Defensive Programming with C++: Program Planning, Diagnosis and Debugging

The programming language C++ is extremely popular and powerful but it is also extremely abstract and difficult. Even experienced programmers spend, on average, three-fourths of their time searching for and correcting errors in the programs they have written. This title is a guide to planning, designing and writing C++ code with a minimum of errors. The book focuses on general good programming practices for C++ programmers - no matter what version of the language they are using, with special emphasis placed on the early stages of program planning and design. The key concept in the book is defensive programming - the author's own term for a method of planning and designing programs to reduce the likelihood of error. Common C++ programming mistakes are enumerated and discussed in detail, as are both generic and compiler-specific techniques for tracking down and eliminating bugs. The authors also give numerous examples of how to use the Borland C++ and Microsoft C++ debuggers.