C++ Starting from Zero

A hands-on learning repository for C++ fundamentals, object-oriented programming, and small practical projects. Designed for beginners who want to learn C++ by reading, modifying, and running real code examples.

Maintained by GitGuild.

Video Resources

These videos walk through the concepts covered in this repository. Follow along with the code examples as you watch.

Topic	Video
C++ Full Course (Beginner to Advanced)	YouTube
Object-Oriented Programming in C++	YouTube

Repository Structure

CPP-Starting-from-0/
├── Learning/          # Core C++ concept examples, ordered by topic
├── OOPM/              # Object-Oriented Programming & Modularity examples
├── Basic DSA/         # Data structures (linked lists, and more over time)
└── Projects/          # Mini-projects combining everything learned

Learning Path

Follow the files in order to progress from basics to more advanced concepts.

1. Learning — Core Concepts

#	File	Topics Covered
1	1First_Steps.cpp	Output, variables, data types, arithmetic, user input, math functions
2	2Conditions.cpp	if, else if, else, comparison operators
3	3StringsAndLoops.cpp	String manipulation, for loops, while loops
4	4Function_Overloading.cpp	Writing functions, overloading (same name, different parameters)
5	5Arrays_and_foreachloop.cpp	Arrays, range-based for loops
6	6MemoryAddresses.cpp	Pointers, memory addresses, pass-by-reference
7	7RecursionsANDStructs.cpp	Recursion, struct definition and usage
8	8OOPS.cpp	Classes, objects, access modifiers, basic OOP
9	9Overloading.cpp	Operator and function overloading
10	CollegeOverloading.cpp	Additional overloading exercises
11	HigherCollegeOverloading.cpp	Advanced overloading examples
12	Matrix.cpp	2D arrays and matrix operations

2. OOPM — Object-Oriented Programming & Modularity

Organized into three phases of increasing difficulty. Complete them in order.

Phase 1 — Fundamentals

File	Topics Covered
Phase 1/1Classes and Objects.cpp	Defining classes, creating objects, public members
Phase 1/2Constructor.cpp	Constructors, parameterized initialization
Phase 1/3Encapsulation.cpp	Getters, setters, encapsulation principles
Phase 1/4Polymorphism.cpp	virtual functions, runtime polymorphism, base-class pointers

Phase 2 — Pillars

File	Topics Covered
Phase 2/5Abstraction.cpp	Abstract classes, pure virtual functions, interfaces, smart pointers
Phase 2/6Inheritance.cpp	Base and derived classes, protected, access specifiers, multilevel inheritance
Phase 2/7Static_Members.cpp	Static data members, static member functions, class-level state

Phase 3 — Advanced

File	Topics Covered
Phase 3/7Operator_Overloading.cpp	Making operators (+, ==, +=, -=, <<) work on your own classes
Phase 3/8Friend.cpp	Friend functions and friend classes
Phase 3/9More_About_Constructors.cpp	Default vs parameterized constructors, copy/move semantics (std::move), releasing owned heap memory
Phase 3/Error_Handling.cpp	try/throw/catch, the full std::exception hierarchy, custom exceptions, noexcept
Phase 3/ErrorHandling.md	Written reference: exception hierarchy, common error codes, best practices

Practice

File	Topics Covered
Practice/ElecBill.cpp	Constructor-based initialization in a small program (electricity bill)
Practice/Operator_Overloading_using_Friend.cpp	Overloading + for a Complex class with a friend function

3. Basic DSA — Data Structures

Start after Learning/ files 6–8 (pointers, structs, classes). See Basic DSA/README.md for the full guide, and Basic DSA/Linked List/README.md for the concept deep-dive and verified output of every file.

File	Topics Covered
Linked List/BasicLinkedList.cpp	Manual node creation and linking, class Node vs struct, this, nullptr vs NULL, traversal, freeing the heap with a delete loop
Linked List/LinkedList.cpp	The practical approach: wrapping the list in a LinkedList class — constructor for head, add() and print() methods, objects in main
Linked List/Insertion/InsertAtFirst.cpp	Node anatomy, head pointer, Node *&head (reference-to-pointer), insert at front O(1), traversal, new, nullptr
Linked List/Insertion/InsertAtLast.cpp	Empty-list handling, walking to the last node, append O(n)
Linked List/Insertion/InsertAtPos.cpp	1-indexed insertion, bounds checking, splicing nodes
Linked List/Deletion/delAtBegin.cpp	Delete at front: empty-list guard, moving head forward before delete, O(1)

Read them in that order — each file builds on the one before it.

4. Projects — Practice Projects

File	Description
Banking_program.cpp	Deposit, withdrawal, and balance checking with input validation
Credit_CardValidator.cpp	Luhn algorithm implementation for card number validation
Quiz.cpp	Interactive quiz application
Random_game.cpp	Number guessing game
TTT.cpp	Tic-Tac-Toe game

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• A C++ compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)
• A text editor or IDE (VS Code recommended)

Running the Examples

Using g++ (Linux/macOS/MinGW):

g++ Learning/1First_Steps.cpp -o first_steps
./first_steps

Using VS Code with the C/C++ Extension Pack:

1. Install the C/C++ Extension Pack from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Open the folder in VS Code.
3. Open any .cpp file and press Ctrl+F5 to run without debugging, or F5 to run with debugging.

Using Visual Studio (Windows):

1. Create a new Console Application project.
2. Replace the generated code with the contents of any .cpp file.
3. Press Ctrl+F5 to build and run.

Recommended VS Code Extensions

Extension	Purpose
C/C++ Extension Pack	Core C/C++ language support, debugging, and IntelliSense
C++ Quick Start Snippets	Common C++ templates and code snippets
Code Runner	Compile and run code directly from the editor
Code Spell Checker	Catch spelling mistakes in comments and strings
Colorful Comments	Highlight special comments like TODO, NOTE for readability
Indent Rainbow	Visual indentation guides for easier alignment

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. If you have suggestions for new examples or improvements:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your changes.
3. Add or modify .cpp files following the existing naming and structure conventions.
4. Open a pull request with a clear description of what was added or changed.

License

This repository is available under the MIT License.