Unlike other C++ programming books, C++ For Dummies considers the "why" just as important as the "how." The features of C++ are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Rather than just present the features, this book will help you to really understand how they fit together. After you finish this book, you'll be able to write a reasonable C++ program, and, just as important, you'll understand why and how it works.

C++, as the name implies, is the next generation of the C programming language. The experienced C programmer will find C++ both exciting and frustrating. This book will help you get from C to C++ as painlessly as possible; however, C++ For Dummies, 4th Edition, doesn't assume that the reader knows anything about C language. Anyone, from any programming background, will quickly discover how to

• Write your first program
• Create source code
• Use the Visual C++ help system
• Build objects
• Develop C++ pointers
• Debug your programs

This fourth edition of C++ For Dummies begins with basic programming concepts. The book works its way through simple syntax into the care and feeding of basic programs right into object-oriented concepts. Once you've digested the entire content of the book, you should have no trouble impressing your friends and acquaintances at parties. You'll find coverage of all these topics, and more:

• Declaring variables
• Performing logical operations
• Executing loops in a program
• Writing and using functions
• Passing pointers to functions
• Passing objects to functions
• Using constructors and destructors
• Declaring static member functions
• Implementing abstract classes
• Overloading the assignment operator

C++ For Dummies does not cover Windows programming. Finding out how to program Windows in C++ is really a two-step process. First, you need to master C++. That accomplished, you can move on to Windows programming.