How to Read This Book

I expect that you already know the basics of C++. If you don't, start with a good C++ introduction and overview (good choices are a classic tome like Bjarne Stroustrup's The C++ Programming Language, Third Edition^[1] or Stan Lippman and Josée Lajoie's C++ Primer, Third Edition^[2]), and then be sure to pick up a style guide like Scott Meyers' classic Effective C++ books (I find the browser-based CD version convenient and useful).^[3]

^[1] Stroustrup B. The C++ Programming Language, Third Edition (Addison Wesley Longman, 1997).

^[2] Lippman S. and Lajoie J. C++ Primer, Third Edition (Addison Wesley Longman, 1998).

^[3] Meyers S. Effective C++ CD: 85 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs (Addison Wesley Longman, 1999). An online demo is available at http://www.meyerscd.awl.com.

Each item in this book is presented as a puzzle or problem, with an introductory header that looks like this:

Item ##. The Topic of This Puzzle Difficulty

Difficulty: X

The topic tag and difficulty rating (typically anything from 3 to 9¹/₂ , based on a scale of 10) gives you a hint of what you're in for. Note that the difficulty rating is my own subjective guess at how difficult I expect most people will find each problem, so you may well find that a given 7 problem is easier for you than another 5 problem. Still, it's better to be prepared for the worst when you see a 9½ monster coming down the pike.

You don't have to read the sections and problems in order, but in several places there are "miniseries" of related problems that you'll see designated as "Part 1," "Part 2," and so on梥ome all the way up to "Part 10." Those miniseries are best read as a group.

This book includes many guidelines, in which the following words usually carry a specific meaning:

• always = This is absolutely necessary. Never fail to do this.

• prefer = This is usually the right way. Do it another way only when a situation specifically warrants it.

• consider = This may or may not apply, but it's something to think about.

• avoid = This is usually not the best way, and might even be dangerous. Look for alternatives, and do it this way only when a situation specifically warrants it.

• never = This is extremely bad. Don't even think about it. Career limiting move.

Finally, a word about URLs: On the Web, stuff moves. In particular, stuff I have no control over moves. That makes it a real pain to publish random Web URLs in a print book lest they become out of date before the book makes it to the printer's, never mind after it's been sitting on your desk for five years. When I reference other people's articles or Web sites in this book, I do it via a URL on my own Web site, www.gotw.ca, which I can control and which contains just a straight redirect to the real Web page. If you find that a link printed in this book no longer works, send me e-mail and tell me; I'll update that redirector to point to the new page's location (if I can find the page again) or to say that the page no longer exists (if I can't). Either way, this book's URLs will stay up to date despite the rigors of print media in an Internet world. Whew.