How to improve programming skills in C++
Before getting started, one should know why to improve their programming skills.
To become a good software developer or programmer, one must be skilled in at least one programming language. Many programmers choose the C++ language because the C++ language is a successor of the C language. The C++ language is based on the object-oriented programming concept. It is faster than any programming language. To be a skillful programmer, one must not stop coding every day and be thorough with the programming concepts.
Improving programming skills in C++
Below are the tips to improve programming skills in C++
- Build some simple projects in C++.
- Refer to a good C++ book.
- Solve problems on coding platforms.
- Participate in hackathons (coding competitions).
- Learn modern C++ features.
- Improve your knowledge about STL and Boost.
- Watch short videos featuring C++ concepts.
Build some simple projects in C++
To understand how the C++ code works, it is always better to work on doing small projects based on C++. Building projects are the best way to know how the code components work.
Below are some of the projects on which you can work:
- Login and Registration System.
- Car Rental System.
- Bookshop inventory system.
- College Management System.
- Casino Number Guessing Game.
- Sudoku Game.
- Credit Card Validator.
- Helicopter Game.
Refer to a good C++ book
A good book always helps in understanding the concepts faster. A good book might also help you understand new concepts that you never heard before. Below are some books that would help you improve your C++ concepts.
- The C++ Programming Language Book (written by Bjarne Stroustrup).
- Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ Book (written by Bjarne Stroustrup).
- Object-Oriented Programming with C++ is a C++ book written by E Balagurusamy.
- C++ Primer (5th Edition) written by Stanley B. Lippman.
These books cover all the basic concepts of C++ and also many new concepts. Refer to any of the books for being fluent in C++.
Solve problems on Coding platforms
Solving simple problems on any coding platform, such as CodeChef, hackerank, or leetcode, will help increase a programmer's computational and logical thinking ability. The ability of computational thinking helps a programmer to debug code easily and write code more efficiently. By doing this, one can become a good C++ programmer, as practising coding helps one become a professional coder.
Participate in hackathons (coding competitions)
Coding competitions help a programmer test their programming skills. These coding competitions help you in knowing your speed in solving a problem. Participating in hackathons improves accuracy and speed in coding. Also, performing well in these hackathons will help you get good jobs or a good prize. The coding platforms also conduct coding competitions. For example, CodeChef conducts cookoff competitions every month.
Learn modern C++ features
C++ is one of the top programming languages and has dramatically improved this decade. The evolving C++ has introduced new features and libraries that helped many developers in specific ways.
The auto keyword was introduced in C++11, and the auto keyword helped C++ to deduce the type of data during compilation. Adding the auto keyword feature helped reduce time wastage in declaring the datatype every time.
The lambda expression is an anonymous function that declares variables on various scopes based on their given syntax. Lambda function helps reduce time wastage as it can be used to add small things to the code without adding a separate function. They are also used for comparison.
Other features, such as Init statements and Class template argument deduction, are also included in the C++14 and C++17 versions.
New features also include smart pointers that help programmers from memory leaks by freeing them whenever possible.
Learning the new features of C++ helps you get used to the evolving programming world and, in turn, enables you to become a good C++ programmer.
Improve your knowledge about STL and Boost
The STL in C++ is a defined set of template classes that provide a set of functions with templates. Every programmer must know STL(standard template library), which is commonly used in implementing algorithms and data structures such as stacks, queues, etc. Learning about STL makes you more expressive and robust in writing C++ code.
On the other hand, Boost is a set of C++ libraries. These libraries are well designed and contain many modern C++ features. Learning about Boost helps a programmer model a well-designed API.
Watch short videos featuring C++ concepts.
Not everyone is fond of reading books; some people understand the concepts when someone explains them. Many YouTubers can help you to improve your C++ concepts. Try to watch short videos of C++ concepts for a better comprehension of the concepts.