If you’ve seen this program before in beginner tutorials, you’ll know immediately that the material is out of date What using namespace std; actually does using namespace std; is an example of a using-directive. A using directive tells the compiler to consider every name…
A local variable has local scope. It’s duration is linked to the function it’s defined in. Mark it static and the rules change: the variable persists for the entire program, but its name remains scoped to the function. This article will explore…
Some applications make use of immutable, shared constants such as pi or Boltzmann’s constant. The question arises on how to use them across multiple translation units without violating the ODR. C++ has offered three answers over the years, and only…
The inline keyword is one of the most misunderstood features in C++. It once asked the compiler to inline a function for speed; today it does something almost entirely different. tldr: The cost of a function call There is overhead when calling…
A variable defined in the global namespace can be accessed ANYWHERE in the source code. If that sounds powerful, it’s because it is. This accessibility is the source of both its appeal and its danger. A global variable has external…
Ever wondered how <vector>, <string>, and <iostream> all live under the same std namespace without colliding? The answer is a small but elegant C++ rule: identically named namespaces merge at compile time. Understanding this reveals how the Standard Library is modularised — and how you can…
Introduction A binary number is easy for a computer to store, but not always easy for a human to read. The number 1101 is clear once you know binary, but most people recognise its decimal equivalent, 13, much faster. This Nibble walks through…
This Nibble walks through a small program that converts a positive decimal integer into its binary representation. What the walkthrough covers: The division-by-2 algorithm NOTE: There are other methods to perform decimal to binary conversion. This article is presenting one…
#035 – How to use std::bitset for EFFORTLESS bit manipulation introduced std::bitset and its single-bit methods — set, reset, flip, test. Those methods are useful but they only support one bit per call. When you need to read or modify several bits at once, or when…
The bitwise shift operators << and >> move every bit in their left operand a fixed number of positions. They are most often encountered in C++ as overloads for stream I/O, however they are also overloaded to perform bit manipulation. This has widespread use…