A Transition Guide: Python to C++

Python is a wonderful programming language and we expect that readers of this book will find many opportunities to use it. That said, there are many different programming languages used by software developers. Each language has its own strengths and weaknesses, and professionals must become accustomed to programming in different languages. Fortunately, once you have a solid foundation in one language it becomes easier to transition to another language. This guide is designed for readers choosing C++ as a second language. C++ is among the most widely used languages in industry. As object-oriented languages, they have a great deal in common with Python. Yet there exist significant differences between the two languages. This transition guide is not meant to serve as a complete self-contained reference for C++. Our goal is to provide an initial bridge, built upon the knowledge and terminology that we have gained in Python. We begin in Section 1 by providing a high-level discussion about programming languages and the more significant differences between Python, and C++. Section 2 provides our first direct comparison between Python source code and C++ code. As much as possible, we rely upon earlier examples in Python and then translate these to C++. From there we will go into specific syntax and usage of C++. In Section 3 we discuss the major features of C++. Writing classes are discussed in Section 4 with coverage of Python and C++’s object models and memory management in Section 5. Storage of C++ objects in containers is discussed in Section ??. Good software practices and working with larger programs, including the Mastermind case study is in Section ??. And writing template based classes is in Section ??. And in Section ?? we discuss how to integrate the use of Python and C++ in a single program. The full source code for all of the programs is contained in an appendix.