Visual C++ 2008 / 2010

Audience

This course is for anyone who wants to learn C++.  It uses Visual Studio 2008 or 2010 and simplifies learning so you can gain C++ programming skills as quickly and easily as possible.  That's true no matter whether you're a C# or Visual Basic programmer who's worked with Visual Studio, or whether you're coming to C++ from a non-Microsoft language like Java or COBOL.  It's true if you're a novice who wants to learn C++ as your first programming language and it's true if you have C++ experience but want to learn how to use the .NET classes and methods in your C++ programs.  All will benefit.

Prerequisites

Having knowledge of another programming language or the concepts of programming is ideal, although we can accept non-programmers with advance notice.

Duration

5 days. Hands on.

Course Objectives

If you want to learn C++ as quickly and easily as possible, then this is the course for you. Concise and practical, it takes advantage of the Visual Studio 2008 or 2010 IDE to teach you all the language features you'll use most in Windows applications. The course manual also serves as a handy C++ reference that you can use every day. Here are just four of the reasons why there's no better way to learn C++ than with this course:

• Receive a fast start in C++; you'll be developing your first applications using Visual Studio and C++ by the end of the first day.  And because Visual Studio is full of time-saving tools for repetitive program development tasks it frees you to focus on the language structure and syntax.  As a result, you will master the basics of C++ coding, which are the same whether you're working on .NET or coding native C++ on a console, in a minimum of time.
• Master the C++ features you'll use all the time. Once you know the basics of building C++ programs you can move on.  So you'll soon be adept at tasks like: handling numeric, date, and string data; working with loops, arrays, and collections; coding methods and event handlers; validating data and handling exceptions; and working with text, binary, and XML data. What's more, if you have experience with another language, the course manual is designed with paired-page format, making it easy to see how C++ is different from the languages you already know, so that you can pick up new skills as quickly as possible.
• Train in real-world object-oriented programming. Many C++ courses present OOP with whimsical examples that are entertaining, but tough to translate to everyday business programs. Here, you'll learn how to apply OOP concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, and generics as you work with business objects like customers, invoices, and products…training that you'll be able to put to work right away.
• Take advantage of legacy C and native C++ code on the .NET platform. Visual C++ is backward-compatible with the thousands of applications that have been written in legacy C and native C++. This means that you can use Visual Studio to edit, run, and enhance legacy programs. It also means you can incorporate tested, debugged legacy code into C++ applications. If time allows, we can show you how to do both
• Practical exercises solidify your skills. The exercises at the end of each section give you a chance to apply what you've learned and to gain valuable, hands-on experience.

Course Content

An introduction to Visual Studio
How to get started with Visual Studio
How to design a Windows Forms application
How to code and test a Windows Forms application

The C++ language essentials
How to work with numeric and string data
How to code control structures
How to code methods and event handlers
How to handle exceptions and validate data
How to work with arrays and collections
How to work with dates and strings
More skills for working with Windows forms and controls
How to debug an application

Object-oriented programming with C++
How to create and use classes
How to work with indexers, delegates, events, and operators
How to work with inheritance
How to work with interfaces and generics
How to organize and document your classes

Other skills for C++ developers
How to work with files and data streams
How to work with XML files
How to work with legacy C and native C++ code