C++ Programming Chapter 1

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Chapter One: Introduction

• Programming is a skill/ knowledge of making the computer
perform the required operation or task
• learning computer programming is learning how to talk to the
computer
• Programming Language: a set different category of written
symbols that instruct computer hardware to perform specified
operations required by the designer
• Skills needed to be a programmer:
➢ Programming Language Skill
➢ Problem Solving Skill
➢ Algorithm Development
✓ sequence of simple and human understandable set
of instructions showing the step of solving the
problem
✓ steps should not be dependent on any programming
language or machine
• syntax
▪ sets of rules that govern the symbols used in a
programming language
▪ determine how the programmer can make the computer
hardware to perform a specific operation
1.1 Generations of programming language

• Programming languages are categorized into five

generations
• The higher the level of a language, the easier it is to
understand and use by programmers
• Programs written in high level languages need to be
translated into machine language in order to be executed
• They are categorized into two broad categories
➢ Low level languages
✓ machine specific or dependent
✓ first and second generation languages
➢ High level languages
✓ machine independent
✓ can run on variety of computers
✓ Third, fourth and fifth generation languages
✓ Fourth & fifth - very high level languages
✓ Example: COBOL, BASIC

1) First Generation (Machine languages, 1940’s)

▪ Difficult to write
▪ Dependent on machine languages of the specific computer
being used
▪ executed by the computer without the need for a translator
▪ execute very quickly and use memory very efficiently
▪ allow the programmer to interact directly with the hardware
▪ more powerful in utilizing resources of the computer
2) Second Generation (Assembly languages, early 1950’s)
▪ Uses symbolic names for operations and storage locations
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 ▪ Assembler(system program) translates a program written
in assembly language to machine language
▪ not portable. i.e., different computer architectures have
their own machine and assembly languages
▪ highly used in system software development
3) Third Generation (High level languages, 1950’s to 1970’s)
▪ Uses English like instructions and mathematicians were
able to define variables with statements
▪ easier to use than assembly language
▪ need to be translated into machine language
▪ All third generation programming languages are procedural
languages: programmer is expected to specify what is
required and how to perform it
4) Fourth Generation (since late 1970’s)
▪ simple, English like syntax rules
▪ non-procedural languages: easier to write, but you have
less control over how each task is actually performed
▪ programmer is not required to write traditional
programming logic, he/she concentrate on defining the
input and output rather than the program steps required
▪ have a minimum number of syntax rules; saves time
▪ Example: structured query languages (SQL), report
generators, application generators and graphics languages
5) Fifth Generation (1990’s)
▪ used in artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems; also
used for accessing databases
▪ Are natural languages whose instruction closely resembles
human speech

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 ▪ require very powerful hardware and software because of
complexity involved in interpreting commands in human
language

1.2 Overview of Computers and Computer Organization

• computer divided into six logical units or sections

1) Input Unit
▪ obtains information from various input devices and
places this information at the disposal of the other
units
2) Output Unit
▪ takes information that has been processed by the
computer and places it on various output devices to
make the information available for use outside the
computer
3) Memory unit
▪ retains information that has been entered through
the input unit
▪ also retains processed information until that
information can be placed on output devices
4) Central Processing Unit (CPU)
▪ is the computer’s coordinator
▪ responsible for supervising the operations of the
other sections

5) Arithmetic and Logic unit:

▪ part found inside the CPU

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 ▪ responsible for performing mathematical
calculations/operations & comparisons
6) Secondary Storage device
▪ A Programs/data used by other units are placed on
it
1.3 The evolution of Operating Systems
• single-user batch processing
✓ runs a single program/only one job at a time while
processing data in groups or batches
✓ It rarely utilizes the computer’s resources
• Multiprogramming
✓ many jobs or tasks from different programs or
applications could be made to share the resources of the
computer
✓ involving the “simultaneous” operation of many jobs on
the computer
✓ achieve better utilization
• timesharing operating systems:
✓ It is special case of multiprogramming
✓ users access the computers through terminals
✓ computer does not run the users job paralleling, but
shares the CPU’s time

1.4 Major Programming Paradigms

• Are features or properties observed in the development of

programming languages
A. Procedural Programming
▪ based upon the concept of procedure call
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 ▪ Possible benefits:
✓ the ability to re-use the same code (function or
procedure) at different places
✓ an easier way to keep track of program flow than
a collection of “GO TO” or “JUMP” statements
▪ better choice than simple sequential programming in
many situations which involve moderate complexity or
which require significant ease of maintainability
B. Structured Programming
▪ Process of writing a program in small, independent
parts
▪ easier to control a program's development and to
design and test its individual component parts
▪ Structured programs are built up from units called
modules, which normally correspond to single
procedures or functions
▪ It is subset or sub discipline of procedural
programming
▪ most famous for removing or reducing reliance on the
GO TO statement
C.Object-Oriented Programming
▪ Here a computer program is composed of a collection
of individual units, or objects as opposed to traditional
list of instructions to the computer
▪ give more flexibility, easing changes to programs
▪ simpler to develop and maintain

1.5 Problem solving process and software engineering

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Software engineering

• Software engineering is the profession that creates and

maintains software applications
• method used in solving problems in computer science and/or
information systems is called the software development life
cycle. It has the following components:
o preliminary investigation
o analysis
o design
o implementation
o testing and maintenance

Problem Solving

• is the process of transforming the description of a problem

into the solution by using our knowledge of the problem
domain and by relying on our ability to select and use
appropriate problem-solving strategies, techniques, and tools
• A problem is
✓ an undesirable situation that prevents the organization
from fully achieving its purpose, goals and objectives
✓ a gap between the existing and the desired situation
where problem solving will try to fill this gap
• two approaches of problem solving:
➢ Top down design
▪ based on the concept that the structure of the
problem should determine the structure of the
solution and what should be done in lower level
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 ▪ disintegrate a larger problem into more smaller and
manageable problems to narrow the problem
domain
➢ Bottom up design
▪ reverse process where the lowest level component
are built first and the system builds up from the
bottom until the whole process is finally completed

Basic Program development tips

• The program we design in any programming language need

to be:
✓ Reliable
▪ always do what it is expected to do and handle all
types of exception.
✓ Maintainable
▪ could be modified and upgraded when the need
arises
✓ Portable
▪ possible to adapt the software written for one type of
computer to another with minimum modification
✓ Efficient
▪ designed to make optimal use of time, space and
other resources of the computer

Algorithm designing and modeling the logic (using flow chart)

• algorithm:
✓ a solution to a problem

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 ✓ describes the sequence of steps to be performed for the
problem to be solved
✓ finite set of well-defined instructions for accomplishing
some task which, given an initial state, will terminate in a
corresponding recognizable end-state
✓ algorithm should be:
o Precise and unambiguous
o Simple
o Correct
o Efficient
• flow chart:
➢ a graphical way of expressing the steps needed to solve
a problem
➢ a schematic (diagrammatic description) representation of
a process
➢ Basic flowcharting symbols are:

Terminal point

Input/output

Process

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 Decision

Flow line

Inter-page connector

On-page connector

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Compilers and Interpreters

• Any program written in a language other than machine

language needs to be translated to machine language
✓ The set of instructions that do this task are known as
translators
• There are different kinds of translator software, among which
translator and interpreters are of interest for most
programmers
➢ Compilers

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 o changes or translates the whole source code into
executable machine code/object code
o E.g. C++, Pascal, FORTRAN, etc
➢ Interpreters
o translates a single high level statement and
executes it and then goes to the next high level
language line etc
o translate line by line
o E.g. QBASIC, Lisp etc

Mechanics of Creating a program (C++)

• C++ programs typically go through five phases to be

executed:
➢ Edit
▪ accomplished with an editor program
▪ Typing C++ statements with the editor and making
corrections if necessary
▪ programs source file is then stored on secondary
storage device such as a disk with a “.cpp” file name
➢ Preprocess
▪ preprocessor program executes automatically
before the compiler’s translation phase begins
▪ The C++ preprocessor obeys command called
preprocessor directives, which indicate that certain
manipulations are to be performed on the program
before compilation
▪ goes over the program text and carries out the
instructions specified by the preprocessor directives
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 ▪ preprocessor directives (e.g., #include)
▪ The preprocessor is invoked by the compiler before
the program is converted to machine language
▪ The result is a modified program text which no
longer contains any directives.

➢ Compile
▪ C++ compiler translates the program code
▪ C++ programs typically contain references to
functions and data defined else where, such as in
the standard libraries
▪ The outcome may be incomplete due to the
program referring to library routines which are not
defined as a part of the program
▪ The object code produced by the C++ compiler
typically contains “holes” due to these missing parts
➢ Linking
▪ A linker links the object code with the code for the
missing function to produce an executable image
(with no missing pieces)
▪ the linker completes the object code by linking it
with the object code of any library modules that the
program may have referred to
▪ The final result is an executable file
➢ Loading
▪ the loader takes the executable file from disk and
transfers it to memory
▪ Additional components from shared libraries that
support the program are also loaded
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 ▪ Finally, the computer, under the control of its CPU,
executes the program

❖ In practice all these steps are usually invoked by a single

command and the user will not even see the intermediate
files generated

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