Advanced C++

advanced

What You'll Learn

Theory

C++ provides powerful advanced features that enable generic programming, robust error handling, and efficient data structures.

Standard Template Library (STL)

The STL provides ready-to-use containers, algorithms, and iterators:

Containers: vector, list, map, set, unordered_map
Algorithms: sort, find, accumulate, copy
Iterators: pointer-like objects for traversing containers

#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
 
std::vector<int> v = {3, 1, 4, 1, 5};
std::sort(v.begin(), v.end());

Templates

Templates enable generic programming — writing code that works with any type:

template <typename T>
T max(T a, T b) {
    return (a > b) ? a : b;
}
 
int x = max(10, 20);       // T is int
double y = max(3.14, 2.71); // T is double

Exception Handling

Exceptions provide a structured way to handle runtime errors:

try {
    if (denominator == 0) {
        throw std::runtime_error("Division by zero");
    }
} catch (const std::exception& e) {
    std::cerr << e.what() << std::endl;
}

STL and Templates Example

cpp

Why this matters

The STL, templates, and exception handling are what make C++ productive for large-scale projects. These features let you write generic, type-safe code that's both fast and maintainable.

What's next

In the next lessons, you'll dive deeper into each topic with hands-on examples and exercises.

Exercises

Template Function and STL Sort

easy

Write a template function that prints elements of any vector. Then create a vector of integers, sort it using STL sort, and print it using your function.

Expected Output:

1 3 5 7 9