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Python
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Python
Tricks and Tips
© 2021 Black Dog Media Limited All rights reserved. No part
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Python Tricks and Tips

ISBN: 978-1-912847-52-5
Foreword
Welcome back...
Having completed our exclusive For
Beginners digital guidebook, we have
taught you all you need to master the
basics of your new device, software or
hobby. Yet that’s just the start!
Advancing your skill set is the goal of all
users of consumer technology and our
team of long term industry experts will
help you achieve exactly that. Over this
extensive series of titles we will be looking
in greater depth at how you make the
absolute most from the latest consumer
electronics, software, hobbies and trends!
We will guide you step-by-step through
using all the advanced aspects of the
technology that you may have been
previously apprehensive at attempting.
Let our expert guide help you build your
understanding of technology and gain the
skills to take you from a confident user to
an experienced expert.
Over the page our journey continues and
we will be with you at every stage to
advise, inform and ultimately inspire you
to go further.
About the Publisher
From its humble beginnings in 2004, the
BDM brand has quickly grown from a single
publication produced by a team of just two
to one of the biggest names in global tech
print and digital publishing, for one simple
reason. Our passion and commitment
to deliver the very best product to the
marketplace.
While the company has grown with a
portfolio of over 500 publications crafted by
our international staff of respected industry
veterans, the foundation that it has been
built upon remains the same. That being to
create the best quality, fully independent,
user friendly and, most essentially, 100%
up-to-date content possible.
Delivering not only market leading
publications but also piece of mind to
our readers, so that they have the very
best foundation to build their knowledge,
confidence and understanding of their new
software and hardware. Our regular readers
trust BDM, as should you.
How to use this book
This book has been designed for you to progress through
the coreconcepts and fundamentals of use, through to more
advanced elements, projects, and ideas. There’s something
for every style of reader, and for every type of user; there’s
probably even a few terrible jokes dotted within the pages. So
here’s how to get the best from it.

Step 1
Don’t skip - While it’s fun to see what’s coming up later in the book, it
does make understanding what you’re reading more difficult. After all,
you wouldn’t start reading a book on speaking French, then skip further
in without first learning proper grammar, sentence structure and so
on. The same applies here. Take your first read-through page by-page,
once you’ve mastered the book, then you can return to key concepts
whenever you need.

Step 2
Ever-Changing - While every effort has been made to ensure that this
book is up to date, there’s no knowing what updates may occur over
time. While some companies do offer an accurate roadmap of their
future development of a product, it’s not always written in stone. For
example, an app available for Windows 10 now may not be available with
the next update of the operating system. It’s up to Microsoft to decide
whether they want to drop it for one reason or another. The same, to
some extent, applies here. However, we continually update the content
in this title, so it’s as accurate as possible.

Step 3
Follow the Steps - An obvious one, this. Following the steps from one
onwards, in most tutorials in this book, will ensure that you get the result
that’s intended. If you skip steps, then you may miss out on something
important, and not understand how it works later in the book. The
temptation to skip something you already know is often too much, but
stick with the logical progression of the steps and you’ll get the most
from what’s on offer.

Step 4
Have Fun - Learning a new skill is supposed to be fun. We had fun
writing the book, and hopefully you’ll have fun reading it and applying
new skills. Everyone learns at a different pace, so take your time, digest
the tutorials, and keep returning to key concepts if you feel the need to
master any element within these pages. The content in this book isn’t
something we’re going to be testing you on, so have fun and enjoy the
art of learning something new. And if you create something amazing
after reading this book, then let us know.
 Contents

BDM’s
Code Port
60+ Pytho al

Contents
n program
21,500+ li s
Master Pyt
nes of code
hon w ith the he
fantastic C lp of ou
o
code for g de Portal, featurin r
Visit: http am es, too g
s://bdmp ls and more.
code-port ublications.com/
al, and
to get acce log in
ss!

6 Say Hello to C++ 48 Loops and Decision Making

8 Why C++? 50 While Loop
10 Equipment You Will Need 52 For Loop
12 How to Set Up C++ in Windows 54 Do… While Loop
14 How to Set Up C++ on a Mac 56 If Statement
16 How to Set Up C++ in Linux 58 If… Else Statement
18 Other C++ IDEs to Install 60 Combining All You Know

20 C++ Fundamentals 64 Code Repository

22 Your First C++ Program 66 Python File Manager
24 Structure of a C++ Program 68 Number Guessing Game
26 Compile and Execute 70 Random Number Generator
28 Using Comments 71 Random Password Generator
30 Variables 72 Text Adventure Script
32 Data Types 74 Hangman Game Script
34 Strings
36 C++ Maths

38 C++ Input/Output
40 User Interaction
42 Character Literals
44 Defining Constants
46 File Input/Output

4 www.bdmpublications.com
 Contents

“The most important single

aspect of software
development is to be clear
about what you are
trying to build.”
– Bjarne Stroustrup (Developer and creator of C++)

@bdmpubs BDM Publications www.bdmpublications.com

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 Say Hello to C++

“The most important

property of a program is
whether it accomplishes
the intention
of its user.”
– C.A.R. Hoare
(Computer scientist, developer of Quicksort)

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Say Hello
to C++
C++ is an excellent, high-level programming
language that’s used in a multitude of
technologies. Everything from your favourite
mobile app, console and PC game to entire
operating systems are developed with C++ as
the core, together with a collection of software
development kits and custom libraries.
C++ is the driving force behind most of what you
use on a daily basis, which makes it a complex and
extraordinarily powerful language to get to grips
with. In this section, we look at how to install a C++
IDE and compiler on your computer.

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 Say Hello to C++

Why C++?
C++ is one of the most popular programming languages available today. Originally
called C with Classes, the language was renamed C++ in 1983. It’s an extension of the
original C language and is a general purpose object-oriented (OOP) environment.

C EVERYTHING
Due to how complex the language can be, and its power and performance, C++ is often used to develop games, programs,
device drivers and even entire operating systems.

C++ code is much faster than that of Python.

Dating back to 1979, the start of the golden era of home computing labs and by regular people who didn’t have access to the
computing, C++, or rather C with Classes, was the brainchild of mainframes and large computing data centres.
Danish computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup while working on his
PhD thesis. Stroustrup’s plan was to further the original C language, C++’s impact in the digital world is immense. Many of the programs,
which was widely used since the early seventies. applications, games and even operating systems are coded using
C++. For example, all of Adobe’s major applications, such as
C++ proved to be popular among the developers of the ‘80s, Photoshop, InDesign and so on, are developed in C++. You will find
since it was a much easier environment to get to grips with and that the browser you surf the Internet with is written in C++, as
more importantly, it was 99% compatible with the original C well as Windows 10, Microsoft Office and the backbone to Google’s
language. This meant that it could be used beyond the mainstream search engine. Apple’s macOS is written largely in C++ (with some

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 Why C++?

Microsoft’s Visual Studio is a great,

free environment to learn C++ in.

other languages mixed in depending on the function) and the likes begin with Python and spend some time getting to grips with
of NASA, SpaceX and even CERN use C++ for various applications, programming structure and the many ways and means in which
programs, controls and umpteen other computing tasks. you find a solution to a problem through programming. Once
you can happily power up your computer and whip
C++ is also extremely efficient and performs out a Python program with one hand tied behind
well across the board as well as being an your back, then move on to C++. Of course,
easier addition to the core C language. there’s nothing stopping you from jumping
This higher level of performance over straight into C++; if you feel up to the task,
other languages, such as Python, BASIC go for it.
and such, makes it an ideal development
environment for modern computing, Getting to use C++ is as easy as Python, all
hence the aforementioned companies you need is the right set of tools in which
using it so widely. to communicate with the computer in
C++ and you can start your journey. A C++
While Python is a great programming IDE is free of charge, even the immensely
language to learn, C++ puts the developer powerful Visual Studio from Microsoft
in a much wider world of coding. By is freely available to download and use.
mastering C++, you can find yourself You can get into C++ from any operating
developing code for the likes of Microsoft, Apple system, be it macOS, Linux, Windows or even
and so on. Generally, C++ developers enjoy a higher mobile platforms.
salary than programmers of some other languages and
due to its versatility, the C++ programmer can move between Just like Python, to answer the question of Why C++ is the
jobs and companies without the need to relearn anything specific. answer is because it’s fast, efficient and developed by most of the
However, Python is an easier language to begin with. If you’re applications you regularly use. It’s cutting edge and a fantastic
completely new to programming then we would recommend you language to master.

Indeed, the operating system you’re

using is written in C++.

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 Say Hello to C++

Equipment You Will Need

You don’t need to invest a huge amount of money in order to learn C++ and you
don’t need an entire computing lab at your disposal either. Providing you have a fairly
modern computer, everything else is freely available.

C++ SETUPS
Most, if not all, operating systems have C++ in their code, so it stands to reason that you can learn to program in C++ no matter
what OS you’re currently using.

COMPUTER
Unless you fancy writing out your C++ code by hand on a sheet of
paper (which is something many older coders used to do), a computer
is an absolute must have component. PC users can have any recent
Linux distro or Windows OS, Mac users the latest macOS.

AN IDE
Just as with Python, an IDE is used to enter and execute your C++
code. Many IDEs come with extensions and plugins that help make
it work better, or add an extra level of functionality. Often, an IDE
provides enhancements depending on the core OS being used, such as
being enhanced for Windows 10.

COMPILER
A compiler is a program that converts the C++ language into binary,
so that the computer can understand. While some IDEs come with a
compiler built in, others don’t. Code::Blocks is our favourite IDE that
comes with a C++ compiler as part of the package. More on this later.

TEXT EDITOR
Some programmers much prefer to use a text editor to assemble their
C++ code before running it through a compiler. Essentially you can
use any text editor to write code, just save it with a .cpp extension.
However, Notepad++ is one of the best code text editors available.

INTERNET ACCESS
While it’s entirely possible to learn how to code on a computer that’s
not attached to the Internet, it’s extraordinarily difficult. You need
to install relevant software, keep it up to date, install any extras or
extensions and look for help when coding. All of these require access
to the Internet.

TIME AND PATIENCE

Yes, as with Python, you’re going to need to set aside significant time
to spend on learning how to code in C++. Sadly, unless you’re a genius,
it’s not going to happen overnight, or even a week. A good C++ coder
has spent many years honing their craft, so be patient, start small and
keep learning.

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 Equipment You Will Need

OS SPECIFIC NEEDS
C++ will work in any operating system but getting all the necessary pieces together can be confusing to a newcomer. Here are
some OS specifics for C++.

LINUX WINDOWS
Linux users are lucky in that they already have a compiler and We have mentioned previously that a good IDE is Microsoft’s
text editor built into their operating system. Any text editor Visual Studio. However, a better IDE and compiler is
allows you to type out your C++ code, when it’s saved with a Code::Blocks, which is regularly kept up to date with a new
.cpp extension, use g++ to compile it. release twice a year. Otherwise Windows users can enter
their code in Notepad++, then compile it with MinGW as used
by Code::Blocks.

RASPBERRY PI MAC
The Raspberry Pi’s operating Mac owners will need to
system is Raspbian, which download and install Xcode
is Linux based. Therefore, to be able to compile their
you’re able to write your code C++ code natively. Other
out using a text editor, then options for the macOS
compile it with g++ as you include Netbeans, Eclipse or
would in any other Linux distro. Code::Blocks. Note: the
latest Code::Blocks isn’t
available for Mac due to a lack
of Mac developers.

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 Say Hello to C++

How to Set Up
C++ in Windows
Windows users have a wealth of choice when it comes to programming in C++. There
are plenty of IDEs and compilers available, including Visual Studio from Microsoft.
However, in our opinion, the best C++ IDE to begin with is Code::Blocks.

CODE::BLOCKS
Code::Blocks is a free C++, C and Fortran IDE that’s feature rich and easily extendible with plug-ins. It’s easy to use, comes with
a compiler and has a vibrant community behind it.

STEP 1 Start by visiting the Code::Blocks download site, at STEP 3 When you’ve located the file, click on the
www.codeblocks.org/downloads. From there, click Sourceforge.net link at the end of the line and a
on the ‘Download the binary releases’ link to be taken to the latest download notification window appears; click on Save File to start
downloadable version for Windows. the download and save the executable to your PC. Locate the
downloaded Code::Blocks installer and double-click to start. Follow
the on-screen instructions to begin the installation.

STEP 2 You can see that there are several Windows versions STEP 4 Once you’ve agreed to the licencing terms, there is a
available. The one you want to download has choice of installation options available. You can opt
‘mingw-setup.exe’ at the end of the current version number. At for a smaller install, missing out on some of the components but we
the time of writing this is: codeblocks-17.12mingw-setup.exe. The would recommend you opt for the Full option as default.
difference is that the mingw-setup version includes a C++ compiler
and debugger from TDM-GCC (a compiler suite).

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 How to Set Up C++ in Windows

STEP 5 Next choose an install location for the Code::Blocks STEP 8 Before you start using Code::Blocks it’s worth
files. It’s your choice, but the default will generally explaining exactly why you need the added
suffice, unless of course you have any special requirements. When compiler. First, a compiler is a separate program that reads
you click Next, the install begins; when it’s finished a notification through your C++ code and checks it against the latest acceptable
pops up asking you if you want to start Code::Blocks now, so click Yes. programming standards; this is why you need the most recently
available compiler. This is currently C++17, with C++20 underway.

STEP 6 The first time Code::Blocks loads it runs an STEP 9 Essentially, computers work and understand only
auto-detect for any C++ compilers you may already binary, ones and zeros, or Machine Language.
have installed on you system. If you don’t have any, click on the Programming in binary isn’t effective for human beings. For
first detected option, GNU GCC Compiler, and click the Default example, to output the words “Hello World!” to the screen in C++
button to set it as the system’s C++ compiler. Click OK when you’re would appear in binary as:
ready to continue.
01100011 01101111 01110101 01110100 00100000
00111100 00111100 00100000 00100010 01001000
01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 00100000
01010111 01101111 01110010 01101100 01100100
00100001 00100010 00111011

STEP 7 When the program starts another message appears, STEP 10 The compiler therefore takes what you’ve
informing you that Code::Blocks is currently not the entered as C++ code and translates that to
default application for C++ files. You a couple of options: to leave Machine Language. To execute C++ code the IDE ‘builds’ the code,
everything as it is or allow Code::Blocks to associate all C++ file checking for errors, then pass it through the compiler to check
types. Again, we would recommend you opt for the last choice to standardisation and convert it to ones and zeros for the computer
associate Code::Blocks with every supported file type. to act upon. It’s rather clever stuff, when you stop to think about it.

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 Say Hello to C++

How to Set Up
C++ on a Mac
To begin C++ coding on a Mac you first need to install Apple’s Xcode. This is a free, full
featured IDE that’s designed to create native Apple apps. However, you can also use it
to create C++ code relatively easily.

XCODE
Apple’s Xcode is primarily designed for users to develop apps for macOS, iOS, tvOS and watchOS applications in Swift or
Objective-C but you can use it for C++ too.

STEP 1 Start by opening the App Store on your Mac, Apple STEP 3 When you’re ready, click on the Get button which
Menu > App Store. In the Search box enter ‘Xcode’ then turns into Install App. Enter your Apple ID
and press Return. There are many suggestions filling the App Store and Xcode begins to download and install. It may take some time
window but it’s the first option, Xcode, that you need to click on. depending on the speed of your Internet connection.

STEP 2 Take a moment to browse through the app’s STEP 4 When the installation is complete, click on the
information, including the compatibility, to ensure Open button to launch Xcode. Click Agree to the
you have the correct version of macOS. Xcode requires macOS licence terms and enter your password to allow Xcode to make
10.12.6 or later to install and work. changes to the system. When that is done, Xcode begins to install
additional components.

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 How to Set Up C++ on a Mac

STEP 5 With everything now installed, including the STEP 8 The next step asks where to create a Git Repository
additional components, Xcode launches, displaying for all your future code. Choose a location on your
the version number along with three choices and any recent projects Mac, or a network location, and click the Create button. When
that you’ve worked on; with a fresh install though, this is blank. you’ve done all that, you can start to code. The left-hand pane
details the files used in the C++ program you’re coding. Click on the
main.cpp file in the list.

STEP 6 Start by clicking on Create New Xcode Project; this STEP 9 You can see that Xcode has automatically
opens a template window to choose which platform completed a basic Hello World program for you.
you’re developing code for. Click the macOS tab, then click the While it may not make much sense at present, you will discover
Command Line Tool option. Click Next to continue. more as you progress, the content is just Xcode utilising what’s
available on the Mac.

STEP 7 Fill in the various fields but ensure that the STEP 10 When you want to run the code, click on Product >
Language option at the bottom is set to C++; simply Run. You may be asked to enable Developer Mode
choose it from the drop-down list. When you’ve filled in the fields, on the Mac; this is to authorise Xcode to perform functions without
and made sure that C++ is the chosen language, click on the Next needing your password every session. When the program executes,
button to continue. the output is displayed at the bottom of the Xcode window.

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 Say Hello to C++

How to Set Up
C++ in Linux
Linux is a great C++ coding environment. Most Linux distros already have the essential
components preinstalled, such as a compiler. The text editors are also excellent for
entering code into, including colour coding. There’s also tons of extra software available
to help you out.

LINUX++
If you’re not familiar with Linux, then we recommend taking a look at one of our Linux titles from the BDM Publications range.
If you have a Raspberry Pi, the commands used below work just fine and for this example we’re using Linux Mint.

STEP 1 The first step is to ensure Linux is ready for your C++ STEP 3 Amazingly, that’s it. Everything is already for you
code, so check the system and software are up to to start coding. Here’s how to get your first C++
date. Open a Terminal and enter: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt- program up and running. In Linux Mint the main text editor is Xed,
get upgrade. Then press Return and enter your password. These which you can launch by clicking on the Menu and typing Xed into
commands update the entire system and any installed software. the search bar. Click on the Text Editor button in the right-hand pane
to open it.

STEP 2 Most Linux distros come preinstalled with all STEP 4 In Xed, or any other text editor you may be using,
the necessary components to start coding in enter the lines of code that make up your C++ Hello
C++; however, it’s always worth checking to see if everything World program. It’s a little different to what the Mac produced:
is present. Still within the Terminal, enter: sudo apt-get
#include <iostream>
install build-essential and press Return. If you have the right
components nothing is installed; if you’re missing some then they int main()
are installed by the command. {
//My first C++ program
std::cout << “Hello World!\n”;
}

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 How to Set Up C++ in Linux

STEP 5 When you’ve entered your code, click File > Save As STEP 8 Before you can execute the C++ file you need to
and choose a folder in which to save your program. compile it. In Linux it’s common to use g++, an open
Name the file as helloworld.cpp (it can be any name as long as it has source C++ compiler; as you’re now in the same folder as the C++
.cpp as the extension). Click Save to continue. file, enter: g++ helloworld.cpp in the Terminal and press Return.

STEP 6 The first thing to notice is that Xed has STEP 9 It takes a short time while the code is compiled by
automatically recognised this as a C++ file, since the g++ but providing there are no mistakes or errors in
file extension is now set to .cpp. The colour coding is present in the the code you are returned to the command prompt. The compiling
code and if you open up the file manager you can also see that file’s of the code has created a new file. If you enter: ls into the Terminal
icon has C++ stamped on it. you can see that alongside your C++ file is a.out.

STEP 7 With your code now saved, drop into the Terminal STEP 10 The a.out file is the compiled C++ code. To run
again. You need to navigate to the location of the code enter: ./a.out and press Return. The
the C++ file you’ve just saved. Our example is in the Documents words ‘Hello World!’ appear on the screen. However, a.out isn’t
folder, so we can navigate to it by entering: cd Documents. very friendly. To name it something else post-compiling, you can
Remember, the Linux Terminal is case sensitive, so any capitals recompile with: g++ helloworld.cpp -o helloworld. This creates an
must be entered correctly. output file called helloworld which can be run with: ./helloworld.

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 Say Hello to C++

Other C++ IDEs to Install

If you want to try a different approach to working with your C++ code, then there are
plenty of options available to you. Windows is the most prolific platform for C++ IDEs
but there are plenty for Mac and Linux users too.

DEVELOPING C++
Here are ten great C++ IDEs that are worth looking into. You can install one or all of them if you like, but find the one that
works best for you.

ECLIPSE Eclipse is a hugely popular C++ IDE that offers CODELITE CodeLite is a free and open source IDE that’s
the programmer a wealth of features. It has a regularly updated and available for Windows,
great, clean interface, is easy to use and available for Windows, Linux and macOS. It’s lightweight, uncomplicated and extremely
Linux and Mac. Head over to www.eclipse.org/downloads/ to powerful. You can find out more information as well as how to
download the latest version. If you’re stuck, click the Need Help link download and install it at www.codelite.org/.
for more information.

GNAT The GNAT Programming Studio (GPS) is a powerful NETBEANS Another popular choice is NetBeans. This
and intuitive IDE that supports testing, debugging is another excellent IDE that’s packed with
and code analysis. The Community Edition is free, whereas the features and a pleasure to use. NetBeans IDE includes project based
Pro version costs; however, the Community Edition is available for templates for C++ that give you the ability to build applications with
Windows, Mac, Linux and even the Raspberry Pi. You can find it at dynamic and static libraries. Find out more at www.netbeans.org/
www.adacore.com/download. features/cpp/index.html.

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 Other C++ IDEs to Install

VISUAL STUDIO Microsoft’s Visual Studio is a ANJUTA The Anjuta DevStudio is a Linux-only IDE that
mammoth C++ IDE that allows you features some of the more advanced features you
to create applications for Windows, Android, iOS and the web. The would normally find in a paid software development studio. There’s
Community version is free to download and install but the other a GUI designer, source editor, app wizard, interactive debugger and
versions allow a free trial period. Go to www.visualstudio.com/ to much more. Go to www.anjuta.org/ for more information.
see what it can do for you.

QT CREATOR This cross-platform IDE is designed to MONODEVELOP This excellent IDE allows developers
create C++ applications for desktop and to write C++ code for desktop and
mobile environments. It comes with a code editor and integrated web applications across all the major platforms. There’s an advanced
tools for testing and debugging, as well as deploying to you chosen text editor, integrated debugger and a configurable workbench to
platform. It’s not free but there is a trial period on offer before help you create your code. It’s available for Windows, Mac and Linux
requiring purchasing: www.qt.io/qt-features-libraries-apis-tools- and is free to download and use: www.monodevelop.com/.
and-ide/.

DEV C++ Bloodshed Dev C++, despite its colourful name, U++ Ultimate++ is a cross-platform C++ IDE that boasts a
is an older IDE that is for Windows systems only. rapid development of code through the smart and
However, many users praise its clean interface and uncomplicated aggressive use of C++. For the novice, it’s a beast of an IDE but behind
way of coding and compiling. Although there’s not been much its complexity is a beauty that would make a developer’s knees go
updating for some time, it’s certainly one to consider if you want wobbly. Find out more at www.ultimatepp.org/index.html.
something different: www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html.

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 C++ Fundamentals

“How did
you know so
much about
computers?”
“I didn’t, it was
the first one.”
– Admiral Grace Hopper
(pioneer programmer)
when interviewed by
David Letterman

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C++
Fundamentals
Within this section, you will begin to
understand the structure of C++ code and
how you can compile and execute that
code. These are the core fundamentals
of C++, which teach you the basics such
as using comments, variables, data types,
strings and how to use C++ mathematics.
These are the building blocks of a C++
program. With them, you will be able to
form your own code, produce an output
to the screen, store and retrieve data and
be well on your way to creating your own
custom code.

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 C++ Fundamentals

Your First C++ Program

You may have followed the Mac and Linux examples previously but you’re going to be
working exclusively in Windows and Code::Blocks from here on. Let’s begin by writing
your first C++ program and taking the first small step into a larger coding world.

HELLO, WORLD!
It’s traditional in programming for the first code to be entered to output the words ‘Hello, World!’ to the screen. Interestingly,
this dates back to 1968 using a language called BCPL.

STEP 1 As mentioned, we’re using Windows 10 and the STEP 3 At the moment it doesn’t look like much, and
latest version of Code::Blocks for the rest of the C++ it makes even less sense, but we’ll get to that
code in this book. Begin by launching Code::Blocks. When open, click in due course. Now click on File > Save File As. Create or find a
on File > New > Empty File or press Ctrl+Shift+N on the keyboard. suitable location on your hard drive and in the File Name box, call
it helloworld.cpp. Click the Save as type box and select C/C++ files.
Click the Save button.

STEP 2 Now you can see a blank screen, with the tab STEP 4 You can see that Code::Blocks has now changed
labelled *Untitled1, and the number one in the top the colour coding, recognising that the file is now
left of the main Code::Blocks window. Begin by clicking in the main C++ code. This means that code can be auto-selected from the
window, so the cursor is next to the number one, and entering: Code::Blocks repository. Delete the #include <iostream> line and
re-enter it. You can see the auto-select boxes appearing.
#include <iostream>

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 Your First C++ Program

STEP 5 Auto-selection of commands is extremely handy and STEP 8 Note again the colour coding change. Press Return at
cuts out potential mistyping. Press Return to get to the end of the previous step’s line, and then enter:
line 3, then enter:
std::cout << “Hello, world!\n”;
int main()
Note: there’s no space between the brackets.

STEP 6 On the next line below int main(), enter a curly bracket: STEP 9 Just as before, Code::Blocks auto-completes the
code you’re entering, including placing a closing
{
speech mark as soon as you enter the first. Don’t forget the
This can be done by pressing Shift and the key to the right of P on an semicolon at the end of the line; this is one of the most important
English UK keyboard layout. elements to a C++ program and we’ll tell you why in the next
section. For now, move the cursor down to the closing curly bracket
and press Return.

STEP 7 Notice that Code::Blocks has automatically created STEP 10 That’s all you need to do for the moment. It may
a corresponding closing curly bracket a couple of not look terribly amazing but C++ is best absorbed
lines below, linking the pair, as well as a slight indent. This is due to in small chunks. Don’t execute the code at the moment as you need
the structure of C++ and it’s where the meat of the code is entered. to look at how a C++ program is structured first; then you can build
Now enter: and run the code. For now, click on Save, the single floppy disc icon.
//My first C++ program

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 C++ Fundamentals

Structure of a
C++ Program
C++ has a very defined structure and way of doing things. Miss something out, even
as small as a semicolon, and your entire program will fail to be compiled and executed.
Many a professional programmer has fallen foul of sloppy structure.

#INCLUDE <C++ STRUCTURE>

Learning the basics of programming, you begin to understand the structure of a program. The commands may be different
from one language to the next, but you will start to see how the code works.

C++ #INCLUDE
The structure of a C++ program
C++ was invented by Danish is quite precise. Every C++ code
student Bjarne Stroustrup in begins with a directive: #include
1979, as a part of his Ph.D. <>. The directive instructs the
thesis. Initially C++ was called C pre-processor to include a
with Classes, which added section of the standard C++
features to the already popular code. For example: #include
C programming language, <iostream> includes the
while making it a more iostream header to support
user-friendly environment input/output operations.
through a new structure.

Bjarne Stroustrup, inventor

of C++.
INT MAIN()
int main() initiates the
declaration of a function, which
is a group of code statements
under the name ‘main’. All
C++ code begins at the main
function, regardless of where it
actually lies within the code.

BRACES
The open brace (curly brackets) is something
that you may not have come across before,
especially if you’re used to Python. The
open brace indicates the beginning of the
main function and contains all the code that
belongs to that function.

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 Structure of a C++ Program

COMMENTS <<
Lines that begin with a double slash are comments. This means they The two chevrons used here are insertion operators. This means
won’t be executed in the code and are ignored by the compiler. that whatever follows the chevrons is to be inserted into the
Comments are designed to help you, or another programmer std::cout statement. In this case they’re the words ‘Hello, world’,
looking at your code, explain what’s going on. There are two types which are to be displayed on the screen when you compile and
of comment: /* covers multiple line comments, // a single line. Lines execute the code.
that begin with a double slash are comments. This means they won’t
be executed in the code and
are ignored by the compiler.
Comments are designed
to help you, or another
programmer looking at
your code, explain what’s
going on. There are two
types of comment: /* covers
multiple line comments, // a
single line.

STD OUTPUTS
While std stands for something quite different, in C++ it means Leading on, the “Hello, world!” part is what we want to appear on
Standard. It’s part of the Standard Namespace in C++, which covers the screen when the code is executed. You can enter whatever you
a number of different statements and commands. You can leave the like, as long as it’s inside the quotation marks. The brackets aren’t
std:: part out of the code but it must be declared at the start with: needed but some compilers insist on them. The \n part indicates a
using namespace std; not both. For example: new line is to be inserted.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
//My first C++ program
cout << “Hello, world!\n”

COUT ; AND }
In this example we’re using cout, which is a part of the Standard Finally you can see that lines within a function code block (except
Namespace, hence why it’s there, as you’re asking C++ to use it from comments) end with a semicolon. This marks the end of the
that particular namespace. Cout means Character OUTput, which statement and all statements in C++ must have one at the end or
displays, or prints, something to the screen. If we leave std:: out we the compiler fails to build the code. The very last line has the closing
have to declare it at the start of the code, as mentioned previously. brace to indicate the end of the main function.

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 C++ Fundamentals

Compile and Execute

You’ve created your first C++ program and you now understand the basics behind the
structure of one. Let’s actually get things moving and compile and execute, or run if
you prefer, the program and see how it looks.

GREETINGS FROM C++

Compiling and executing C++ code from Code::Blocks is extraordinarily easy; just a matter of clicking an icon and seeing the
result. Here’s how it’s done.

STEP 1 Open Code::Blocks, if you haven’t already, and STEP 3 Start by clicking on the Build icon, the yellow cog.
load up the previously saved Hello World code you At this point, your code has now been run through
created. Ensure that there are no visible errors, such as missing the Code::Blocks compiler and checked for any errors. You can see
semicolons at the end of the std::cout line. the results of the Build by looking to the bottom window pane. Any
messages regarding the quality of the code are displayed here.

STEP 2 If your code is looking similar to the one in our STEP 4 Now click on the Run icon, the green play button.
screenshot, then look to the menu bar along the top A command line box appears on your screen
of the screen. Under the Fortran entry in the topmost menu you can displaying the words: Hello, world!, followed by the time it’s taken
see a group of icons: a yellow cog, green play button and a cog/play to execute the code, and asking you press a key to continue. Well
button together. These are Build, Run, Build and Run functions. done, you just compiled and executed your first C++ program.

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 Compile and Execute

STEP 5 Pressing any key in the command line box closes it, STEP 8 Create a deliberate error in the code. Remove the
returning you to Code::Blocks. Let’s alter the code semicolon from the cout line, so it reads:
slightly. Under the #include line, enter:
cout << “Hello, world!\n”
using namespace std;
Then, delete the std:: part of the Cout line; like so:
cout << “Hello, world\n”;

STEP 6 In order to apply the new changes to the code, you STEP 9 Now click the Build and Run icon again to apply the
need to re-compile, build, and run it again. This time, changes to the code. This time Code::Blocks refuses
however, you can simply click the Build/Run icon, the combined to execute the code, due to the error you put in. In the Log pane at
yellow cog and green play button. the bottom of the screen you are informed of the error, in this case:
Expected ‘;’ before ‘}’ token, indicating the missing semicolon.

STEP 7 Just as we mentioned in the previous pages, you STEP 10 Replace the semicolon and under the cout line,
don’t need to have std::cout if you already declare enter a new line to your code:
using namespace std; at the beginning of the code. We could have
cout << “And greetings from C++!\n”;
easily clicked the Build/Run icon to begin with but it’s worth going
through the available options. You can also see that by building and The \n simply adds a new line under the last line of outputted text.
running, the file has been saved. Build and Run the code, to display your handiwork.

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 C++ Fundamentals

Using Comments
While comments may seem like a minor element to the many lines of code that
combine to make a game, application or even an entire operating system, in actual fact
they’re probably one of the most important factors.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMENTING

Comments inside code are basically human readable descriptions user, such as, they’ve run out of lives, then it certainly needs to
that detail what the code is doing at that particular point. They don’t commented on.
sound especially important but code without comments is one of
the many frustrating areas of programming, regardless of whether Even if the code is your own, you should write comments as if you
you’re a professional or just starting out. were going to publicly share it with others. This way you can return
to that code and always understand what it was you did or where it
In short, all code should be commented in such a manner as to was you went wrong or what worked brilliantly.
effectively describe the purpose of a line, section, or individual
elements. You should get in to the habit of commenting as much as Comments are good practise and once you understand how to add a
possible, by imagining that someone who doesn’t know anything comment where needed, you soon do it as if it’s second nature.
about programming can pick up your code and understand what it’s
going to do simply by reading your comments.

In a professional environment, comments are vital to the success

of the code and ultimately, the company. In an organisation, many
programmers work in teams alongside engineers, other developers,
hardware analysts and so on. If you’re a part of the team that’s
writing a bespoke piece of software for the company, then your
comments help save a lot of time should something go
wrong, and another team member has to pick up and
follow the trail to pinpoint the issue.

Place yourself in the shoes of someone whose job

it is to find out what’s wrong with a program. The
program has in excess of 800,000 lines of code,
spread across several different modules. You can
soon appreciate the need for a little help from the
original programmers in the form of a good comment.

The best comments are always concise and link

the code logically, detailing what happens when
the program hits this line
or section. You don’t
need to comment on
every line. Something
along the lines of: if
x==0 doesn’t require
you to comment
that if x equals zero
then do something;
that’s going to be
obvious to the reader.
However, if x equalling
zero is something that
drastically changes
the program for the

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 Using Comments

C++ COMMENTS
Commenting in C++ involves using a double forward slash ‘/’, or a forward slash and an asterisk, ‘/*’. You’ve already seen some
brief examples but this is how they work.

STEP 1 Using the Hello World code as an example, you can STEP 4 Be careful when commenting, especially with block
easily comment on different sections of the code comments. It’s very easy to forget to add the closing
using the double forward slash: asterisk and forward slash and thus negate any code that falls inside
the comment block.
//My first C++ program
cout << “Hello, world!\n”;

STEP 2 However, you can also add comments to the end STEP 5 Obviously if you try and build and execute the
of a line of code, to describe in a better way what’s code it errors out, complaining of a missing curly
going on: bracket ‘}’ to finish off the block of code. If you’ve made the
error a few times, then it can be time consuming to go back and
cout << “Hello, world!\n”; //This line outputs the
rectify. Thankfully, the colour coding in Code::Blocks helps identify
words ‘Hello, world!’. The \n denotes a new line.
comments from code.
Note, you don’t have to put a semicolon at the end of a comment.
This is because it’s a line in the code that’s ignored by the compiler.

STEP 3 You can comment out several lines by using the STEP 6 If you’re using block comments, it’s good practise
forward slash and asterisk: in C++ to add an asterisk to each new line of the
comment block. This also helps you to remember to close the
/* This comment can
comment block off before continuing with the code:
cover several lines
without the need to add more slashes */ /* This comment can
* cover several lines
Just remember to finish the block comment with the opposite
* without the need to add more slashes */
asterisk and forward slash.

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 C++ Fundamentals

Variables
Variables differ slightly when using C++ as opposed to Python. In Python, you can
simply state that ‘a’ equals 10 and a variable is assigned. However, in C++ a variable has
to be declared with its type before it can be used.

THE DECLARATION OF VARIABLES

You can declare a C++ variable by using statements within the code. There are several distinct types of variables you can
declare. Here’s how it works.

STEP 1 Open up a new, blank C++ file and enter the usual STEP 3 You can build and run the code but it won’t do
code headers: much, other than store the values 10 and 5 to the
integers a and b. To output the contents of the variables, add:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std; cout << a;
cout << ”\n”;
int main()
cout << b;
{
The cout << “\n”; part
}
simply places a new line
between the output of
10 and 5.

STEP 2 Start simple by creating two variables, a and b, with STEP 4 Naturally you can declare a new variable, call it
one having a value of 10 and the other 5. You can result and output some simple arithmetic:
use the data type int to declare these variables. Within the curly
int result;
brackets, enter:
result = a + b;
int a;
cout << result;
int b;
Insert the above into the code as per the screenshot.
a = 10;
b = 5;

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 Variables

STEP 5 You can assign a value to a variable as soon as you STEP 8 The previous step creates the variable StartLives,
declare it. The code you’ve typed in could look like which is a global variable. In a game, for example,
this, instead: a player’s lives go up or down depending on how well or how bad
they’re doing. When the player restarts the game, the StartLives
int a = 10;
returns to its default state: 3. Here we’ve assigned 3 lives, then
int b = 5;
subtracted 1, leaving 2 lives left.
int result = a + b;
cout << result;

STEP 9 The modern C++ compiler is far more intelligent

than most programmers give it credit. While there
are numerous data types you can declare for variables, you can in
fact use the auto feature:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
auto pi = 3.141593;

STEP 6 Specific to C++, you can also use the following int main()
to assign values to a variable as soon as you
{
declare them:
double area, radius = 1.5;
int a (10);
area = pi * radius * radius;
int b (5);
cout << area;
Then, from the C++ 2011 standard, using curly brackets:
}
int result {a+b};

STEP 7 You can create global variables, which are variables

that are declared outside any function and used in
STEP 10 A couple of new elements here: first, auto won’t
any function within the entire code. What you’ve used so far are
work unless you go to Settings > Compiler and
local variables: variables used inside the function. For example:
tick the box labelled ‘Have G++ follow the C++11 ISO C++ Language
#include <iostream> Standard [-std=c++1]’. Then, the new data type, double, which
using namespace std; means double-precision floating point value. Enable C++11, then
int StartLives = 3; build and run the code. The result should be 7.06858.
int main ()
{
startLives = StartLives – 1;
cout << StartLives;
}

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 C++ Fundamentals

Data Types
Variables, as we’ve seen, store information that the programmer can then later call up,
and manipulate if required. Variables are simply reserved memory locations that store
the values the programmer assigns, depending on the data type used.

THE VALUE OF DATA

There are many different data types available for the programmer incredibly accurate numbers but those numbers are only accurate
in C++, such as an integer, floating point, Boolean, character and so up to the fifteenth decimal place. There’s also the problem when
on. It’s widely accepted that there are seven basic data types, often displaying such numbers in C++ using the cout function, in that cout
called Primitive Built-in Types; however, you can create your own by default only outputs the first five decimal places. You can combat
data types should the need ever arise within your code. that by adding a cout.precision () function and adding a value inside
the brackets, but even then you’re still limited by the accuracy of the
The seven basic data types are:
double data type. For example, try this code:
#include <iostream>
TYPE COMMAND using namespace std;
Integer Integer double PI = 3.141592653589793238463;
int main()
Floating Point float {
cout << PI;
Character char }

Boolean bool

Double Floating Point double

Wide Character wchar_t

No Value void

These basic types can also be extended using the following modifiers:
Long, Short, Signed and Unsigned. Basically this means the modifiers
can expand the minimum and maximum range values for each data
type. For example, the int data type has a default value range of
-2147483648 to 2147483647, a fair value, you would agree.
Now, if you were to use one of the modifiers, the range alters:
Unsigned int = 0 to 4294967295
Signed int = -2147483648 to 2147483647
Short int = -32768 to 32767
Unsigned Short int = 0 to 65,535 Build and run the code and as you can see the output is only
Signed Short int = -32768 to 32767 3.14159, representing cout’s limitations in this example.
Long int = -2147483647 to 2147483647
You can alter the code including the aforementioned cout.precision
Signed Long int = -2147483647 to 2147483647
function, for greater accuracy. Take precision all the way up to 22
Unsigned Long int = 0 to 4294967295
decimal places, with the following code:
Naturally you can get away with using the basic type without the
#include <iostream>
modifier, as there’s plenty of range provided with each data type.
using namespace std;
However, it’s considered good C++ programming practise to use the
double PI = 3.141592653589793238463;
modifiers when possible.
int main()
There are issues when using the modifiers though. Double
{
represents a double-floating point value, which you can use for

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 Data Types

cout.precision(22); This is mainly due to the conversion from binary in the compiler
cout << PI; and that the IEEE 754 double precision standard occupies 64-bits
of data, of which 52-bits are dedicated to the significant (the
}
significant digits in a floating-point number) and roughly 3.5-bits
are taken holding the values 0 to 9. If you divide 53 by 3.5, then you
arrive at 15.142857 recurring, which is 15-digits of precision.
To be honest, if you’re creating code that needs to be accurate to
more than fifteen decimal places, then you wouldn’t be using C++,
you would use some scientific specific language with C++ as the
connective tissue between the two languages.
You can create your own data types, using an alias-like system called
typedef. For example:

Again, build and run the code; as you can see from the command
line window, the number represented by the variable PI is different
to the number you’ve told C++ to use in the variable. The output
reads the value of PI as 3.141592653589793115998, with the
numbers going awry from the fifteenth decimal place.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
typedef int metres;
int main()
{
metres distance;
distance = 15;
cout << “distance in metres is: “ << distance;
}

This code when executed creates a new int data type called metres.
Then, in the main code block, there’s a new variable called distance,
which is an integer; so you’re basically telling the compiler that
there’s another name for int. We assigned the value 15 to distance
and displayed the output: distance in metres is 15.
It might sound a little confusing to begin with but the more you use
C++ and create your own code, the easier it becomes.

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 C++ Fundamentals

Strings
Strings are objects that represent and hold sequences of characters. For example, you
could have a universal greeting in your code ‘Welcome’ and assign that as a string to be
called up wherever you like in the program.

STRING THEORY
There are different ways in which you can create a string of characters, which historically are all carried over from the original
C language, and are still supported by C++.

STEP 1 To create a string you use the char function. Open a STEP 3 Build and run the code, and ‘Welcome’ appears
new C++ file and begin with the usual header: on the screen. While this is perfectly fine, it’s
not a string. A string is a class, which defines objects that can be
#include <iostream>
represented as a stream of characters and doesn’t need to be
using namespace std;
terminated like an array. The code can therefore be represented as:
int main ()
#include <iostream>
{ using namespace std;
} int main ()
{
char greet[] = “Welcome”;
cout << greet << “\n”;
}

STEP 2 It’s easy to confuse a string with an array. Here’s an STEP 4 In C++ there’s also a string function, which works in
array, which can be terminated with a null character: much the same way. Using the greeting code again,
you can enter:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std; #include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
int main ()
{
char greet[8] = {‘W’, ‘e’, ‘l’, ‘c’, ‘o’, ‘m’, {
‘e’, ‘\0’}; string greet = “Welcome”;
cout << greet << “\n”; cout << greet << “\n”;
} }

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 Strings

STEP 5 There are also many different operations that you STEP 8 Just as you might expect, you can mix in an integer
can apply with the string function. For instance, to and store something to do with the string. In this
get the length of a string you can use: example, we created int length, which stores the result of string.
size() and outputs it to the user:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std; #include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
int main ()
{
string greet = “Welcome”; {
cout << “The length of the string is: “; int length;
cout << greet.size() << “\n”; string greet1 = “Hello”;
string greet2 = “, world!”;
}
string greet3 = greet1 + greet2;
length = greet3.size();
cout << “The length of the combined strings
is: “ << length << “\n”;
}

STEP 9 Using the available operations that come with the

string function, you can manipulate the contents of a
string. For example, to remove characters from a string you could use:
STEP 6 You can see that we used greet.size() to output the
#include <iostream>
length, the number of characters there are, of the
using namespace std;
contents of the string. Naturally, if you call your string something
other than greet, then you need to change the command to reflect int main ()
this. It’s always stringname.operation. Build and run the code to see
{
the results.
string strg (“Here is a long sentence in a
string.”);
cout << strg << ‘\n’;
strg.erase (10,5);
cout << strg << ‘\n’;
strg.erase (strg.begin()+8);
cout << strg << ‘\n’;
STEP 7 You can of course add strings together, or rather
strg.erase (strg.begin()+9, strg.end()-9);
combine them to form longer strings:
cout << strg << ‘\n’;
#include <iostream>
}
using namespace std;
int main ()
STEP 10 It’s worth spending some time playing around with
{
the numbers, which are the character positions
string greet1 = “Hello”;
in the string. Occasionally, it can be hit and miss whether you get it
string greet2 = “, world!”;
right, so practice makes perfect. Take a look at the screenshot to see
string greet3 = greet1 + greet2;
the result of the code.
cout << greet3 << “\n”;
}

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 C++ Fundamentals

C++ Maths
Programming is mathematical in nature and as you might expect, there’s plenty of
built-in scope for some quite intense maths. C++ has a lot to offer someone who’s
implementing mathematical models into their code. It can be extremely complex or
relatively simple.

C++ = MC2
The basic mathematical symbols apply in C++ as they do in most other programming languages. However, by using the C++
Math Library, you can also calculate square roots, powers, trig and more.

STEP 1 C++’s mathematical operations follow the STEP 3 Multiplication and division can be applied as such:
same patterns as those taught in school, in that
#include <iostream>
multiplication and division take precedence over addition and
using namespace std;
subtraction. You can alter that though. For now, create a new file
and enter: int main ()
{
#include <iostream>
float numbers = 100;
using namespace std;
numbers = numbers * 10; // This multiplies 100
int main ()
by 10
{
float numbers = 100; cout << numbers << “\n”;
numbers = numbers + 10; // This adds 10 to the numbers = numbers / 10; // And this divides
initial 100 1000 by 10
cout << numbers << “\n”; cout << numbers << “\n”;
numbers = numbers - 10; // This subtracts 10 }
from the new 110
cout << numbers << “\n”;
}

STEP 2 While simple, it does get the old maths muscle

warmed up. Note that we used a float for the
numbers variable. While you can happily use an integer, if you STEP 4 Again, execute the simple code and see the results.
suddenly started to use decimals, you would need to change to a While not particularly interesting, it’s a start into C++
float or a double, depending on the accuracy needed. Run the code maths. We used a float here, so you can play around with the code
and see the results. and multiply by decimal places, as well as divide, add and subtract.

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 C++ Maths

STEP 5 The interesting maths content comes when you call STEP 8 Calculating powers of numbers can be done with:
upon the C++ Math Library. Within this header are
dozens of mathematical functions along with further operations. #include <iostream>
Everything from computing cosine to arc tangent with two #include <cmath>
parameters, to the value of PI. You can call the header with: using namespace std;
#include <iostream> int main ()
#include <cmath> {
using namespace std; float number = 12;
int main () cout << number << “ to the power of 2 is “ <<
{ pow(number, 2) << “\n”;
cout << number << “ to the power of 3 is “ <<
}
pow(number, 3) << “\n”;
cout << number << “ to the power of .08 is “
<< pow(number, 0.8) << “\n”;
}

STEP 6 Start by getting the square root of a number: STEP 9 Here we created a float called number with the
value of 12, and the pow(variable, power) is where
the calculation happens. Of course, you can calculate powers and
#include <iostream>
square roots without using variables. For example, pow (12, 2)
#include <cmath>
outputs the same value as the first cout line in the code.
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
float number = 134;
cout << “The square root of “ << number << “
is: “ << sqrt(number) << “\n”;
}

STEP 10 The value of Pi is also stored in the cmath header

library. It can be called up with the M_PI function.
Enter cout << M_PI; into the code and you get 3.14159; or you can
use it to calculate:
#include <iostream>
#include <cmath>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
double area, radius = 1.5;
area = M_PI * radius * radius;
STEP 7 Here we created a new float called number and
used the sqrt(number) function to display the cout << area << “\n”;
square root of 134, the value of the variable, number. Build and run
}
the code, and your answer reads 11.5758.

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 C++ Input/Output

“Measuring
programming
progress by lines
of code is like
measuring aircraft
building progress
by weight.”
– Bill Gates
(Co-founder of Microsoft)

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C++ Input/
Output
There’s a satisfying feeling when you
program code that asks the user for
input, then uses that input to produce
something that the user can see. Even
if it’s simply asking for someone’s name
and displaying a personal welcome
message, it’s a big leap forward
and creates a more human level of
interaction with your code.
User interaction, character literals
and defining constants, alongside file
input and output, are all covered in the
following pages. All of which will help
you to better understand how a C++
program works.

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 C++ Input/Output

User Interaction
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as creating a program that responds to you. This
basic user interaction is one of the most taught aspects of any language and with it
you’re able to do much more than simply greet the user by name.

HELLO, DAVE
You have already used cout, the standard output stream, throughout our code. Now you’re going to be using cin, the standard
input stream, to prompt a user response.

STEP 1 Anything that you want the user to input into the STEP 3 The cin command works in the opposite way from
program needs to be stored somewhere in the the cout command. With the first cout line you’re
system memory, so it can be retrieved and used. Therefore, any outputting ‘What is your age’ to the screen, as indicated with the
input must first be declared as a variable, so it’s ready to be used by chevrons. Cin uses opposite facing chevrons, indicating an input. The
the user. Start by creating a blank C++ file with headers. input is put into the integer age and called up in the second cout
command. Build and run the code.

STEP 4 If you’re asking a question, you need to store the

input as a string; to ask the user their name, you
would use:
#include <iostream>
STEP 2 The data type of the variable must also match the using namespace std;
type of input you want from the user. For example,
int main ()
to ask a user their age, you would use an integer like this:
{
#include <iostream> string name;
using namespace std; cout << “what is your name: “;
cin >> name;
int main ()
{ cout << “\nHello, “ << name << “. I hope you’re
int age; well today?\n”;
cout << “what is your age: “;
}
cin >> age;
cout <<”\nYou are “ << age << “ years old.\n”;
}

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 User Interaction

STEP 5 The principal works the same as the previous code. STEP 8 While cin works well for most input tasks, it does
The user’s input, their name, is stored in a string, have a limitation. Cin always considers spaces as a
because it contains multiple characters, and retrieved in the second terminator, so it’s designed for just single words not multiple words.
cout line. As long as the variable ‘name’ doesn’t change, then you However, getline takes cin as the first argument and the variable as
can recall it wherever you like in your code. the second:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
string mystr;
cout << “Enter a sentence: \n”;
STEP 6 You can chain input requests to the user but just
getline(cin, mystr);
make sure you have a valid variable to store the
input to begin with. Let’s assume you want the user to enter two cout << “Your sentence is: “ << mystr.size() <<
whole numbers: “ characters long.\n”;
#include <iostream> }
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
int num1, num2;
cout << “Enter two whole numbers: “;
cin >> num1 >> num2;
cout << “you entered “ << num1 << “ and “ <<
num2 << “\n”; STEP 9 Build and execute the code, then enter a sentence
with spaces. When you’re done the code reads the
}
number of characters. If you remove the getline line and replace it
with cin >> mystr and try again, the result displays the number of
characters up to the first space.

STEP 7 Likewise, inputted data can be manipulated once

you have it stored in a variable. For instance, ask the STEP 10 Getline is usually a command that new C++
user for two numbers and do some maths on them: programmers forget to include. The terminating
white space is annoying when you can’t figure out why your code
#include <iostream>
isn’t working. In short, it’s best to use getline(cin, variable) in future:
using namespace std;
#include <iostream>
int main ()
using namespace std;
{
float num1, num2; int main ()
{
cout << “Enter two numbers: \n”;
cin >> num1 >> num2; string name;
cout << “Enter your full name: \n”;
cout << num1 << “ + “ << num2 << “ is: “ <<
getline(cin, name);
num1 + num2 << “\n”;
cout << “\nHello, “ << name << “\n”;
}
}

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 C++ Input/Output

Character Literals
In C++ a literal is an object or variable that once defined remains the same throughout
the code. However, a character literal is defined by a backslash, such as the \n you’ve
been using at the end of a cout statement to signify a new line.

ESCAPE SEQUENCE
When used in something like a cout statement, character literals are also called escape sequence codes. They allow you to
insert a quote, an alert, new line and much more.

STEP 1 Create a new C++ file and enter the relevant headers: STEP 3 If you wanted to insert speech quotes inside a cout
statement, you would have to use a backslash as it
#include <iostream> already uses quotes:
using namespace std;
#include <iostream>
int main () using namespace std;
{
int main ()
{
} cout << “Hello, user. This is how to use
\”quotes\”.”;
}

STEP 2 You’ve already experienced the \n character literal STEP 4 There’s even a character literal that can trigger an
placing a new line wherever it’s called. The line: cout alarm. In Windows 10, it’s the notification sound
<< “Hello\n” << “I’m a C++\n” << “Program\n”; outputs three lines that chimes when you use \a. Try this code, and turn up your sound.
of text, each starting after the last \n.
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
cout << “ALARM! \a”;
}

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 Character Literals

A HANDY CHART
There are numerous character literals, or escape sequence codes, to choose from. We therefore thought it would be good for
you to have a handy chart available, for those times when you need to insert a code.

ESCAPE SEQUENCE CODE CHARACTER

\\ Backslash

\’ Single Quote

\” Double Quote (Speech Marks)

\? Question Mark

\a Alert/Alarm

\b Backspace

\f Form Feed

\n New Line

\r Carriage Return

\t Horizontal Tab

\v Vertical Tab

\0 Null Character

\uxxxx Unicode (UTF-8)

\Uxxxxxxxx Unicode (UTF-16)

UNICODE CHARACTERS (UTF-8)

Unicode characters are symbols or characters that are standard across
all platforms. For example, the copyright symbol, that can be entered
via the keyboard by entering the Unicode code, followed by ALT+X. In
the case of the copyright symbol enter: 00A9 Alt+X. In C++ code, you
would enter:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
cout << “\u00A9”;

UNICODE
CHARACTER TABLE
A complete list of the available Unicode
characters can be found at www.unicode-
table.com/en/. Hover your mouse over the
character to see the unique code to enter in
C++. While it may be a little overwhelming
to look at to begin with, bookmark the page
as you will probably need to come back to
it for reference as you dig deeper into C++,
and indeed character literals. One more
thing, the table will also display characters
from different languages, such as Tibetan
or Sudanese. This means your code can be
truly universal.

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 C++ Input/Output

Defining Constants
Constants are fixed values in your code. They can be any basic data type but as the
name suggests their value remains constant throughout the entire code. There are two
separate ways to define a constant in C++, the #define pre-processor and const.

#DEFINE
The pre-processors are instructions to the compiler to pre-process the information before it goes ahead and compiles the
code. #include is a pre-processor as is #define.

STEP 1 You can use the #define pre-processor to define any STEP 3 Note the capitals for defined constants, it’s
constants you want in our code. Start by creating a considered good programming practise to define all
new C++ file complete with the usual headers: constants in capitals. Here, the assigned values are 50, 40 and 60, so
let’s call them up:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std; #include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
#define LENGTH 50
{
#define WIDTH 40
} #define HEIGHT 60
int main ()
{
cout << “Length is: “ << LENGTH << “\n”;
cout << “Width is: “ << WIDTH << “\n”;
cout << “Height is: “ << HEIGHT << “\n”;
}

STEP 2 Now let’s assume your code has three different

constants: length, width and height. You can define
them with:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
#define LENGTH 50
#define WIDTH 40
#define HEIGHT 60
int main ()
{
}
STEP 4 Build and run the code. Just as expected, it displays
the values for each of the constants created. It’s
worth noting that you don’t need a semicolon when you’re defining
a constant with the #define keyword.

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 Defining Constants

STEP 5 You can also define other elements as a constant. STEP 8 Another method of defining a constant is with the
For example, instead of using \n for a newline in the const keyword. Use const together with a data type,
cout statement, you can define it at the start of the code: variable and value: const type variable = value. Using Pi as an example:
#include <iostream> #include <iostream>
using namespace std; using namespace std;
#define LENGTH 50 int main ()
#define WIDTH 40
{
#define HEIGHT 60
const double PI = 3.14159;
#define NEWLINE ‘\n’
cout << “The value of Pi is: “ << PI << endl;
int main () }
{
cout << “Length is: “ << LENGTH << NEWLINE;
cout << “Width is: “ << WIDTH << NEWLINE;
cout << “Height is: “ << HEIGHT << NEWLINE;
}

STEP 9 Because you’re using const within the main block of

code, you need to finish the line with a semicolon.
You can use either, as long as the names and values don’t clash, but
it’s worth mentioning that #define requires no memory, so if you’re
coding to a set amount of memory, #define is your best bet.
STEP 6 The code, when built and executed, does exactly the
same as before, using the new constant NEWLINE
to insert a newline in the cout statement. Incidentally, creating a
newline constant isn’t a good idea unless you’re making it smaller
than \n or even the endl command.

STEP 10 Const works in much the same way as #define.

You can create static integers and even newlines:
STEP 7 Defining a constant is a good way of initialising your
base values at the start of your code. You can define #include <iostream>
that your game has three lives, or even the value of PI without using namespace std;
having to call up the C++ math library:
int main()
#include <iostream>
{
using namespace std;
const int LENGTH = 50;
#define PI 3.14159 const int WIDTH = 40;
const char NEWLINE = ‘\n’;
int main ()
int area;
{
area = LENGTH * WIDTH;
cout << “The value of Pi is: “ << PI << endl;
cout << “Area is: “ << area << NEWLINE;
}
}

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 C++ Input/Output

File Input/Output
The standard iostream library provides C++ coders with the cin and cout input and
output functionality. However, to be able to read and write from a file you need to
utilise another C++ library, called fstream.

FSTREAMS
There are two main data types within the fstream library that are used to open a file, read from it and write to it, ofstream and
ifstream. Here’s how they work.

STEP 1 The first task is to create a new C++ file and along STEP 3 We’ve included comments in the screenshot of step
with the usual headers you need to include the new 2 to help you understand the process. You created
fstream header: a string called name, to store the user’s inputted name. You also
created a text file called name.txt (with the ofstream newfile and
#include <iostream>
newfile.open lines), asked the user for their name and stored it and
#include <fstream>
then written the data to the file.
Using namespace std;
int main ()
{

STEP 4 To read the contents of a file, and output it to the

screen, you need to do things slightly differently.
First you need to create a string variable to store the file’s contents
(line by line), then open the file, use getline to read the file line by
line and output those lines to the screen. Finally, close the file.

STEP 2 Begin by asking a user for their name and writing string line;
that information to a file. You need the usual string ifstream newfile (“name.txt”);
to store the name, and getline to accept the input from the user.
cout << “Contents of the file: “ << endl;
#include <iostream>
getline(newfile, line);
#include <fstream>
cout << line << endl;
using namespace std;
newfile.close();
int main ()
{
string name;
ofstream newfile;
newfile.open(“name.txt”);
cout << “Enter your name: “ << endl;
getline(cin, name);
newfile << name << endl;
newfile.close();
}

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 File Input/Output

STEP 5 The code above is great for opening a file with one STEP 8 Just as you might expect, you can write almost
or two lines but what if there are multiple lines? Here anything you like to a file, for reading either in
we opened a text file of the poem Cimmeria, by Robert E Howard: Notepad or via the console through the C++ code:
string line; string name;
ifstream newfile (“c:\\users\\david\\ int age;
Documents\\Cimmeria.txt”);
ofstream newfile;
cout << “Cimmeria, by Robert E Howard: \n” << newfile.open(“name.txt”);
endl;
cout << “Enter your name: “ << endl;
while (getline(newfile, line)) getline(cin, name);
cout << line << endl;
newfile << name << endl;
newfile.close();
cout << “\nHow old are you: “ << endl;
cin >> age;
newfile << age << endl;
newfile.close();

STEP 6 You can no

doubt see that
we’ve included a while loop, STEP 9 The code from step 8 differs again, but only where
which we cover in a few pages it comes to adding the age integer. Notice that
time. It means that while there we used cin >> age, instead of the previous getline(cin, variable).
are lines to be read from the The reason for this is that the getline function handles strings, not
text file, C++ getlines them. integers; so when you’re using a data type other than a string, use
Once all the lines are read, the standard cin.
the output is displayed on the
screen and the file is closed.

STEP 7 You can also see that the location of the text file STEP 10 Here’s an exercise: see if you can create code to
Cimmeria.txt isn’t in the same folder as the C++ write several different elements to a text file. You
program. When we created the first name.txt file, it was written to can have a user’s name, age, phone number etc. Maybe even the
the same folder where the code was located; this is done by default. value of Pi and various mathematical elements. It’s all good practice.
To specify another folder, you need to use double-back slashes, as
per the character literals/escape sequence code.

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 Loops and Decision Making

“The purpose of software

engineering is to control
complexity, not to create it.”
– Pamela Zave (Developer, scientist and
telecommunications expert)

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Loops and
Decision
Making
Loops and repetition are one of the most
important factors of any programming
language. Good use of a loop will create a
program that does exactly what you want
it to and delivers the desired outcome
without issues or errors.
Without loops and decision-making
events within the code, your program will
never be able to offer the user any choice.
It’s this understanding of choice that
elevates your skills as a programmer and
makes for much better code.

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 Loops and Decision Making

While Loop
A while loop’s function is to repeat a statement, or a group of statements, while a certain
condition remains true. When the while loop starts, it initialises itself by testing the
condition of the loop and the statements within, before executing the rest of the loop.

TRUE OR FALSE?
While loops are one of the most popular form of C++ code looping. They repeatedly run the code contained within the loop
while the condition is true. Once it proves false, the code continues as normal.

STEP 1 Clear what you’ve done so far and create a new C++ STEP 3 First you
file. There’s no need for any extra headers at the need to
moment, so add the standard headers as per usual: create a condition, so use a
variable called num and give
#include <iostream>
it the value 1. Now create
using namespace std;
the while loop, stating that
int main () as long as num is less than
30, the loop is true. Within
{
the loop the value of num
} is displayed and adds 1 until
it’s more than 30.

STEP 4 We’re introducing a few new elements here. The

first are the opening and closing braces for the
while loop. This is because our loop is a compound statement,
meaning a group of statements; note also, there’s no semicolon
after the while statement. You now also have return 0, which is a
STEP 2 Create a simple while loop. Enter the code below,
clean and preferred way of ending the code.
build and run (we’ve added comments to the
screen shot):
{
int num = 1;
while (num < 30 )
{
cout << “Number: “ << num << endl;
num = num +1;
}
STEP 5 If you didn’t need to see the continually increasing
return 0; value of num, you could have done away with the
} compound while statement and instead just added num by itself
until it reached 30, and then displayed the value:
{
int num = 1;
while (num < 30 )
num++;
cout << “Number: “ << num << endl;
return 0;
}

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 While Loop

STEP 6 It’s important to remember not to add a semicolon STEP 9 You can further expand the code to enable each
at the end of a while statement. Why? Well, as you word of the poem to appear every second. To do
know, the semicolon represents the end of a C++ line of code. If so, you need to pull in a new library, <windows.h>. This is a Windows
you place one at the end of a while statement, your loop will be only library and within it you can use the Sleep() function:
permanently stuck until you close the program.
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <windows.h>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
string word;
ifstream newfile (“C:\\users\\david\\
Documents\\Cimmeria.txt”);
cout << “Cimmeria, by Robert E Howard: \n” <<
endl;
while (newfile >> word)
STEP 7 In our example, if we were to execute the code {
the value of num would be 1, as set by the int cout << word << endl;
statement. When the code hits the while statement it reads Sleep(1000);
that while the condition of 1 being less than 30 is true, loop. The }
semicolon closes the line, so the loop repeats; but it never adds 1 to
return 0;
num, as it won’t continue through the compound statement.
}

STEP 8 You can manipulate the while statement to display STEP 10 Sleep() works in milliseconds, so Sleep(1000) is
different results depending on what code lies within one second, Sleep(10000) is ten seconds and so
the loop. For example, to read the poem, Cimmeria, word by word, on. Combining the sleep function (along with the header it needs)
you would enter: and a while loop enables you to come up with some interesting
countdown code.
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream> #include <iostream>
using namespace std; #include <windows.h>
using namespace std;
int main ()
int main ()
{
string word; {
ifstream newfile (“C:\\users\\david\\ int a = 10;
Documents\\Cimmeria.txt”);
while (a != 0)
cout << “Cimmeria, by Robert E Howard: \n” << {
endl; cout << a << endl;
a = a - 1;
while (newfile >> word)
Sleep(1000);
{
}
cout << word << endl;
} cout << “\nBlast Off!” << endl;
return 0; return 0;
} }

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 Loops and Decision Making

For Loop
In some respects, a for loop works in a very similar way to that of a while loop, although it’s
structure is different. A for loop is split into three stages: an initialiser, a condition and an
incremental step. Once set up, the loop repeats itself until the condition becomes false.

LOOPY LOOPS
The initialise stage of a for loop is executed only once and this sets the point reference for the loop. The condition is evaluated
by the loop to see if it’s true or false and then the increment is executed. The loop then repeats the second and third stage.

STEP 1 Create a new C++ file, with the standard headers: STEP 4 After the loop, you created a compound statement
in braces (curly brackets), that displays the current
#include <iostream> value of the integer num. Every time the for loop repeats itself, the
using namespace std; second and third stages of the loop, it adds 1 until the condition <30
is false. The loop then ends and the code continues, ending neatly
int main ()
with return 0.
{

STEP 2 Start simple and create a for loop that counts from
1 to 30, displaying the value to the screen with
each increment:
STEP 5 A for loop is quite a neat package in C++, all
{ contained within its own brackets, while the other
//For Loop Begins elements outside of the loop are displayed below. If you want to
for( int num = 1; num < 30; num = num +1 ) create a 10-second countdown, you could use:
{
#include <iostream>
cout << “Number: “ << num << endl;
#include <windows.h>
}
using namespace std;
return 0;
int main ()
}
{
//For Loop Begins
STEP 3 Working through the process of the for loop, begin for( int a = 10; a != 0; a = a -1 )
by creating an integer called num and assigning it a {
value of 1. Next, set the condition, in this case num being less than cout << a << endl;
30. The last stage is where you create the increments; here it’s the Sleep(1000);
value of num being added by 1. }
cout << “\nBlast Off!” << endl;
return 0;
}

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 For Loop

STEP 6 With the countdown code, don’t forget to include STEP 9 Here’s an example of a for loop displaying the
the windows.h library, so you can use the Sleep multiplication tables of a user inputted number.
command. Build and run the code; in the command console you can Handy for students:
see the numbers 10 to 1 countdown in one second increments, until
{
it reaches zero and Blast Off! appears.
int n;
cout << “Enter a number to view its times
table: “;
cin >> n;
for (int i = 1; i <= 12; ++i) {
cout << n << “ x “ << i << “ = “ << n * i
<< endl;
}
return 0;
}

STEP 7 Naturally you can include a lot more content into a

for loop, including some user input:
int i, n, fact = 1;
cout << “Enter a whole number: “;
cin >> n;
for (i = 1; i <= n; ++i) {
fact *= i;
}
cout<< “\nFactorial of “<< n <<” = “<< fact <<
endl;
return 0;

STEP 10 The value of the integer i can be expanded from

12 to whatever number you want, displaying a
very large multiplication table in the process (or a small one). Of
course the data type within a for loop doesn’t have to be an integer;
as long as it’s valid, it works.
for ( float i = 0.00; i < 1.00; i += 0.01)
{
cout << i << endl;
}
return 0;

STEP 8 The code from step 7, when built and run, asks for a
number, then displays the factorial of that number
through the for loop. The user’s number is stored in the integer
n, followed by the integer I which is used to check if the condition
is true or false, adding 1 each time and comparing it to the user’s
number, n.

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 Loops and Decision Making

Do… While Loop

A do… while loop differs slightly from that of a for or even a while loop. Both for and
while set and examine the state of the condition at the start of the loop, or the top of
the loop if you prefer. However, a do… while loop, is similar to a while loop but instead
checks the condition at the bottom of the loop.

DO LOOPS
The good thing about a do… while loop is that it’s guaranteed to run through at least once. It’s structure is: do, followed by
statements, while condition is true. This is how it works.

STEP 1 Begin with a new, blank C++ file and enter the STEP 3 Now, here’s a look at the structure of a do… while
standard headers: loop. First you create an integer called num, with
the value of 1. Now the do… while loops begins. The code inside
#include <iostream>
the body of the loop is executed at least once, then the condition is
using namespace std;
checked for either true or false.
int main ()
{

STEP 2 Begin with a simple number count:

{
STEP 4 If the condition is true, the loop is executed. This
int num = 1;
continues until the condition is false. When the
do condition has been expressed as false, the loop terminates and the
{ code continues. This means you can create a loop where the code
cout << “Number: “ << num << endl; continues until the user enters a certain character.
num = num + 1;
}
while (num < 30 );
return 0;
}

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 Do… While Loop

STEP 5 If you want code to add up user inputted numbers STEP 8 Finally, the while statement checks the condition
until the user enters zero: of the variable number. If the user has entered
zero, then the loop is terminated, if not then it continues
{
indefinitely. When the user finally enters zero, the value of sum,
float number, sum = 0.0;
the total value of all the user’s input, is displayed. The loop, and
cout << “**** Program to execute a Do...
the program, then ends.
While loop continuously ****” << endl;
cout << “\nEnter 0 to stop and display the
sum of all the numbers entered\n” << endl;
cout << “\n---------------------------------
---\n” << endl;
do {
cout<<”\nPlease enter a number: “;
cin>>number;
sum += number;
}
while(number != 0.0);
STEP 9 Using the countdown and Blast Off! code used
cout<<”Total sum of all numbers: “<<sum; previously, a do… while loop would look like:
return 0; {
int a = 10;
}
do
{
cout << a << endl;
a = a - 1;
}
while ( a != 0);

cout << “\nBlast Off!” << endl;

return 0;
}

STEP 6 The code from Step 5 works as follows: two floating

point variables are assigned, number and sum, both
with the value of 0.0. There is a brief set of instructions for the user,
then the do… while loop begins.

STEP 10 The main advantage of using a do… while loop

is because it’s an exit-condition loop; whereas a
STEP 7 The do… while loop in this instance asks the user
while loop is an entry-control loop. Therefore, if your code requires a
to input a number, which you assigned to the float
loop that needs to be executed at least once (for example, to check
variable, number. The calculation step uses the second floating
the number of lives in a game), then a do… while loop is perfect.
point variable, sum, which adds the value of number every time the
user enters a new value.

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 Loops and Decision Making

If Statement
The decision making statement ‘if’ is probably one of the most used statements in any
programming language, regardless of whether it’s C++, Python, BASIC or anything
else. It represents a junction in the code, where IF one condition is true, do this; or IF it’s
false, do that.

IF ONLY
If uses a Boolean expression within its statement. If the Boolean expression is true, the code within the statement is executed.
If not, then the code after the statement is executed instead.

STEP 1 First, create a new C++ file and enter the relevant
standard headers, as usual:
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{

STEP 2 If is best explained when you use a number- STEP 3 What’s going on here? To begin, an integer called
based condition: num was created and assigned with the value of 1.
The if statement comes next, and in this case we’ve instructed the
{
code that if the condition, the value, of num is less than 1, then the
int num = 1;
code within the braces should be executed.
if ( num < 30 )
{
cout << “The number is less than 30.” <<
endl;
}
cout << “Value of number is: “ << num << endl;
STEP 4 The second cout statement displays the current
return 0; value of num and the program terminates safely. It’s
easy to see how the if statement works if you were to change the
}
initial value of num from 1 to 31.

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 If Statement

STEP 5 When you change the value to anything above STEP 7 The code in Step 6 is simplistic but effective. First we
30, then build and run the code, you can see that created a floating point integer called temp, then a
the only line to be outputted to the screen is the second cout do… while loop that asks the user to enter the current temperature.
statement, displaying the current value of num. This is because the
initial if statement is false, so it ignores the code within the braces.

STEP 8 The first if statement checks to see if the user’s

inputted value is less than or equal to zero. If it is,
then the output is ‘Brrrr, it’s really cold!’. Otherwise, if the input is
STEP 6 You can include an if statement within a do… while
greater than zero, the code outputs ‘At least it’s not freezing!’.
loop. For example:
{
float temp;
do
{
cout << “\nEnter the temperature (or
-10000 to exit): “ << endl;
cin >> temp;
if (temp <= 0 )
{
cout << “\nBrrrr, it’s really cold!” STEP 9 Finally, if the user enters the value -10000, which is
<< endl; impossibly cold so is therefore a unrealistic value,
} the do… while loop is terminated and a friendly ‘Good bye’ is
if (temp > 0 ) displayed to the screen.
{
cout << “\nAt least it’s not
freezing!” << endl;
}
}
while ( temp != -10000 );
cout << “\nGood bye\n” << endl;
return 0;
}

STEP 10 Using if is quite powerful, if it’s used correctly. Just

remember that if the condition is true then the
code executes what’s in the braces. If not, it continues on its merry
way. See what else you can come up with using if and a combination
of loops.

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 Loops and Decision Making

If… Else Statement

There is a much better way to use an if statement in your code, with if… else. If… else
works in much the same way as a standard if statement. If the Boolean expression
is true, the code within the braces is executed. Else, the code within the next set of
braces is used instead.

IF YES, ELSE NO
There are two sections of code that can be executed depending on the outcome in an if… else statement. It’s quite easy to
visualise once you get used to its structure.

STEP 1 Begin with a new C++ file and the standard headers: STEP 3 The first line in the code creates the integer called
num and gives it a value of 1. The if statement
#include <iostream> checks to see if the value of num is less than thirty and if it is it
using namespace std; outputs “The number is less than 30!” to the console.
int main ()
{
}

STEP 4 The else companion to if checks if the number

STEP 2 Let’s expand the code from the If Statement on the
is greater than 30 and if so, then displays “The
previous page:
number is greater than 30!” to the console; and finally, the code is
{ terminated satisfactorily.
int num = 1;
if ( num < 30 )
{
cout << “The number is less than 30!” <<
endl;
}
else
STEP 5 You can change the value of num in the code or
{
you can improve the code by asking the user to
cout << “The number is greater than 30!”
enter a value:
<< endl;
} {
int num;
return 0;
cout << “Enter a number: “;
}
cin >> num;
if ( num < 30 )
{
cout << “The number is less than 30!” <<
endl;
}
else
{
cout << “The number is greater than 30!”
<< endl;
}
return 0;
}

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 If… Else Statement

STEP 6 The code works the same way, as you would expect, STEP 8 You can take this up a notch and create a two-player
but what if you wanted to display something if the number guessing game. Begin by creating the variables:
user entered the number 30? Try this:
int num, guess, tries = 0;
{
int num; cout << “***** Two-player number guessing game
****” << endl;
cout << “Enter a number: “;
cout << “\nPlayer One, enter a number for
cin >> num;
Player Two to guess: “ << endl;
if ( num < 30 ) cin >> num;
{ cout << string(50, ‘\n’);
cout << “The number is less than 30!” <<
endl;
STEP 9 The cout << string(50, ‘\n’) line clears the screen so
}
Player Two doesn’t see the entered number. Now
else if ( num > 30 )
you can create a do… while loop, together with if… else:
{
cout << “The number is greater than 30!” do
<< endl; {
} cout << “\nPlayer Two, enter your guess: “;
else if ( num == 30 ) cin >> guess;
{ tries++;
cout << “The number is exactly 30!” << if (guess > num)
endl; {
} cout << “\nToo High!\n” << endl;
}
return 0;
else if (guess < num)
} {
cout << “\nToo Low!\n” << endl;
}
else if (guess == num)
{
cout << “Well done! You got it in “ <<
tries << “ guesses!” << endl;
}
} while (guess != num);
return 0;

STEP 7 The new addition to the code is what’s known as a STEP 10

nested if… else statement. This allows you to check
Grab a second player, then
for multiple conditions. In this case, if the user enters a number less
build and run the code.
than 30, greater than 30 or actually 30 itself, a different outcome is
Player One enters the
presented to them.
number to be guessed,
then Player Two can take
as many guesses as they
need to get the right
number. Want to make
it harder? Maybe use
decimal numbers.

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 Loops and Decision Making

Combining All You Know

A good working knowledge of C++ can help engineer your future, regardless of
whether your aim is to start a job as a developer, or simply to learn something new. The
power of C++ is what makes it such a spectacular language to learn. Now, how about
combining all you’ve learned so far.

REACH FOR THE STARS

We’re going to mix many elements of what we’ve looked at so far to create code that will animate a rocket blasting off into
space. There’s a lot than can be done with this code, so feel free to play with it.

STEP 1 Let’s begin with a blank page. Enter the usual pre- STEP 2 Next up, we’re going to create a couple of data
processor, #include <iostream>, but also add a new strings that will contain ASCII images that we can use
one: #include <unistd.h> this is a pre-processor that provides access in the code. You can of course create your own, if you’re artistically
to the POSIX operating system API. In our case, we’re going to use it inclined, however, if you’re not, then take to Google and search for
to access a command called Usleep, as we’ll see later. ‘ASCII rocket art’. Define two strings, background and rocket.

STEP 3 The ASCII art looks

messy to begin with.
Remember though, you will need to
enter a ‘\’ after every ‘\’ for it to be
recognised and a ‘\n\’ at the end of a
line to signify a new line. It’ll take some
time to get right. You can test the
results by entering:
Int main()
{
cout << background << “\n”
<< rocket;
{

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 Combining All You Know

STEP 4 When you’ve sorted the ASCII art out, remove the
cout statements and enter the following:
string greet = “Are you ready to explore the stars?”;
int x=0;
cout << background;
cout << “\n”;
while (greet[x] !=’\0’)
{
cout << greet[x];
usleep(95000);
x++;
}
string name;
cout << “\n” << “\n” << “What is your name,
brave astronaut? “;
cin >> name;
cout << flush;
cout << “Press Enter for take off, “ << name
<< “.\n”;
cin.ignore();
cin.get();

STEP 5 What you’ve done here is

create a simple greeting
string, displayed the background ASCII
art and asked the user for their name.
Notice there’s a While loop that will
display the greet string, one letter at
a time, until it reaches the end of the
string. The cout << flush statement
clears the screen and cin.get pauses, until
the user hits Enter.

STEP 6 For the last section of the code, enter:

for (int i = 0; i < 50; i ++) cout << “\n”;

cout << rocket;
int j = 300000;
for (int i = 0; i < 50; i ++)
{
usleep(j);
j = (int)(j * 0.9);
cout << “\n”;
}
cout << “Boldly go, “ << name << “!\n”;
return 0;
{

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 Loops and Decision Making

STEP 7 The previous code displays and animates the rocket STEP 8 Compile the code, ensuring that all brackets are
ASCII art. It uses a for loop to add an extra line closed off and there’s a semicolon at the end of
under the rocket at increasing steps; using the Usleep function to the appropriate lines. When you run through, you will be asked for
lessen the amount of time between each new line, thus giving the your name, press Enter to clear the screen and watch the rocket
appearance of the rocket speeding up into space. Finally, there’s a animation (cheating animation, but animation all the same) take off,
message to the user at the end of the code. with a final ‘Boldly go, NAME’ message at the end.

With the correct tools, you can combine graphics and

IMPROVED GRAPHICS animations with C++ routines.

Sadly, C++ in itself doesn’t provide graphics. To get better graphics

and animations, you will need to use some of the available libraries
and full development engines. Much like Python, in some respects,
you will need to apply the relevant extras (modules in the case of
Python, libraries for C++) and learn how to code them into your
own programs.
What you need to understand is that C++ development in the
console, the command line if you will, is completely different to
game development. Years ago, using Borland C++, you could easily
utilise the Graphics.h library then display and animate EGA and
VGA graphics.
If you’re looking to stretch your C++ graphics and animations
these are used to create some of the most impressive games, with
learning, then you’re probably best learning the basics first, such
AppGameKit probably being the easiest of the bunch to begin with.
as this section of the book, before moving into the more complex
areas of C++. Then when you’ve got a grasp on the more advanced However to reiterate, as with most aspects of coding, building a
concepts of C++, the next step would be to get hold of a game good foundation first is essential before delving into the inner
engine, such as CryEngine, Unreal Engine, or AppGameKit. Each of workings of a graphical or game engine.

Game engines, together with C++ code, can be used to create The Unreal Engine helps you develop rich environments and
anything from a top-selling game, to something personal. allows you to add C++ code behind the scenes.

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 Combining All You Know

STEP 9 Here’s the code in its entirety: while (greet[x] !=’\0’)

{
#include <iostream> cout << greet[x];
#include <unistd.h> usleep(95000);
using namespace std; x++;
}
const char background[]=
“ * * * *\n\ string name;
* *\n\ cout << “\n” << “\n” << “What is your name,
* * ___\n\ brave astronaut? “;
* * | | |\n\ cin >> name;
* _________## * / \\ | |\n\ cout << flush;
@\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\## * | cout << “Press Enter for take off, “ << name
|--o|===|-|\n\ << “.\n”;
* @@@\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\##\\ \\|/|/ cin.ignore();
|---| | |\n\ cin.get();
@@ @@\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
for (int i = 0; i < 50; i ++) cout << “\n”;
\\|\\\|//|/ * / N \\ | |\n\
cout << rocket;
* @@@@@@@\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
int j = 300000;
\\|\\|/|/ | A | | |\n\
for (int i = 0; i < 50; i ++)
@@@@@@@@@----------| \\\\|//
{
| S |=| |\n\
usleep(j);
__ @@ @@@ @@__________| \\|/
j = (int)(j * 0.9);
| A | | |\n\
cout << “\n”;
____|_@|_ @@@@@@@@@__________| \\|/
}
|_______| |_|\n\
cout << “Boldly go, “ << name << “!\n”;
=|__ _____ |= @@@@ .@@@__________| |
|@| |@| | |\n\ }
____0_____0__\\|/__@@@@__@@@__________|_\\|/__|___
\\|/__\\|/___________|_|_\n\
“;
const char rocket[] = ASCII ART
“ /\\\n\
|==|\n\ The only major issue that can be time-consuming is getting
| |\n\ the ASCII art to be displayed correctly. As you can see from the
| |\n\ screenshots, it doesn’t display correctly in the IDE, but when
| |\n\ executed it displays perfectly fine in the console window. Take
/____\\\n\ the time to play around with it, remember the slashes ‘\’, and
| |\n\ new lines, ‘\n\’. See what other art you can come up with.
| N |\n\
| A |\n\
| S |\n\
/| A |\\\n\
/ | | \\\n\
/__|____|__\\\n\
/_\/_\\\n\
######\n\
########\n\
######\n\
####\n\
####\n\
##\n\
“;
int main()
{
string greet = “Are you ready to explore the
stars?”;
int x=0;
cout << background;
cout << “\n”;

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 Code Repository

“Controlling complexity is the

essence of computer programming.”
– Brian Kernighan (Co-developer of UNIX and author)

SHARE YOUR CODE!

The code listed within this section can be downloaded
as Python files, so you don’t have to type it out.
Simply visit: www.bdmpublications.com/code-portal,
sign up for access to the portal and the code is
available as a compressed file for you to download
and execute.
In addition, if you’ve written something amazing and
want to show it off then why not send it in and we’ll
add it to the Code Portal as well as mention it via our
social media accounts.
Tell us what the code does, how it works (don’t forget
to include comments in the code) and what platform
to run it on.
Send it in to: enquiries:bdmpublications.com. We look
forward to seeing what you’ve done.

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Code
Repository
It’s one thing to learn to code, but something
else entirely to view a working program and be
able to customise it for your own needs. With
that in mind, we’ve got some great Python code
examples available for you to try out and use.
There’s code for a Python file manager, number
guessing game, random password generator and
even a game of Hangman. Use the code, tear it
apart and improve it, it’s free for you to play with.

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 Code Repository

Python File Manager

This file manager program displays FILEMAN.PY
a list of options that allow you to Copy the code below into a New > File and save it as FileMan.py.
read a file, write to a file, append to Once executed it will display the program title, along with the
current time and date and the available options.
a file, delete a file, list the contents
of a directory and much more. It’s
remarkably easy to edit and insert import shutil
import os
into your own code, or add to. import time 1
import subprocess

def Read():
path=input(“Enter the file path to read:”)
file=open(path,”r”)
print(file.read()) 2
input(‘Press Enter...’)
file.close()

def Write():
path=input(“Enter the path of file to write or create:”)
if os.path.isfile(path):
print(‘Rebuilding the existing file’)
else:
print(‘Creating the new file’)
text=input(“Enter text:”)
file=open(path,”w”)
file.write(text)

def Add():
path=input(“Enter the file path:”)
text=input(“Enter the text to add:”)
file=open(path,”a”)
file.write(‘\n’+text)

def Delete():
This part of the code imports the necessary modules. path=input(“Enter the path of file for deletion:”)
1 The OS and Subprocess modules deal with the if os.path.exists(path):
print(‘File Found’)
operating system elements of the program.
os.remove(path)
print(‘File has been deleted’)
Each def XXX() functions store the code for each else:
2 of the menu’s options. Once the code within the print(‘File Does not exist’)
function is complete, the code returns to the main
menu for another option. def Dirlist():
path=input(“Enter the Directory path to display:”)
This is part of the code that checks to see what OS sortlist=sorted(os.listdir(path))
3 the user is running. In Windows the CLS command i=0
clears the screen, whereas in Linux and macOS, the while(i<len(sortlist)):
print(sortlist[i]+’\n’)
Clear command wipes the screen. If the code tries
i+=1
to run CLS when being used in Linux or macOS, an
error occurs, which then prompts it to run the Clear def Check():
command instead. fp=int(input(‘Check existence of \n1.File \n2.
Directory\n’))
These are the options, from 1 to 12. Each executes if fp==1:
4 the appropriate function when the relevant number path=input(“Enter the file path:”)
is entered. os.path.isfile(path)

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 Python File Manager

if os.path.isfile(path)==True: 5.List files in a directory

print(‘File Found’) 6.Check file existence
else: 7.Move a file
print(‘File not found’) 8.Copy a file
if fp==2: 9.Create a directory
path=input(“Enter the directory path:”) 10.Delete a directory
os.path.isdir(path) 11.Open a program
if os.path.isdir(path)==False: 12.Exit
print(‘Directory Found’)
else: ‘’’))
print(‘Directory Not Found’) if dec==1:
Read()
def Move(): if dec==2:
path1=input(‘Enter the source path of file to move:’) Write()
mr=int(input(‘1.Rename \n2.Move \n’)) if dec==3:
if mr==1: Add()
path2=input(‘Enter the destination path and file name:’) if dec==4:
shutil.move(path1,path2) Delete()
print(‘File renamed’) if dec==5:
if mr==2: Dirlist()
path2=input(‘Enter the path to move:’) if dec==6:
shutil.move(path1,path2) Check()
print(‘File moved’) if dec==7: 4
Move()
def Copy(): if dec==8:
path1=input(‘Enter the path of the file to copy or rename:’) Copy()
path2=input(‘Enter the path to copy to:’) if dec==9:
shutil.copy(path1,path2) Makedir()
print(‘File copied’) if dec==10:
Removedir()
def Makedir(): if dec==11:
path=input(“Enter the directory name with path to make Openfile()
\neg. C:\\Hello\\Newdir \nWhere Newdir is new if dec==12:
directory:”) exit()
os.makedirs(path) run=int(input(“1.Return to menu\n2.Exit \n”))
print(‘Directory Created’) if run==2:
exit()
def Removedir():
path=input(‘Enter the path of Directory:’)
treedir=int(input(‘1.Deleted Directory \n2.Delete
Directory Tree \n3.Exit \n’))
if treedir==1:
os.rmdir(path)
if treedir==2:
shutil.rmtree(path)
print(‘Directory Deleted’)
if treedir==3:
exit()

def Openfile():
path=input(‘Enter the path of program:’)
try:
os.startfile(path)
except:
print(‘File not found’)

run=1 Imports
while(run= =1): There are three modules to import here: Shutil, OS and
try: Time. The first two deal with the operating system and file
os.system(‘clear’)
except OSError: 3 management and manipulation; and the Time module simply
displays the current time and date.
os.system(‘cls’)
print(‘\n>>>>>>>>>>Python 3 File Manager<<<<<<<<<<\n’)
print(‘The current time and date is:’,time.asctime()) Note how we’ve included a try and except block to check if
print(‘\nChoose the option number: \n’) the user is running the code on a Linux system or Windows.
dec=int(input(‘’’1.Read a file Windows uses CLS to clear the screen, while Linux uses clear.
2.Write to a file The try block should work well enough but it’s a point of
3.Append text to a file possible improvement depending on your own system.
4.Delete a file

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 Code Repository

Number Guessing Game

This is a simple little piece of NUMBERGUESS.PY
code but it makes good use of the Copy the code and see if you can beat the computer within
Random module, print and input, five guesses. It’s an interesting bit of code that can be quite
handy when your implementing a combination of the Random
and a while loop. The number of module alongside a while loop.
guesses can be increased from 5
and the random number range can import random 1
easily be altered too. guessesUsed = 0
Name=input(‘Hello! What is your name? ‘)
number = random.randint(1, 30)
print(‘Greetings, ‘ + Name + ‘, I\’m thinking of a
number between 1 and 30.’)
while guessesUsed < 5:
guess=int(input(‘Guess the number within 5 guesses...’))
guessesUsed = guessesUsed + 1
if guess < number:
print(‘Too low, try again.’)
if guess > number: 2
print(‘Too high, try again.’)
if guess == number:
break
if guess == number:
guessesUsed = str(guessesUsed)
print(‘Well done, ‘ + Name + ‘! You guessed
correctly in ‘ + guessesUsed + ‘ guesses.’)
3
if guess != number:
number = str(number)
print(‘Sorry, out of guesses. The number I was
thinking of is ‘ + number)

Although this is a reasonably easy to follow program, there are

1 some elements to the code that are worth pointing out. To begin
with, you need to import the Random module, as you’re using
random numbers within the code.
This section of the code creates the variables for the number
2 of guesses used, along with the name of the player, and also
sets up the random number between 1 and 30. If you want a
wider range of random number selection, then increase the
number=random.randint(1, 30) end value of 30; don’t make
it too high though or the player will never be able to guess it.
If the player guesses too low or too high, they are given the
appropriate output and asked to try again, while the number
of guesses is less than five. You can also increase the number of
guesses from 5 by altering the while guessesUsed < 5: value.
If the player guessed the correct number then they are given a
3 ‘well done’ output, along with how many guesses they used up.
If the player runs out of guesses, then the game over output is
displayed instead, along with revealing the number the computer
was thinking of. Remember, if you do alter the values of the
random number chosen by the computer, or the number of
guesses the player can take, then along with the variable values,
you also need to amend the instructions given in the print
statements at the start of the code.

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 Number Guessing Game

Code Improvements
Since this is such as simple script to apply to a situation, there’s For example, as per the screenshot provided, you could use
plenty of room to mess around with it and make it more something along the lines of:
interesting. Perhaps you can include an option to take score, the
best out of three rounds. Maybe an elaborate way to congratulate Endurance=0
the player for getting a ‘hole in one’ correct guess on their first try. CR=0
Luck=0
Moreover, the number guessing game code does offer some room Endurance = random.randint(1, 15)
CR = random.randint(1, 20)
for implementing into your code in a different manner. What we
Luck = random.randint(1, 10)
mean by this is, the code can be used to retrieve a random number Print(“Your character’s stats are as follows:\n”)
between a range, which in turn can give you the start of a character Print(“Endurance:”, Endurance)
creation defined function within an adventure game. Print(“Combat Rating:”, CR)
Print(“Luck:”, Luck)
Imagine the start of a text adventure written in Python, where
the player names their character. The next step is to roll the
The player can then decide to either stick with their roll or try again
virtual random dice to decide what that character’s combat
for the hope of better values being picked. There’s ample ways in
rating, strength, endurance and luck values are. These can then be
which to implement this code into a basic adventure game.
carried forward into the game under a set of variables that can be
reduced or increased depending on the circumstances the player’s
character ends up in.

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 Code Repository

Random Number Generator

User input and the ability to RNDNUMGEN.PY
manipulate that input are It might be simple but this little piece of code will ask the user
for two sets of numbers, a start and a finish. The code will then
important elements with any pluck out a random number between the two sets and display it.
programming language. It’s what
from random import *
separates a good program from a
great program, one that allows the print(“\n>>>>>>>>>>Random Number Generator<<<<<<<<<<\n”)
nmb1=int(input(“Enter the start number: “))
user to interact and see the results nmb2=int(input(“Enter the last number: “))
of that interaction. x = randint(nmb1, nmb2)
print(“\nThe random number between”,nmb1,”and”,nmb2,”is:\n”)
print(x)

More Input
While an easy code to follow, it could be more interesting if you For example, the code could be edited to this:
prompt the user for more input. Perhaps you can provide them
with addition, subtraction, multiplication elements with their from random import *
numbers. If you’re feeling clever, see if you can pass the code import turtle
through some Tkinter GUI code, so it’s presented in a window
rather in the console. print(“\n>>>>>>>>>>Random Turtle Image<<<<<<<<<<\n”)
nmb1=int(input(“Enter the start number: “))
nmb2=int(input(“Enter the second number: “))
Furthermore, the core of the code can be used in a text adventure nmb3=int(input(“Enter the third number: “))
game, where the character fights something and their health, nmb4=int(input(“Enter the fourth number: “))
along with the enemy’s, is reduced by a random number. This
can be mixed with the previous code from Page 154’s Number
Guessing Game, where we defined the stats for the adventure turtle.forward(nmb1)
game’s character. turtle.left(90)
turtle.forward(nmb2)
You can also introduce the Turtle module into the code and turtle.left(90)
perhaps set some defined rules for drawing a shape, object or turtle.forward(nmb3)
turtle.left(90)
something based on a user inputted random value from a range
turtle.forward(nmb4)
of numbers. It takes a little working out but the effect is certainly turtle.left(90)
really interesting.
Whilst it’s a little rough around the edges, you can easily make it
more suitable.

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Random Password
Generator
We’re always being told that our RNDPASSWORD.PY
passwords aren’t secure enough; Copy the code and run it; each time you’ll get a random string
well here’s a solution for you to of characters that can easily be used as a secure password
which will be incredibly difficult for a password cracker to hack.
implement into your own future
import string
programs. The random password import random
generator code below will create a
def randompassword():
12-letter string of words (both cases) chars=string.ascii _ uppercase + string.ascii _
lowercase + string.digits
and numbers each time it’s executed. size= 8
return ‘’.join(random.choice(chars) for x in
range(size,20))

print(randompassword())

Secure Passwords
There’s plenty you can do to modify this code and improve it Adding a loop to print a password fifty times is extremely easy,
further. For one, you can increase the number of characters the for example:
generated password displays and perhaps you can include special
characters too, such as signs and symbols. Then, you can output import string
the chosen password to a file, then securely compress it using the import random
previous random number generator as a file password and send it
to a user for their new password.
def randompassword():
chars=string.ascii _ uppercase + string.ascii _
An interesting aspect to this code is the ability to introduce a loop lowercase + string.digits
and print any number of random passwords. Let’s assume you have size= 4
a list of 50 users for a company and you’re in charge of generating return ‘’.join(random.choice(chars) for x in
a random password for them each month. range(size,20))

n=0
while n<50:
print(randompassword())
n=n+1

This will output fifty random passwords based on the previous

random selection of characters.

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 Code Repository

Text Adventure Script

Text adventures are an excellent ADVENTURE.PY
way to build your Python coding The Adventure game uses just the Time module to begin
skills and have some fun at the with, creating pauses between print functions. There’s a help
system in place to expand upon, as well as the story itself.
same time. This example that we
created will start you on the path
to making a classic text adventure; import time

where it will end is up to you. print(“\n” * 200)

print(“>>>>>>>>>>Awesome Adventure<<<<<<<<<<\n”)
print(“\n” * 3)
time.sleep(3)
print(“\nA long time ago, a warrior strode forth from
the frozen north.”)
time.sleep(1)
print(“Does this warrior have a name?”)
name=input(“> “)
print(name, “the barbarian, sword in hand and looking
for adventure!”)
time.sleep(1)
print(“However, evil is lurking nearby....”)
time.sleep(1)
print(“A pair of bulbous eyes regards the hero...”)
time.sleep(1)
print(“Will”, name, “prevail, and win great fortune...”)
time.sleep(1)
print(“Or die by the hands of great evil...?”)
time.sleep(1)
print(“\n” *3)
print(“Only time will tell...”)
time.sleep(1)
print(‘...’)
time.sleep(1)
print(‘...’)
time.sleep(1)
print(‘...’)
time.sleep(1)
print(‘...’)
time.sleep(5)
print(“\n” *200)

print(‘’’ You find yourself at a small inn. There’s

little gold in your purse but your sword is sharp,
and you’re ready for adventure.
With you are three other customers.
A ragged looking man, and a pair of dangerous
looking guards.’’’)

def start():
print(“\n ----------”)
print(“Do you approach the...”)
print(“\n”)
print(“1. Ragged looking man”)
print(“2. Dangerous looking guards”)

cmdlist=[“1”, “2”]
cmd=getcmd(cmdlist)

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 Text Adventure Script

if cmd == “1”:
ragged() def getcmd(cmdlist):
elif cmd == “2”: cmd = input(name+”>”)
guards() if cmd in cmdlist:
return cmd
def ragged(): elif cmd == “help”:
print(“\n” * 200) print(“\nEnter your choices as detailed in
print(‘’’You walk up to the ragged looking man and the game.”)
greet him. print(“or enter ‘quit’ to leave the game”)
He smiles a toothless grin and, with a strange return getcmd(cmdlist)
accent, says. elif cmd == “quit”:
“Buy me a cup of wine, and I’ll tell you of print(“\n-----------”)
great treasure...’’’) time.sleep(1)
time.sleep(2) print(“Sadly you return to your homeland without
fame or fortune...”)
def guards(): time.sleep(5)
print(“\n” *200) exit()
print(‘’’You walk up to the dangerous looking guards
and greet them.
The guards look up from their drinks and if _ _ name _ _ =
=” _ _ main _ _ ”:
snarl at you. start()
“What do you want, barbarian?” One guard reaches
for the hilt of his sword...’’’)
time.sleep(2)

Adventure Time
This, as you can see, is just the beginning of the adventure and
takes up a fair few lines of code. When you expand it, and weave
the story along, you’ll find that you can repeat certain instances
such as a chance meeting with an enemy or the like.

We’ve created each of the two encounters as a defined set

of functions, along with a list of possible choices under the
cmdlist list, and cmd variable, of which is also a defined function.
Expanding on this is quite easy, just map out each encounter and
choice and create a defined function around it. Providing the user
doesn’t enter quit into the adventure, they can keep playing.

There’s also room in the adventure for a set of variables designed

for combat, luck, health, endurance and even an inventory or
amount of gold earned. Each successful combat situation can
reduce the main character’s health but increase their combat skills
or endurance. Plus, they could loot the body and gain gold, or earn
gold through quests.

Finally, how about introducing the Random module. This will

enable you to include an element of chance in the game. For
example, in combat, when you strike an enemy you will do a
random amount of damage as will they. You could even work out
the maths behind improving the chance of a better hit based on
your or your opponent’s combat skills, current health, strength and
endurance. You could create a game of dice in the inn, to see if you
win or lose gold (again, improve the chances of winning by working
out your luck factor into the equation).

Needless to say, your text adventure can grow exponentially

and prove to be a work of wonder. Good luck, and have fun with
your adventure.

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 Code Repository

Hangman Game Script

Hangman is a great game to HANGMAN.PY
program into Python. It can be We’ve made a Hangman game board (the gallows) out of
extremely complex, displaying characters that can be displayed in the IDLE Shell, along with
a huge bank of words to randomly choose from.
graphics, the number of guesses left
in the secret word, a huge bank of
available words picked at random import random

and countless other elements. It can board = [‘’’

also be quite simple. Here we have a >>>>>>>>>>Hangman<<<<<<<<<<
mix between the two.
+---+
| |
|
|
|
|
= = = = = = = = = ’’’, ‘’’

+---+
| |
O |
|
|
|
= = = = = = = = = ’’’, ‘’’

+---+
| |
O |
| |
|
|
= = = = = = = = = ’’’, ‘’’

+---+
| |
O |
/| |
|
|
= = = = = = = = = ’’’, ‘’’

+---+
| |
O |
/|\ |
|
|
= = = = = = = = = ’’’, ‘’’

+---+
| |
O |
/|\ |
/ |

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| luggage responsible ambassador circumstance

= = = = = = = = = ’’’, ‘’’ congratulate frequent’.split()
return bank[random.randint(0,len(bank))]
+---+
| | def main():
O | game = Hangman(rand _ word())
/|\ | while not game.hangman _ over():
/ \ | game.print _ game _ status()
| user _ input = input(‘\nEnter a letter: ‘)
= = = = = = = = = ’’’] game.guess(user _ input)

game.print _ game _ status()

class Hangman: if game.hangman _ won():
def _ _ init _ _ (self,word): print (‘\nCongratulations! You have won!!’)
self.word = word else:
self.missed _ letters = [] print (‘\nSorry, you have lost.’)
self.guessed _ letters = [] print (‘The word was ‘ + game.word)

def guess(self,letter): print (‘\nGoodbye!\n’)
if letter in self.word and letter not in self.
guessed _ letters: if _ _ name _ _ == “ _ _ main _ _ ”:
self.guessed _ letters.append(letter) main()
elif letter not in self.word and letter not in
self.missed _ letters:
self.missed _ letters.append(letter)
else:
return False
QUIT()
return True Since this is the last example in our Python code repository, we
thought we’d go out with a bang and feature the hangman
def hangman _ over(self): gallows being drawn with each incorrect guess of the word.
return self.hangman _ won() or (len(self.missed _ Don’t worry if it looks misaligned in the text here, this is merely
letters) == 6)
due to the differences between using the Python IDLE editor

def hangman _ won(self): and pasting the code into a word processor (which formats
if ‘ _ ’ not in self.hide _ word(): things differently).
return True
return False There’s plenty you can do to improve, enhance and expand on
what we’ve presented here. You can include a routine that
def hide _ word(self): returns an error if the user enters a number or character. You
rtn = ‘’ can include extra points for someone who guesses the entire
for letter in self.word: word in one go rather than one letter at a time and you could
if letter not in self.guessed _ letters:
perhaps add Chopin’s Funeral March should you lose the game;
rtn += ‘ _ ’
or something celebratory if you win.
else:
rtn += letter
return rtn

def print _ game _ status(self):
print (board[len(self.missed _ letters)])
print (‘Word: ‘ + self.hide _ word())
print (‘Letters Missed: ‘,)
for letter in self.missed _ letters:
print (letter,)
print ()
print (‘Letters Guessed: ‘,)
for letter in self.guessed _ letters:
print (letter,) Consider replacing the bank of words too. They’re found under
print () the bank list, and could easily be swapped out for something
more difficult. If you download www.github.com/dwyl/english-
def rand _ word(): words you can find a text document with over 466,000 words.
bank = ‘ability about above absolute accessible Perhaps you could swap the words in the bank to instead read
accommodation accounting beautiful bookstore the contents of the text file:
calculator clever engaged engineer enough
handsome refrigerator opposite socks interested def rand _ word():
strawberry backgammon anniversary confused with open(“/home/pi/Downloads/words.txt”, “rt”) as f:
dangerous entertainment exhausted impossible bank=f.readlines()
overweight temperature vacation scissors return bank[random.randint(0,len(bank))]
accommodation appointment decrease development
earthquake environment brand environment necessary

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 Black Dog Media

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The Ultimate Jargon Buster
Avoid tech confusion, either when reading this book or when talking to friends, with this glossary

of technology terms and phrases. We have looked across the tech boarders to bring to you the

definitive jargon buster, but it should help you to understand the common terms people use

when talking about their devices and their software.

0-9 Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. A One of the “Big Four” of American carriers
bright and colourful display technology popular on
smartphones (although it has now been superseded
3G by Super AMOLED and qHD.)
B...
The third generation of mobile data networking
used by both the iPhone and iPad. This connection is Bit
slower than Wi-Fi, but is more readily available and is Android A contraction of binary digit, the smallest unit of
used to transfer data from your device when you are The name of the operating on your smartphone
information storage or digital information that can
on the go. It uses the mobile phone network. (we are assuming you own an Android phone if you
take on one of two values, 0 and 1.
are reading this magazine). There have so far been
eleven versions/updates released.
4G Bit Depth
The fourth generation of mobile data networking. Defines how many bits of colour data are used
Android Market to describe each pixel or channel. For example, 2
The previous name for the Google Play Store. The
5G bits per pixel only allows for black or white. 8 bits
place to go to find apps, books and movies to install
The fifth generation of mobile data networking provides 256 colours. When referring to an 8-bit
on your phone.
offers increased speed when transferring data on colour image, 256 is multiplied by the three primary
the go but it is still in its early stages of adoption by channels (red, green and blue) to create what is
mobile phone networks. Anti-Aliasing Filter commonly called 24-bit colour, with a possible
This is an optical filter, also known as low-pass filter, 16,777,266 colours.
which is placed on the camera sensor to create a
A... slight blur or softening that helps counteract aliasing
Black Point
or Moiré interference.
In image editing, the black point is a tonal
Accessibility adjustment that sets the point at which the deepest
A series of tools and features designed to make an Apk (.apk) shadow detail in the histogram is clipped to black.
Apple device such as the Mac and mobile The file extension of Android applications.
devices easier to use by those with disabilities such
as vision or hearing impairments. You can find Bloatware
the Mac’s Accessibility features and customise them Apps (Applications) The name given to unwanted applications
in System Preferences. The programs, such as Angry Birds, Facebook preloaded onto your phone. Bloatware cannot
or Soundhound, that you install and run on you usually be removed by the end user unless they
Android phone. decide to root their handset.
ADB
Android Debug Bridge. Part of the Android Software
Development Kit, used to send commands from a App Store BlueTooth
computer to an attached phone. The App Store is where you can download free and Short range file data system built into almost every
paid programs to your device using your Apple ID. Android smartphone ever made. Can be used to
You can access it through the application found on send files and connect speakers or headphones
Adobe Bridge your home screen. wirelessly to your phone.
Bridge is a browser application produced by Adobe
Systems as part of the Creative Suite and is usually
installed alongside Photoshop. Its main function is as App Inventor Books
the file management hub of the Creative Suite. It can A web-based system that lets anyone develop apps Apple’s eBook reader, available from the App
be used to open, manage, rate and rename files as for Android. Originally created and run by Google, Store. It handles the standard electronic publishing
well as edit their metadata. but now run as an open-source project. formats protected by FairPlay DRM and PDF. It was
introduced in 2010 along with the iPad.

Adobe RGB Apple ID

A device independent colour space developed by This is the email address and password that you Bootloader
Adobe. It provides a relatively large range of colours, have registered with Apple. It will be required A normally hidden mode in Android that helps with
i.e. grey-balanced and perceptually uniform. It is to access most online applications on your iPad, flashing ROMs when rooting an Android phone.
widely used for image editing. including iTunes, App Store and Books.
Broadband
ADSL Apple Menu Wide bandwidth data transmission, that is, fast
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It’s a means of The menu that’s opened by clicking on the Apple Internet as opposed to the older, dial-up services.
connecting to the Internet through your telephone icon in the left of the menu bar, when using a Mac
line. Sometimes just called ‘DSL’ or MacBook computer. It gives access to system
Browser
functions such as Preferences, App Store,
An app used to access websites found on the
Force Quit and more.
Airplane Mode worldwide web. The iPad and iPhone come with
All airlines warn you to turn off mobile electronic Apple’s Safari browser preinstalled but others are
devices when on board an aircraft, so this iPad Archos available in the App Store. Android devices use the
setting turns off all incoming and outgoing signals A manufacturer of Android tablets. Chrome browser
to your device, including data, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
ASUS BSI
AirPlay A well-known manufacturer of Android smartphones Backside Illumination. Sometimes used to improve
A protocol for streaming sounds and video from an and tablets. smartphone camera performance.
Apple device to a set of compatible speakers or a device
such as an Apple TV. It’s wireless and easy to use.
AMOLED AT&T
C... the other common sensor type (CCD) in the way Dynamic Range
that it processes the electrical charges captured by In the context of photography, dynamic range describes
sensor elements. the difference between the brightest and darkest light
Calendar intensities of a scene. From capture to output, there can
This is one of several preloaded apps found on most
CMYK be a large difference in the size of the dynamic range
devices. Use it to keep track of events, invitations
Also commonly referred to as process colour, CMYK that each device is capable capturing or reproducing.
and reminders on your phone and tablet.
is a subtractive colour model using cyan, magenta, Dynamic range is commonly expressed in the number
yellow and black inks in colour printing. of f-stops that can be captured or the contrast ratio of
Camera Raw the scene or device.
Proprietary raw file formats designed to hold
image data and metadata generated by digital Colour Profile
cameras. These formats are non-standard and Also known as an ICC profile, the Colour Profile E...
undocumented, although they are usually based on defines the information required to by a colour
the TIFF/EP file format standard. management system (CMS), to make the colour Eclair
transformations between colour spaces. They can be The nickname for Android version 2.0/2.1.
device specific such as monitors, scanners or printers
Carrier or abstract editing spaces.
Another name for a mobile network provider Emoticon
(Vodafone, AT&A, Sprint, etc.) A small drawing used to augment a message or text.
Compression Typically these are yellow faces showing a variety of
The process of re-encoding digital information expressions.
Casting using fewer bits than the original file or source.
The process of converting one data-type into This reduces transmission time and storage
another. For example, sometimes a number may requirements. There are a number of different
Escape Sequence
stored as text but need to be converted in to an When characters that have certain meanings in the
algorithms that provide either “lossy” or lossless
integer. Python coding language are required in strings they
compression. JEPG is a common file format that
have to be “escaped” so that the computer knows
employs lossy compression to achieve smaller file
they do not have their usual meaning. This is done
CCD (Charged Coupled Device) sizes at the expense of image quality.
by putting a slash in front of them e.g. \”
A type of image sensor found in digital cameras and
scanners. It is a light-sensitive chip that converts light Cupcake
into an electrical charge that is then processed by an The nickname for Android version 1.5.
Ethernet
analogue to digital converter. CCD differs from the The format used for local cabled networks (LAN).
other common sensor type (CMOS) in the way that it Your router comes supplied with Ethernet cables
processes the electrical charges captured by sensor CyanogenMod and has ports for plugging them in.
elements. One of the best known and most often used series of
custom ROMs.
Exposure
CDMA The total amount of light that strikes the sensor or
One of the two main cell phone communication D... film during an image capture. An optimal exposure
standards. Not often used in phones outside of the takes full advantage of the dynamic range of the
U.S. DECT sensor without under-exposing the shadows or
Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications. over-exposing the highlights.

Chromatic Aberration It’s a wireless standard used mostly for cable-free

Known also as colour fringing, chromatic aberration telephone systems. Extender
is caused when a camera lens does not focus the A device that extends the range of a wireless
different wavelengths of light onto the exact same DLNA network by creating a second entry point, which
focal plane. The effect is visible as a thin coloured Dynamic Living Network Alliance. A technology may, or may not, merge with the main one.
halo around objects in the scene, often the border found on some high-end Android phones that lets
between dark and light objects. users stream photos and videos from their phone to F...
a compatible TV.
Class Facebook
A class provides a means of bundling data and DNG (Digital Negative) Currently the most popular social networking site
functionality together. They are used to encapsulate An open standard file format developed by Adobe on the Internet; there are currently over 835 million
variables and functions into a single entity. Systems that provides an alternative to proprietary registered users.
camera raw files. The DNG specification incorporates
Clipping rich metadata along with embedded previews,
camera profiles and editable notes. DNG uses
FaceTime
The loss or either highlight or shadow details when Apple’s video calling service. Requires a Wi-Fi
tone information is forced to pure white or black. lossless compression that can result in a significant
connection and is currently only supported via
For example, over-exposure can produce clipping file size reduction over the original proprietary raw.
a phone number on iPhone and Apple ID email
by forcing highlights that should contain detail address on iPod touch 4 and Mac.
to register as pure white. Clipping can also be Download
caused either intentionally as a creative effect or The term used when taking a file from the Internet
unintentionally because of excessive corrections. or from a connected device such as a computer, to
Factory Reset
Saturation clipping can occur when colours are An option on your Android phone that allows you to
your phone or tablet.
pushed beyond the range of a colour space. return it to the state it was when it left the factory.

Dock
Comments The opaque strip at the bottom of the home screen.
File Format
A comment is a section of real world wording The structure of how information is encoded in a
Apps in the dock remain in a special row of icons (or
inserted by the programmer to help document computer file. File formats are designed to store
Folders post iOS 4) along the bottom of iPhone, iPod
what’s going on in the code. They can be single line specific types of information, such as JPEG and TIFF
touch and iPad screens and do not change when
or multi-line and are defined by a # or ‘’’. for image or raster data, AI for vector data or PDF for
you swipe between home screens.
document exchange.

Constant DPI (Dots Per Inch)

A number that does not change. It is good practice The measurement of print resolution expressed
Folder
to name constants in capitals e.g. SPEED_OF_LIGHT An icon representing a container for a group of apps,
in how many dots of ink are laid down either
files or icons.
horizontally or vertically per inch. A higher number
CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide indicates a greater amount of output resolution. Not
to be confused with pixel per inch (PPI). There is not Force Quit
Semiconductor) necessarily a direct correlation between DPI and PPI. In the Fast App Switcher, tapping and holding an
A type of image sensor found in digital cameras and app will put it in ‘jiggly mode’ and tapping the x
scanners. It is a light-sensitive chip that converts light badge will force it to quit. Built-in apps like Mail and
into an electrical charge, which is then processed by Dream (HTC Dream or G1)
Messages will automatically restart while third-party
an analogue to digital converter. CMOS differs from The very first phone to use the Android operating system.
apps will restart the next time you launch them.
Froyo HDR (High Dynamic Range) IPS
The nickname given to Android version 2.2. A process that combines multiple exposure In Plane Switching is a type of display used on some
variations of an image to achieve a dynamic range phones that increases the viewing angle of the
exceeding that of a single exposure. Algorithms screen.
G... are used to blend the exposures into a high-bit file
format that can then be converted to either 8 or 16
G1 I-Tunes
bit for printing or web presentation.
Mac and Windows music playing software, also used
The very first phone to run the Android operating
to activate and sync iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. It
system. Also known and the HTC Dream.
Histogram is also used to purchase and manage music, movies,
A graphical representation of the tone and colour TV shows, apps, books and other media.
Game Center distribution in a digital image. This is typically based
Apple’s gaming service, where you can discover on a particular colour or working space by plotting
new games and share your game experiences with
ISO (International Organisation for
the number of pixels for each tone or colour value. It
friends from around the world. can be used to interpret photographic exposure and Standardisation)
reveal shadow or highlight clipping. In photography, ISO refers to the standard for
measurement of the sensitivity of film or digital
Gamut
sensors to light.
The range of colours and tonal values that can Home Button
be produced by a capture or output device or The physical hardware button on the front of early
represented by a colour space. models of the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and many J...
Android devices, located just below the screen. It’s
Galaxy used to wake the device, return to the Home Screen Jelly Bean
A range of hugely popular handsets from Samsung, and several other functions. The nickname given to Android 4.2, the latest
the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the world. version of the operating system.
Home Screen
Geotagging The front end of your smartphone or tablet. The JIT
The act of digitally attaching your location to photos screen you see, containing app icons, widgets, etc., The Just In Time compiler was introduced in Android
taken on your phone. when you first unlock the device. 2.2. It helps to speed up apps on Android.

Gingerbread Honeycomb JPEG, JPG (Joint Photographic Experts

The nickname given to Android version 2.3. The nickname given to Android version 3.0. The only
version designed specifically for tablets, but now Group)
superseded by ICS. A standard created by the Joint Photographic
Gmail Experts Group for the compression of photographic
Google’s web-based email software. Comes pre- images and the accompanying file format. It
installed on every Android smartphone. HTC employs lossy compression that can reduce file size
A large Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer. but at the expense of image quality and detail.
Google
Owner (although not the original creator) of HTTP K...
Android. Also own a fairly well known search Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the protocol used by
engine... the World Wide Web (Internet) that defines how
messages are sent, received and read by browsers Kernel
and other connected software layers. The basic Linux building block of Android.
Google Now
An enhanced Google search app which bases the
HTTPS Keyboard
information displayed on current location. Currently
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an encrypted Tablets and smartphones can feature either a
only found in Jelly Bean.
and far more secure version of HTTP. physical or software keyboard.

Google Play Keyword

Previously known as Android Market, this is where I...
An element of metadata that is used to make a file
you go to download Android compatible apps,
more easily discoverable to searches. Keywords can
books, music and movies. Ice Cream Sandwich be individual words or short phrases and can have a
The nickname given to Android version 4.0/4.1. The hierarchical structure.
Gorilla Glass majority of new Android tablets now use this.
Increasingly popular scratch-resistant glass used for
smartphone displays.
L...
IMEI
International Mobile Equipment Identity. This is a
unique identification number assigned to every Landscape Mode
GPS This describes a phone or tablet when you hold it
Global Positioning System. A system that uses phone.
horizontally; this is when it’s wider than it is tall and
satellites to pinpoint your current location.
the Home button is on the right or left of the screen.
Intel
Grayscale Well known PC processor manufacturer. Has now
started producing smartphone processors. Launcher
A monochromatic digital image file with pixel
This is the part of the Android user interface on
values that use shades of grey to represent tonal
home screens that lets you launch apps and make
information. The term is often used to describe Internet phone calls.
digital black and white photographs. A global system of interconnected computers and
networks which use the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/
IP) to link online devices. LAN
GSM Local Area Network. Devices that are connected to
One of the two main cell phone communication
your router using Ethernet cables, are part of the
standards. Used in most countries outside of the U.S. Indentation LAN (see also WLAN).
The coding language Python uses indentation to
H... delimit blocks of code. The indents are four spaces
apart, and are often created automatically after a LG
colon is used in the code A large Korean electronics and smartphone
Hacking manufacturer.
Most often means rooting when talking about
Android. iOS
Apple mobile operating system and the software Linux
that powers the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple An open-source operating system that is used as the
Hard Reset TV. basis of Android.
Also called Factory Reset. Returns the phone to its
post-factory state.
Live Wallpapers A range of smartphones and tablets developed by photos and videos for iPhone and all generations of
Animated wallpapers introduced in Android 2.1. Google. The Nexus range runs a pure version of iPad and iPod touch.
Android.
Loop Photo Stream
A piece of code that repeats itself until a certain NFC Part of iCloud, Photo Stream stores your last thirty
condition is met. Loops can encase the entire code Near Field Communication. A technology which days or 1000 photos online and on your iOS devices,
or just sections of it. allows data to be between phones or between your and all your photos on your Mac.
phone and another device.
LTE Pixel
Long-Term Evolution. A name sometimes given to Noise Derived from the term picture element, this is the
4G data networks. The unwanted colour or luminance variations of smallest unit of information in a digital image. It
pixels that degrade the overall quality of an image. is also commonly used to describe the individual
Noise can result from several different sources elements on a capture device such as a camera
Luminance including a low signal to noise ratio, the use of high sensor.
The intensity of light as emitted or reflected by
ISO settings, long exposures, stuck sensor pixels
an object or surface. This is usually expressed
and compression artefacts. It can appear as random
in candelas per square meter (cd/m2). It is a PIN
colour speckles, a grain-like effect or banding.
measurement of the brightness of an object or light Stands for Personal Identification Number. Used to
source. lock smartphones and SIM cards.
Notification Centre:
A pull-down list of recent notifications, accessible
M... from any iOS Home Screen or from within any iOS
Plug-In
A software application or module that provides
app. Similar to the Notification Panel found on
extended and specific functionality from within a
Magic Android.
larger host application.
HTC phone also known as the MyTouch 3G. The first
phone to use an Android operating system.
O... Portrait Mode
This describes a smartphone or tablet when you
Mail OEM hold it vertically; this is when it’s taller than it is wide
Built-in Apple app for handling POP3, IMAP,
Original Equipment Manufacturer. A company which and the Home button is at the top or bottom of the
MobileMe and Exchange/ActiveSync email accounts.
manufacturers devices for another brand (e.g. ASUS screen.
is the OEM of Google’s Nexus 7.)
Messages PSD
One of Apple’s built-in iPhone apps that handles
One Series The .psd (Photoshop Document) format is a popular
SMS text messages and MMS multimedia messages.
A range of smartphones from HTC. Includes the One proprietary file format from Adobe Systems, Inc.
SMS messages are also more generally called
X, One V and the One S. It has support for most of the imaging options
“messages” on most devices.
available in Photoshop, such as layer masks,
transparency, text and alpha channels. In addition,
Open GL
MMS: (MultimediaMmessages) An open source graphics library, used on some
spot colours, clipping paths and even duotone
MMS supports images, videos, sound, contact settings can be saved if you are preparing images
smartphones.
cards and location data. Sent and received via the for printing.
Messages app.
Open Source
Software which is available to be studied, used
Project Butter
Megapixel and adapted by anyone. Android is open source
Software enhancements introduced in Android 4.1.
A term used to describe digital camera resolution, Designed to smooth out frame rates and animations.
software.
1 megapixel equals one million pixels or sensor
elements. To calculate the megapixel value for a
camera, multiply the horizontal by the vertical pixel Operating System Q...
counts of the recorded image. Also OS. The program that’s loaded into the
computer after the initial boot sequence has QR Code
completed. The OS manages all the other programs, A type of barcode which can be scanned by
Mesh graphical user interface (GUI), input and output and smartphones to reveal information such as text and
A means of combining two wireless access points
physical hardware interactions with the user. website URL’s.
into one, so they use the same settings and appear
as a single network to devices that join it.
Optimus QuickTime
A range of smartphones from LG Apple’s 2D video and graphics player, used to play
Metadata movies and other video on iOS.
Embedded or associated information describing a
file’s contents, used in digital photography to hold OTA
exposure information, GPS location data, copyright Over The Air. A method which upgrades are R...
information and more. There are several metadata wirelessly sent to smartphones.
formats such as EXIF, IIM, IPTC Core, Dublin Core, Raw Files
DICOM and XMP. Output A Raw file is the unprocessed data captured by a
Data that is sent from the program to a screen, digital camera sensor. In most cases, cameras write
Modem printer or other external peripheral. Raw files using a proprietary file format. Raw files
Short for modulate-demodulate, a modem converts give the photographer the advantage of managing
data into a signal that can be transferred over a image processing during post-production rather
P... than letting the camera make the processing
phone line, and does so in reverse for incoming data.
decisions, as happens when shooting in JPEG
Pantech format. See also: DNG.
Motorola A South Korean smartphone manufacturer.
A large manufacturer or electronics and
smartphones. Recovery Mode
PDF (Portable Document Format) A separate operating mode of Android. Mainly used
Developed by Adobe Systems, PDF is an open for device administration and repair.
N... standard file format for cross-platform document
exchange. PDF is highly extensible, preserves the
integrity of the original document, is searchable and
Retina Display
News Super sharp display available on Mac computers and
Is an app in iOS that collected together magazine provides document security.
iOS devices.
and newspaper apps and allowed the automatic
downloading of new stories. Photos
Built-in Apple app that handles your photo albums
Nexus on your iPhone and iPod touch 4, and synced Resolution
A measurement of the ability of an optical, capture, Super AMOLED Verizon
or output system to record and reproduce detail. It An improvement of AMOLED displays, providing One of the four large US mobile carriers.
can be defined in several different metrics such as brighter, less power hungry and less reflective
Line Pairs, PPI, DPI, SPI and LPI. Also see DPI and PPI. screens.
Virtual Environment
A cooperatively isolated runtime environment that
RGB T... allows Python users and applications to install and
A colour model that uses the three primary additive upgrade Python distribution packages without
colours (red, green, blue) that can be mixed in interfering with the behaviour of other Python
different ratios to make all other colours.
T-Mobile
applications running on the same system.
Large US mobile carrier and manufacturer of
smartphones.
ROM Virtual Machine
Read Only Memory. In Android a ROM is used to A computer defined entirely in software. Can be
load software updates. Custom ROMs are software
Tegra 2
used to test/run/create code that won’t affect the
NVIDIA’s dual-core mobile processor.
updates developed by third parties. host system.

Root Tegra 3
NVIDIA’s newer, quad-core, mobile processor.
VPN
In Android, to Root means to unlock the device to
allow more access to the core software (or root).
(Virtual Private Network):
This provides secure access over the Internet to
Tethering
private networks, such as the network at your
Using your smartphones data connection to provide
Router company or school.
internet access for another device (laptops, etc.)
A device that manages and organises your home
network devices, whether they connect to the router
using a cable (LAN), or wirelessly (WLAN). Text Field W...
Any area where you can add text. For example, the
S... search field is where you type something you’re While Loop
looking for. Tap on a text field to bring up the virtual A coding loop that repeats code while a
keyboard. comparative statement returns the value True.
Safari
Apple’s web browser, both for Mac OS X and iOS
(sometimes called Mobile Safari). Based on KHTML/
Thumbnail Image White Balance (WB)
A small, low-resolution image preview used on the In digital photography, white balance establishes
WebKit renderer and the Nitro JavaScript engine.
web to link to a high-resolution version of the file. the colour balance of the image in relationship to
Thumbnails can also be embedded in file formats colour temperature of the lighting conditions. Most
Samsung such as TIFF and PSD. digital cameras have several built-in white balance
A huge Korean smartphone and electronics presets (tungsten, daylight, cloudy, fluorescent, etc.)
manufacturer. along with an auto setting and the ability to set a
TIFF or TIF (Tagged Image File Format)
custom WB.
An open standard file format specifically designed
SD Card for images. TIFF can incorporate several types of
A small memory card which can often be inserted compression, including LZW, JPEG and ZIP. The Widgets
into smartphones to increase storage capacity. format is suitable for the storage of high quality The name given to the home-screen gadgets which
archive images. The DNG format is based on the allow you to see app updates, news, etc.
Sense main TIFF standard.
The user interface designed by and used on HTC Wi-Fi
phones. TouchWiz A group of backwards-compatible radio
Samsung’s custom user interface. technologies used to connect peripherals to a
Sharpening network wirelessly.
The process of increasing or emphasising contrast Twitter
around the edges of details in an image, to give the One of the most popular social networks built WLAN
impression that the image is sharper than it really is. around a follower and following system rather than Wireless Local Area Network. Your network of
friends. wireless devices, as opposed to devices connected
Sideload with a cable (see LAN).
The process of installing an app onto your phone U...
outside of the Google Play store. World Phone
A device which works on both CDMA and GSM
UPnP
SIM Card networks outside of its home country.
Universal Plug and Play. A protocol used by digital
The small plastic chip required in all GSM phones to media players for enjoying video, music, and
connect to the mobile network. pictures over your home network. WPS
Wi-Fi Protected Setup, an easier way of connecting
Siri wireless devices to your router.
URL
Apple’s intelligent virtual assistant, that replaces Uniform Resource Locator. This is a web address,
VoiceControl on the iPhone. used to access a web page on the Internet, and XYZ...
usually starts ‘www’ and ends in ‘.com’, or some
Sleep/Wake Button other top-level domain.
Xperia
Physical hardware button. Used to power on, wake A range of smartphones developed by Sony
from sleep, put to sleep and power down most USB Ericsson. Includes the Xperia T and the Xperia Play,
smartphones and tablets. Universal Serial Bus. The connection method the PlayStation smartphone.
now used by most smartphones to connect to a
Sony Ericsson computer or power source (MicroUSB).
YouTube
The company formed by Sony and Ericsson to Google-owned, web-based video streaming service.
manufacture and distribute mobile devices. V... A YouTube app is usually pre-installed on Android
devices.
Sprint Vanilla
One of the large US mobile carriers. Sometimes used to describe Android without any
custom user interface applied.
SSID
Service Set ID. In a nutshell, this is the ‘name’ of your VDSL
wireless network, and can be changed using your Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line. It’s another
router. protocol for getting on the Internet using your
phone line, and is sometimes shortened to DSL.