C++ 20
Course Syllabus

My C++ Training Course is focused on the most essential concepts of Standard C++ 20.
It will explore the core syntax, data types, programming paradigms, and the Standard Library (and its subset of the full library, STL for Standard Template Library).
As a game developer working with Unreal Engine, my C++ knowledge is tailored to its ecosystem. Since Unreal Engine 5.6 currently supports C++ 20, I deliberately avoid C++ 23 features to maintain compatibility and stability within the engine’s toolchain.

★ Programming Languages Overview

This programming course is focused on the most essential concepts of programming languages.

Programming Languages

6,000 to 7,000 natural languages are spoken worldwide versus 700 to 10,000 programming languages
In both cases, only a few languages are widely used: C, C++, C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, and PHP for programming.
Usually, individuals can typically master only a limited number of languages in either category.

Rankings

Key Concepts

Programming environment: IDE • Text Editors

Types of languages

No-Code Software: Wix, SquareSpace, GameSalad, GDevelop…
Textual Languages: C++, Python…
Visual Languages: Blueprint, Geometry Nodes…
⚠️ Scratch is not a professional programming language but an educational language for kids!

Programming language specificities

Languages standardizations (ANSI, etc.)
Language Levels (Low Level Languages, Mid Level Languages, High Level Languages)
Multiple languages for a single project

Translation of programming languages

Assemblers for Assembly languages: MIPS ASM…
Compilation: C, C++…
Interpretation: Pure interpretation and hybrid interpretation (Java, Python)
Transpilation

Software dev architecture

I firmly believe these concepts should be studied intensively, as they are crucial for building scalable and maintainable programs (games, websites, desktop software…).
These principles are EXTREMELY important.

Software development principles

YAGNI (You Aren’t Gonna Need It)
DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself)
KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid)
TDD (Test Driven Development)
SoC (Separation of Concern)
GRASP
SOLID

Software dev anti-patterns

Hard coding, magic numbers…

Architecture design patterns

Web Development: Flux Architecture, MVC Architecture (Model View Controller), etc.
Game Development: ECS (Entity Component System), Inheritance, CBA (Component Based Architecture)

Algorithms paradigms

Linear Search
Divide and conquer
Recursion
Brute-force search

Paradigms overview

Definition: Having a good understanding of paradigms and the history since the 1940s
Imperative Paradigms: Procedural, Object-Oriented
Declarative Paradigms: Logic, Functional

Design patterns

Creational Patterns: Abstract Factory, Builder…
Structural Patterns: Adapter, Bridge…
Behavioral Patterns: Iterator, Command…

Syllabus

Getting Started

Development Environment: IDE • Text Editor
Toolchain: Compiler • Linker • Debugger
Key Elements: Source File (.cpp, .h) • Object File (.o, .obj) • Executable
Standard Library

Getting Started!

Introduction

The History of C

C was created by Dennis Ritchie in 1972 (more precisely between 1969 and 1973) at Bell Labs, with contributions from Ken Thompson.
C was closely tied to the early development of the Unix operating system.
One of the main goals of this language was portability: allowing programs to run on multiple machines with minimal modifications, while still providing low-level access to hardware (Ritchie 1993)
C is often called the “mother of programming languages” because it established the foundation for many modern languages, including C++, Java, And Python
C language history played a significant role in game development during the mid 1990s and early 2000s (5th generation of consoles), often alongside assembly languages for optimizing performance!

The History of C++

Bjarne Stroustrup began developing C++ in 1979, initially called C with Classes, adding object-oriented features to C.
Released in 1985, C++ has since grown into a powerful, multi-paradigm language.
C++20, finalized in 2020, enhances it further with modern tools for safer, more expressive code.

Standards

Modern C++ is usually what we refer to for the language’s evolution since C++ 11 standard, which introduced significant enhancements.

Two main types of Development Environments for writing C++:

Integrated Development Environment (IDE): A full-fledged tool that integrates and manages the entire toolchain (compilers, linkers, debuggers)
- Example: Visual Studio 2026 (Community Edition is free)
Text Editor: A lightweight, modular tool. Requires external tools such as a compiler (Clang or GCC)
- Example: Visual Studio Code

C++ Hello World!

Every C++ program needs an entry-point: the main() function.
Execution begins here (after initial setup)

#include <iostream> // Input/Output library

int main()
{
    std::cout << "Hello!" << std::endl;
    return 0;   // Program ends successfully
}

Visual Studio Tips

Ctrl + D → Duplicate line
Ctrl + Space → Trigger IntelliSense
F5 → Start debugging

3. Fundamental Data Types

Fundamental or Primitive data types are basic building blocks for storing values like integers, floating-point numbers, characters, and booleans.
C++ is designed with performance and low-level control, with precise control over data types, especially integers and floating-point numbers, unlike higher-level languages like Python 😉

int PlayerHealth = 88;
unsigned short MagicPoints = 340;
float CameraDistance = 340.343f;
char PlayerGrade = 'B';
bool bisDriving = true;

2.1. Conventions

Writing clean, consistent, and maintainable C++ code requires following conventions
Conventions are guidelines for naming variables, formatting code, and structuring programs.
Unlike Python (with the PEP-8 guide), C++ doesn’t enforce a strict style.
Most companies have established conventions to learn

2.2. Integers

Integers store whole numbers. They vary in size (bit-width) and signage (signed or unsigned), and number. Thus, choosing the wrong type for your data can lead to bugs, such as overflow or truncation, which are critical issues in game development, so understanding their differences is important!

Here’s an example showcasing different integer types:

int PlayerScore = 304;
short PlayerAmmo = 850;
long BossAmmo = 99999;
long long TargetDistance = 75000;
unsigned int keys = 5;

By default, most integer types are signed, meaning that int is equivalent to signed int, in Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) at least.

The unsigned keyword explicitly restricts a type to absolute values only (non-negative or only positive), doubling its positive range.

Type	Minimum Size	Typical Range	Default Sign
`short`	16 bits	-32,768 to 32,767	Signed
`int`	32 bits	-2.14B to 2.14B	Signed
`long`	32 bits	-2.14B to 2.14B	Signed
`long long`	64 bits	-9.22Q to 9.22Q	Signed

Tip: The size and range of these types can vary depending on your system and compiler, so always check the specific documentation for your environment. For instance, a long is 32-bit on many platforms (Windows MSVC), but on some (Linux GCC), it’s 64-bit.

Caution: Mixing signed (int) and unsigned integers (unsigned long) can lead to unexpected behavior and bugs. I really suggest avoid mixing them.

Fixed-width Integers

The <cstdint> header can use types like int8_t, uint16_t, int32_t or else, for exact sizes.

#include <cstdint>

int8_t TeamSize = 255;
int16_t PlayerLevel = 35;
uint32_t PlayerID = 304;

Limits

To check exact limits for your system, use the <limits> header from the C++ Standard Template Library (STL). Here’s a quick example:

#include <limits>

std::cout << "Max int: " << std::numeric_limits<int>::max() << std::endl;
std::cout << "Min long: " << std::numeric_limits<long>::min() << std::endl;

2.3. Floating-Point Numbers

Floating-point numbers store real numbers and can represent both whole numbers (5 or 250) and fractional numbers (5.25 or 0.348). They’re essential for calculations requiring precision, such as physics simulations.

Here’s an example of the main floating-point types:

float PlayerSpeed = 10.5f;
double TargetDistance = 5249.80665;
long double MagicPoints = 3.141592653589793238L;

The size, precision, and range of long double vary by platform and compiler. For example, it’s often 32 bits on x86 systems (MSVC, GCC), but can match double (64 bits) on some setups.

Type	Typical Size	Precision	Typical Range	Suffix
`float`	32 bits	~7 decimal	±1.18 × 10⁻³⁸ to ±3.4 × 10³⁸	`f` or `F`
`double`	64 bits	~15–16 decimal	±2.23 × 10⁻³⁰⁸ to ±1.79 × 10³⁰⁸	None
`long double`	80–128 bits	~19+ decimal	Platform-dependent	`L` or `l`

2.4. Booleans

Booleans are the simplest data type in C++, designed to represent two states: true or false. They’re commonly used for conditions, flags, and decision-making.

Here’s an example of how you might use Booleans:

bool bisGameOver = false;
bool bhasKey = true;
bool bcanJump = false;

Note that true and false keywords in C++ are stored internally as numbers: true is stored as 1 and false as 0.

2.5. Characters

Characters are represented by the char type and its variants, used to store single characters like letters, digits, or symbols.

Here’s an example of using character types:

char PlayerGrade = 'A';
unsigned char PlayerHealth = 255;
signed char BossDamage = -10;

Similarly to integers and floating-point numbers, size, precision, and range vary by platform and compiler.

Type	Size	Typical Range	Default Sign	Use Case
`char`	8 bits	-128 to 127 or 0 to 255	Platform-dependent	Single characters

Literals

Use single quotes for characters (‘A’, ‘5’, ‘!’). Double quotes (“A”, “Z”) create strings, which are const char[] in Standard C++.

Escape Sequences

Special characters like newline (\n) or tab (\t) use a backslash

★ C++ 20
Pointers

Introduction

A pointer stores a memory address, not a value. It’s useful to indirectly access or manipulate data (dynamic memory, arrays, function arguments, etc.).

Common Issues

A Null Pointer points to nothing. Always initialize pointers with nullptr (C++11+).

A dangling pointer that still holds the address of an object that has been destroyed (local variable going out of scope, deleted object). Accessing it causes Undefined Behavior.

Wild Pointer: Uninitialized pointer → points to random memory (dangerous)

Smart Pointers

std::unique_ptr<T> — exclusive ownership. Automatically deletes the object when it goes out of scope.
std::shared_ptr<T> — shared ownership with reference counting.
std::weak_ptr<T> — non‑owning observer used to break circular references.
Prefer smart pointers for ownership; use raw pointers only for non‑owning access.

References

Books

LOSPINOSO-CPP-Crash-Course
STROUSTRUP-Programming-CPP-3rd
STROUSTRUP-Tour-CPP-3rd
SHVETS-Design-Patterns

Articles

Ritchie, Dennis MacAlistair. 1993. The development of the C language.
https://doi.org/10.1145/155360.155580.

C++ Basics

C++ Compilation

Scaler How to Compile C++
Scaler Difference Between Compiler & Interpreter

C++ Turbo Overviews

QuickRef.me C++ Overview
Learn X in Y C++ Overview

C++ Guidelines

Stroustrup & Sutter C++ Core Guidelines

C++ Functions

Scaler Static vs Dynamic Binding in C++

Design Patterns

Refactoring Guru – Design Patterns

C++ 20 Course Syllabus

★ Programming Languages Overview

Programming Languages

Rankings

Key Concepts

Types of languages

Programming language specificities

Translation of programming languages

Software dev architecture

Software development principles

Software dev anti-patterns

Architecture design patterns

Algorithms paradigms

Paradigms overview

Design patterns

Syllabus

Getting Started

Getting Started!

Introduction

The History of C

The History of C++

Standards

C++ Hello World!

Visual Studio Tips

3. Fundamental Data Types

2.1. Conventions

2.2. Integers

Fixed-width Integers

Limits

2.3. Floating-Point Numbers

2.4. Booleans

2.5. Characters

Literals

Escape Sequences

★ C++ 20 Pointers

Introduction

Common Issues

Smart Pointers

References

Books

Articles

C++ Basics

C++ Compilation

C++ Turbo Overviews

C++ Guidelines

C++ Functions

Design Patterns

C++ 20
Course Syllabus

★ C++ 20
Pointers