How to read through a 1000+ page C++ book

[Lethn]

So I'm studying C++ at the moment because I need to if I want to make games, just one problem, while I find it interesting I'm being burdened with my classic school problem of the textbooks/teacher making my subject incredibly boring, unlike the school textbooks though it does explain things well but still oh god It's boring ;_; I found the graphics programming much more fun especially when things worked but I need to learn C++ in order to progress any further and do fun stuff like make properly working games and fun particle animations.

For those who are curious, this is all of the stuff I'm trying to learn so I can progress to SFML properly



. Basic program structure (main(), header includes ...)

. Basic data types

. Composite data types

. Control structures (if, for, while ...)

. Basic functions, function signatures

. Function parameter passing

. Classes and general OOP

. STL - Standard Template Library

. Dynamic memory allocation, pointers

. Type casting

. Advanced OOP, inheritance, polymorphism

. Advanced program structure, header files, linking

All of it's in the book but ARGHH! >_<

[Kluge]

Introduction to Woodworking (32nd ed.)

Welcome to the exciting world of woodworking. Before you begin your adventure, you must first learn fundamental information.

Wood: An Introduction

Wood is defined differently by various organizations. In our study, however, wood will be defined primarily as hard, organic, fibrous structural tissue, a natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression. It is thought that the use of wood as a building material significantly predates historical records due to animals' use of wood in various structures suiting their immediate purposes.

Among its structural uses, wood is considered a considerable choice as a fuel source, with records indicating wood being intentionally used as a fuel source almost as early as the dawn of mankind. Wood has unique and fascinating characteristics we will explore as this chapter progresses.

Wood as a fuel source

Wood is classified as a carbon-neutral renewable energy source. While wood has a high amount of water content, it generally is dried prior to burning as a fuel source. Water occurs in living wood in three conditions, namely: (1) in the cell walls, (2) in the protoplasmic contents of the cells, and (3) as free water in the cell cavities and spaces. In heartwood it occurs only in the first and last forms. Wood that is thoroughly air-dried retains 8–16% of the water in the cell walls, and none, or practically none, in the other forms. The drying of the wood prior to burning allows wood to be a viable and economical choice in industrial and residential fuel consumption.

Wood's characteristics as a fuel source are considered by some as beneficial, adding a warmth non-present in some other fuel source choices. Historically, wood as a fuel source required a point of ignition sometimes difficult to obtain, such as the spark from a flint rock. In Japan's Edo era, wood was favored as a fuel source and the current administration of Japan created a forest management program.

........... o.o.... -.- ....... zzz....

[Lethn]

Textbooks do have a habit of being fucking boring don't they? but I know I have to learn it.

Integer Types

Integers are numbers with no fractional part, such as 2, 98, –5286, and 0.There are lots of
integers, assuming that you consider an infinite number to be a lot, so no finite amount of
computer memory can represent all possible integers.Thus, a language can represent only
a subset of all integers. Some languages offer just one integer type (one type fits all!), but
C++ provides several choices.This gives you the option of choosing the integer type that
best meets a program’s particular requirements.This concern with matching type to data
presages the designed data types of OOP.

The various C++ integer types differ in the amount of memory they use to hold an
integer.A larger block of memory can represent a larger range in integer values.Also
some types (signed types) can represent both positive and negative values, whereas others
(unsigned types) can’t represent negative values.The usual term for describing the amount
of memory used for an integer is width.The more memory a value uses, the wider it is.
C++’s basic integer types, in order of increasing width, are char, short, int, long, and,
with C++11, long long. Each comes in both signed and unsigned versions.That gives
you a choice of ten different integer types! Let’s look at these integer types in more detail.
Because the char type has some special properties (it’s most often used to represent characters
instead of numbers), this chapter covers the other types first.

*dies*

[worldinacoin]

Close the book, start hands on programming, hands on is the best way to learn.

[Lethn]

Not if I don't know how to program in the first place you muppet lol

[Kluge]

Not if I don't know how to program in the first place you muppet lol

Just start guessing and typing in commands, see which ones are valid, and experiment with them a few weeks to see what they can do.

Consider it Brute Force Education.... Probably the name of a porn series...

[e521]

Close the book, start hands on programming, hands on is the best way to learn.

Worst way of learning

RTFM and try to code a few examples and verify you understood
(too many times I found myself saying "oh yes, of course!" and then not able to replicate it LOL

Also choose a better, for you, book next time

[pteranodon]

I find most programming books boring as well. What I find helps me is to have a specific project in mind and while going through the book I imagine how each section could be used in my project. That helps me understand the subject matter more easily and remember what I read. Then when I start the actual programming and get stuck on something, I will go and re-read the relevant sections.

[Lethn]

I suck at studying books, I got distracted and found famitracker and learned how to use that instead >_<

[Remember remember the 5th of November]

Close the book, start hands on programming, hands on is the best way to learn.

+1

But then again, you will have half the knowledge and never really progress with ideas. I am saying this from experience. I am always trial&error and this will be my downfall.

[mprep]

I chose the "Bash your head against the monitor until you bleed". Maybe physical pain will numb your mental pain.

[RoadToHell]

Keep in mind that you are trying to learn two (major) things at the same time:
   1) How to program, and
   2) The C++ programming language.

Most large programming language books are written to sell large programming books.  They are not efficient at teaching fundamental programming skills to new programmers.  And they are not efficient at helping experienced programmers pick up a new language based on what they already know about other programming languages.

Learning to program is an iterative process.  You need to read some and you need to do some.  Find some existing source code and go through it until you understand it.  Find a simple project on the internet or from your book's CD and go through it.  Make changes to it.

Since you are interested in making games, find some game source code and start making changes to it.  Start with some small changes just so you can get the feedback of seeing results.  Build from there.  If your book doesn't have a good language reference section then find one on the internet or buy a language reference.  The value of having a reference book that you can actually thumb through can't be overstated.

Once you have a handle on the overall constructs of C++ programming you might want to concentrate next on getting a high level view of types of things that can be done.  Don't worry about the details.  Spend a few hours going through a language reference just browsing the huge number of functions that are available.  If you know certain tasks or manipulations can be done you can always look up the details of how when you need them.

[FirstAscent]

Close the book, start hands on programming, hands on is the best way to learn.

+1000.

Nothing else needs to be said.

[kokjo]

burn it before it lays eggs!

[mprep]

burn it before it lays eggs!

It would be interesting to see how it happens though.

[Welsh]

Very boring. I guess the best way to learn from the book directly is to reward you're self after you have done so much learning. Eg. completed two modules and have a cup of coffee...Okay most adventurous than that but you know what I mean. I always learnt by doing it outside. I like the outdoors and normally like to sit down and have the sun beat down on my head whilst reading. Also try to do a lot of practical work. As much as you can. I normally learn better by actually doing the information which is provided.