The year 1979 marked the ingenious evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup. C++ offers programmers the opportunity to develop high-performance applications in conjunction with a diverse array of salient C++ features. The following is an introduction to some of the most powerful features of C++.

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Powerful Features of C++

 1. Object Oriented Programming

Unlike C, a procedural language, C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language. OOP helps modularize and maintain a program efficiently. It improves code clarity, code readability, troubleshooting and makes it easier to incorporate modifications without any significant restructuring. Moreover, OOP employs the use of objects to execute real-time problems based on five substantive concepts.

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a. Data Abstraction

 If we were to consider programming akin to the process of metamorphosis, data abstraction could be viewed as a cocoon. The objective is to hide irrelevant information from the end-user. The end-user does not have to concern themselves with internal changes in the data code or the method applied to obtain it. Only the required data essential for the program’s smooth functioning is privy to the user, barring any complex, intrinsic detail.

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b. Data Encapsulation

If data abstraction is the objective, data encapsulation is the technique to achieve it. Using encapsulation, relevant data and its associated methods and functions are bundled together into an exclusive block.

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c. Data Hiding

Although used synonymously with data encapsulation, there exists a fundamental difference. Data encapsulation is about shifting focus to essential aspects of the data. Contrarily, data hiding aims to secure a particular program code by protecting the data from unauthorized access.

d. Inheritance

Inheritance refers to creating a created child class (derived class), acquiring its parent class’s properties and functionalities (or base class). Inheritance guarantees the reusability of the code. In other words, if a code has to be improved, there is no requirement to rewrite the code from scratch. This helps minimize the program’s redundancy and facilitates the easy transfer/replication/copy of properties from one class to another.

e. Polymorphism 

Etymologically, polymorphism can be deconstructed as ‘poly’ (meaning ‘many’) and ‘morphism’ (meaning, ‘forms’). Therefore, polymorphism facilitates flexible programming by displaying data in more than one form. This is usually implemented as either operator overloading or function overloading. Operators and functions can be used with as many objects as necessary. 

2. Machine Independent

Here, machine independence (or portability) refers to the ability to transfer instructions from one operating environment to another. C++ employs the principle of WORA (Write Once, Run Anywhere). For instance, if you write a program in Microsoft Windows, and for some reason, have to make a switch to LINUX, your original program code will work in the same fashion. However, C++ is not platform-independent. This implies that the compiler will generate an OS-dependent .exe file, which cannot be run on different operating systems. 

3. Simple 

C++ is user-friendly. It provides a structured and comprehensive approach, with a syntax that closely mirrors C. In fact, C++ is popularly referred to as “C with classes”. C++ offers a bottom-up approach, such that any project development can be deconstructed into its respective logical units and parts. Additionally, it provides a rich set of in-built library functions and a variety of data types. 

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4. Intermediate Level Programming Language

As an intermediate-level language, it supports the features of both a low-level (machine-level) language and a high-level language. It is less cryptic and closely associated with a human-readable and human-comprehensible language, that is, English.  

5. Compiler-Based 

C++ has been designed to be a compiled language. This means that it is generally translated into machine language that the system can directly understand. The resultant generated program is thus highly efficient and relatively much faster than PYTHON or JAVA, which is interpreter-based.

6. Dynamic Memory Allocation

Memory in C++ can be divided into two parts-stack and heap. The stack refers to the memory that is allocated for variables that are declared inside the function. Contrarily, the heap refers to unused memory that can be allocated dynamically. For instance, if you are unaware of the memory requirement to store information in a defined variable, the memory size can be manually determined during runtime. This is achieved using a special operator called the new operator, which returns the address of the space allocated. If not in need, you can use the delete operator to deallocate memory. 

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7. Integration and Extendability

Many tools in C++, such as style and coding convention checkers, code optimizers, program visualizers and incremental compilers, rely on a continually updated database that contains semantic information extracted from source programs. Additionally, new programming techniques create a need for an extension. C++ has the potential to adopt and integrate newer features and knowledge acquisition easily. 

C++ has been ranked fourth by TIOBE Index, 2019. C++ features offer countless benefits that have been used widely and effectively. These include mobile app developments, game developments, software development (e.g., Adobe Premiere, Image Ready), web browser development (e.g., Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox) and core banking applications (e.g., Infosys Finacle).

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What Next?

The range of powerful features of C++ makes C++ a unique, ubiquitous and widely popular choice for novice programmers stepping foot into the programming world. 

We hope you will have an excellent learning opportunity in executing these C++ projects. If you are interested to learn more and need mentorship from industry experts, check out upGrad & IIIT Banglore’s Executive PG Programme in Software Development – Specialization in Full-Stack Development.