Do you know who is the mastermind behind the C++ programming language? 

Mr. Bjarne Stroustrup, discovered this mid-level programming language incidentally at Bell Labs in 1979.

From Mac OS to Windows to multiple UNIX platforms, C++ can run on multiple operating systems. Therefore, programmers across the globe are gravitating towards upskilling their knowledge of C++. Here\'s why it is essential for you to learn the language to become a successful tech developer. 

Why Learn C++ Basics? 

If you aim to become an extraordinary software engineer in life, then learning C++ basics can prove to be highly beneficial for your career:

1. The language is extremely close to the hardware. Therefore, you will get an excellent opportunity to work closely at a low level. It also gives software engineers the control that they desire in terms of better performance and memory management. 
2. C++ is a superset of the C programming language that introduced the concept of object-oriented programming. Through the implementation of dynamic type identification, virtual tables, etc. you too can increase your knowledge of critical OOPS concepts such as inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, etc. 
3. It is a timeless programming language that is on the bucket list of every budding programmer. 
4. It is one of the most sought-after programming languages in terms of application development and gives you the option to choose between your areas of interest. 

There are plenty of reasons why one must learn C++ programming language. However, one thing is for sure, if you want to master a new programming language,  you first have to go through its basics. Here are the C++ basics that every programmer must know like the back of their hand. 

C++ Basics Every Programmer Must Know About 

1. Basic Syntax: To learn C++ programming, you first need to learn how to write the code in a text editor and then save it with the extensions - .C, .CP, .CPP. You then have to combine your written code using an online compiler. 
2. Basic I/O: You can perform multiple inputs and outputs using the libraries available with C++. Unlike other programming languages, inputs and outputs are performed as a byte sequence which is commonly known as a stream. To take inputs and print outputs, you can use the keywords - cin and cout.
3. Comments: If you want your code to be error-free and easily readable then you must document it with relevant comments. 

These are nothing but texts that annotate code for the future reference of the programmer. They are treated as a white space by the compiler since they can’t be executed by the interpreter and the compiler. 

Data Types and Modifiers: Next in line of C++ basics is data types and modifiers. This concept will be especially useful for you if you’re planning to take part in any future competitive programming challenges. 

Data types tell the variables what type of data they can store. Whenever the programmer defines any variable in the C++ programming language, a memory location is assigned to it by the compiler. This location is based on the data type that the variable declared. A different memory location is assigned to different data types. 

Uninitialised Variables: One of the major rules that has kept C++ viable for so long is that a programmer doesn’t have to pay for something he doesn’t use. As you must already know, it can be quite expensive to initialise a stack variable because it interrupts with your speed of execution. 

Therefore, C++ allows programmers to initialize an indeterminate value in the form of a primitive data type before using it in their code. 

Variables: The name assigned to a memory location is known as a variable. It forms the fundamental building block of storage in a defined program. During the execution of a program, a programmer has the liberty to change the value of a variable. 

Furthermore, it is important to remember that since a variable is merely a name assigned to a memory location, every operation executed on the variable will indefinitely affect the memory location as well. Also, a programmer must declare all the variables in C++ before using them. 

Variable Scope: Just like its literal meaning in the English language, scope in programming defines the extent of a program code within the limits of which a programmer can access, declare, or work with a variable. There exist two types of variable scopes in C++ - Local variables and global variables. 

A programmer can access a local variable only within a particular function or block in which the variable is declared. On the other hand, global variables can be accessed throughout the program.

Constants: Any variable in C++ that cannot be modified once its value is defined is known as a constant. These variables have a fixed value in the program. There can be multiple types of constants in a C++ program such as - float, integer, octal, character constants, etc. 

Every constant in C++ has a predefined range and is divided into two categories - signed bit and unsigned bit. The signed bit can have a range of integer values between -128 to +127. On the other hand, an unsigned bit can have a range of integer value between 0 to 255. 

1. Access Modifiers: One of the most important C++ basics for a programmer to learn is access modifiers. These are data handling modifiers that are used by a programmer to define the accessibility of a particular class member. 
2. Storage Classes: The features of a function or a variable are defined by a storage class. These features include - life-time, scope, visibility and help trace the variable at the time of program execution. 
3. Operators: The foundation of the C++ programming language is formed by the operators. These are nothing but basic programming symbols that help you to perform logical and mathematical computations on the operands. 
4. Loops: This feature of the C++ programming language comes in handy when a programmer needs to execute a block of statements on loop. For example, if you want to print the word “red” 20 times, you can do it either by using loops or an iterative method. 

Final Thoughts 

Learning the C++ basics can help you excel in competitive programming challenges and earn a lucrative job opportunity at the companies of top IT players. 

So, if you don’t want to miss this chance of taking your career to new horizons, then master the above mentioned C++ basics today!

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