and expert sample code, illuminate proven ways to use both new and longstanding language features more successfully, and show how to write programs that are more robust and performant by default.

• Avoid "bikeshedding": stop wasting valuable time on trivia
• Don't hurt yourself by writing code that will cause problems later
• Know which legacy features to avoid and the modern features to use instead
• Use newer features properly, to get their benefits without creating new problems
• Default to higher-quality code that's statically type-safe, leak resistant, and easier to evolve
• Use the Core Guidelines with any modern C++ version: C++20, C++17, C++14, or C++11

There's something here to improve virtually every program you write, design, or maintain.

For ease of experimentation, all sample code is available on Compiler Explorer at 0.

Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

J. Guy Davidson, head of engineering practice at Creative Assembly, works on its Total War game franchise, curates its catalogue, and improves programming standards across its engineering team. He serves on the ISO C++ committee, moderates the #include discord server, speaks at C++ events, and offers C++ mentoring support through Prospela and BAME in Games.

Kate Gregory has 40+ years of development experience in multiple languages. She has keynoted on five continents, and volunteers in many C++ activities, especially #include , which is making the industry more welcoming and inclusive. Since 1986 she and her husband have run Gregory Consulting, helping clients worldwide become more effective.

The C++ Core Guidelines can help any C++ developer design and write C++ programs that are exceptionally reliable, robust, and well-performing. But the Guidelines are so jam-packed with excellent advice that it's hard to know where to start. So: start here, with Beautiful C++. Leading C++ programmers Guy Davidson and Kate Gregory identify 30 core guidelines you'll find especially valuable, and offer detailed practical knowledge for making the most of them. Davidson and Gregory identify five major areas to gain benefit from the Core Guidelines: Avoiding bikeshedding (wasting valuable time on trivia instead of what's really important) Not hurting yourself by writing code that's more likely to cause you problems later Knowing which features to avoid and which to use instead Using C++'s newer capabilities properly, to get their benefits without creating new problems Writing code well by default--e.g., to remain statically type safe, prevent leaks, and enable optimization Throughout, Davidson and Gregory offer powerfully useful conceptual insights--for instance, why you should think in terms of tasks, not threads. They illuminate proven ways to use key C++ features more successfully: from constructors to functions, pointers and error handling to namespaces. You'll learn how to make the most of new or evolving features such as enum and templates, and write code that's more robust and optimizable by default. Beautiful C++ can help you quickly improve every C++ program you write or design--and it'll be the perfect complement to Rainer Grimm's comprehensive reference, C++ Core Guidelines.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.