C++ Syntax Comparison with Python and Java
Below are examples of complete programs using functions, arrays / lists, and classes in C++, Python, and Java. Each group of programs performs the same functionality so you can compare C++ to a language you might be more familiar with.
You can also download all the source code directly.
Note: In programming the Argon for this course, we will not use the standard input / output in C++ (e.g. cin and cout) and we will be creating custom classes, but they are included below.
Basic Syntax
Basic Syntax: C++ (driver.cpp)
// Comments: single line
/*
Comments: Multi-line
*/
/*
Importing libraries
To include a library or file in your code, use #include at the top of the file
Angle brackets (<...>) indicate that the library/file is a standard
C++ library (and stored in Visual Studio's path somewhere)
For example, to import the C++ iostream library, use
#include <iostream>
Quotations marks ("...") indicate that the file is something you
created (and in the same directory as this current code)
For example, to import a file you wrote called "coffee.cpp", use
#include "coffee.cpp"
Useful libraries
iosteam - input (keyboard) and output (console)
string - creating, accessing, manipulating std::strings
Program structure
The "int main()" function is where the program starts, which is equivalent to
"public static void main" in Java or "main()" in Python
Python: note that you do NOT have to call main() yourself
One difference is that the main function MUST return a value
Hence at the end of every "main" you will return 0
int main()
{
...
...
return 0;
}
Basic syntax
C++ is caSe-SeNiSiTiVe
You can name variables/classes however you want to, but in these examples:
- Variables and functions are named usingCamelCase
- Classes are named with EveryWordCapitalized
All statements (e.g. variable declarations, function calls, etc.)
end with a semi-colon
Blocks of code are denoted with curly braces { }
Python: White space is ignored--curly braces are the only way to
enclose a block
Namespaces
Objects that are part of the standard library are in the "std" namespace
this is why we use std::string, std::cout, std::cin, etc.
Variables
Variables must explicitly be given a type when declaredd
For example,
int a;
float x = 9.8;
Common variables primitives (i.e. simple variables, not objects)
int - integers (see also long)
double - floating point numbers (see also float)
bool - booleans (either true or false)
char - number that represents an ASCII character (letter)
std::strings are objects (not primitives) and enclosed with "..."
Java: note the lowercase 's'
Output
To print to the console, use std::cout
std::cout << "SOME std::string TO PRINT"
Multiple statements can be chained together
std::cout << "Hello" << " " << "World";
Variables can be concatenated to the output also
int num = 8;
std::cout << "The value of variable num is " << num;
Input
To read input from the keyboard, use std::cin
int a;
std::cin >> a;
Multiple input can be chained together
int a;
double x;
std::string message;
std::cin >> a >> x >> message;
Note how you do not need to specify the type of input you are reading
and it works with primitives and std::strings
std::cin will read until it encounters any white space
std::getline will read until there is a '\n' so use it to read in multiple words
std::string sentence;
std::getline(std::cin, sentence);
Quirk (particularly for Python programmers):
Just like nextInt() in Java, std::cin >> ... reads the user input but leaves the
'\n' on the input buffer (here the '\n' is the user hitting enter.
This means that if a std::getline() follows a std::cin >> ...,
the std::getline() will see the leftover '\n' and not the new input.
Thus, whenever you have std::cin >> ... followed by std::getline(), you need
to remove the leftover '\n' using std::cin.ignore()
For example
int a;
std::string sentence;
std::cin >> a;
std::cin.ignore();
std::getline(std::cin, sentence);
If / else if / else
Virtually the same as in Java / Python
Python: Note that "elif" is replaced with "else if"
While
Virtually the same as in Java / Python
C++ also has also has a variation called "do while"
see http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/control/
For loops
Java: virtually the same
Python: for loops operate very differently in C++
see http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/control/
*/
#include <iostream> //needed for std::cout and std::cin
#include <string> //needed for std::string objects
int main()
{
// variable declarations
int a = 8;
double x;
x = 3.14;
std::string message = "Hello World!";
bool gotMilk = true;
// Output
std::cout << "This will print to the console\n";
std::cout << message << std::endl;
std::cout << "The value of X is " << x << std::endl;
std::cout << "---------------------------\n";
// input
std::cout << "Enter a integer: ";
std::cin >> a;
std::cout << a << std::endl;
std::cout << "Enter a single word: ";
std::cin >> message;
std::cin.ignore(); // clear extra newline
std::cout << message << std::endl;
std::cout << "Enter multiple words: ";
std::getline(std::cin, message);
std::cout << message << std::endl;
std::cout << "---------------------------\n";
// If statements
if (gotMilk == true)
{
std::cout << "You've got milk\n";
}
else if (gotMilk == false)
{
std::cout << "There is an absence of milk!\n";
}
else
{
std::cout << "This will never execute because boolean variables can only be T or F\n";
}
std::cout << "---------------------------\n";
// while loops
a = 7;
while (a != 0)
{
std::cout << "This loop will continue until you enter 0." << std::endl;
std::cout << "Enter a number: ";
std::cin >> a;
}
std::cout << "----------------------------\n";
// for loops
std::cout << "Enter a positive number to sum: ";
std::cin >> a;
int total = 0;
for (int i = 0; i <= a; i++)
{
total += i;
}
std::cout << "The summation of " << a << " is " << total << std::endl;
std::cout << "---------------------------\n";
return 0;
}
Basic Syntax: Python (main.cpp)
#define main function
def main():
# variable declarations
a = 8
# x # there is no point in Python to declare a variable
# without initializing it
x = 3.14
message = "Hello World!"
gotMilk = True
# Output
print("This will print to the console")
print(message)
print("The value of X is " + str(x))
print("----------------------------")
# input
a = int(input("Enter a integer: "))
print(a)
message = input("Enter a single word: ")
print(message)
message = input("Enter multiple words: ")
print(message)
print("----------------------------")
# If statements
if gotMilk == True:
print("You've got milk!")
elif gotMilk == False:
print("There is an absence of milk!")
else:
print("This will never execute because boolean variables can only be T or F")
print("----------------------------")
# while loops
a = 7
while a != 0:
print("This loop will continue until you enter 0.")
a = int(input("Enter a number: "))
print("----------------------------")
# for loops
a = int(input("Enter a positive number to sum: "))
total = 0
for i in range(a + 1):
total += i
print("The summation of " + str(a) + " is " + str(total))
print("----------------------------")
# call main function
main()
Basic Syntax: Java (Program.java)
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Program {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
// variable declarations
int a = 8;
double x;
x = 3.14;
String message = "Hello World!";
boolean gotMilk = true;
// Output
System.out.println("This will print to the console");
System.out.println(message);
System.out.println("The value of X is " + x);
System.out.println("----------------------------");
// input
System.out.println("Enter a integer: ");
a = input.nextInt();
System.out.println(a);
System.out.println("Enter a single word: ");
message = input.next();
input.nextLine(); // clear extra newline
System.out.println(message);
System.out.println("Enter multiple words: ");
message = input.nextLine();
System.out.println(message);
System.out.println("----------------------------");
// If statements
if (gotMilk == true) {
System.out.println("You've got milk!");
} else if (gotMilk == false) {
System.out.println("There is an absence of milk!");
} else {
System.out
.println("This will never execute because boolean variables can only be T or F");
}
System.out.println("----------------------------");
// while loops
a = 7;
while (a != 0) {
System.out.println("This loop will continue until you enter 0.");
System.out.println("Enter a number: ");
a = input.nextInt();
}
System.out.println("----------------------------");
// for loops
System.out.println("Enter a positive number to sum: ");
a = input.nextInt();
int total = 0;
for (int i = 0; i <= a; i++) {
total += i;
}
System.out.println("The summation of " + a + " is " + total);
System.out.println("----------------------------");
}
}
Functions
Functions: C++ (driver.cpp)
/*
Creating and using functions
As in Java/Python, C++ has "function declarations" where you specify what the function does
and "function calls" where you actually use the function
Functions must be declared before they are used. So if the functions are used in main
they must be declared before main.
If two functions call each other, this issue can be solved, using something called
"function prototypes". But don't worry about that just yet.
A program in a single file will typically be structured as:
#include ...
// any function declarations
int main()
{
...
}
Function syntax
RETURN_TYPE NAME_OF_FUNCTION (INPUT_TYPE1 INPUT_PARAMETER1, ... )
{
BODY_OF_FUNCTION
}
For example,
int calcSquare(int numberToSquare)
{
return numberToSquare * numberToSquare;
}
Return type
Every function must specify a return type (e.g. int, bool, string)
and should end with a return statement
If the function does not return anything, the return type must be "void"
In this case, the return statement is optional
Input parameters
Functions can take zero or more input parameters
Every input parameter must have a data type specified
For example,
void printThings(string word, int num, double pi)
Functions vs. Methods
Technically, functions are free-standing executing blocks
while methods are blocks that a part of a class (just like Python)
Notice that this file defines functions WITHOUT using classes
Java:
Java does not have this concept of functions because all "executing blocks"
are part of some class of everything is a method.
You can consider "functions" to be similar to "public static void"
methods you created--basically you can call the functions without
creating an instance of a class
Default Values
Python: Generally, C++ doesn't use default values in functions.
Instead, the preferred approach is to "overload functions,"
which is explained in the "Inheritance" example
*/
#include <iostream>
// Function declarations
// CalcSumSquares
// Takes two parameters (the numbers to square and then sum)
// Returns the result of the computation as an integer
int calcSumSquares(int num1, int num2)
{
return num1 * num1 + num2 * num2;
}
// displayResult
// Takes three parameters to display to cout
// Returns nothing (void)
void displayResult(int num1, int num2, int result)
{
std::cout << "The sum of squares of " << num1 << " and " << num2 << " is " << result;
std::cout << std::endl << std::endl;
//since this function returns void, there is no need for a return statement
}
// main
int main()
{
int a = 0, b = 0, result = 0;
std::cout << "Enter two integers: ";
std::cin >> a >> b;
//calling function calcSumSquares with inputs a and b
//and storing the return value in result
result = calcSumSquares(a, b);
//calling function display result
//return type is void so there is not result to store
displayResult(a, b, result);
return 0;
}
Functions: Python (main.py)
#define main function
def main():
a = 0
b = 0
result = 0
print("Enter two integers: ")
a = int(input())
b = int(input())
result = calcSumSquares(a, b)
displayResult(a, b, result)
def calcSumSquares(num1, num2):
return num1 * num1 + num2 * num2
def displayResult(num1, num2, result):
print("The sum of squares of " +
str(num1) + " and " + str(num2) +
" is " + str(result))
# call main function
main()
Functions: Java (Program.java)
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Program {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
int a = 0, b = 0, result = 0;
System.out.println("Enter two integers: ");
a = input.nextInt();
b = input.nextInt();
result = calcSumSquares(a, b);
displayResult(a, b, result);
}
public static int calcSumSquares(int num1, int num2) {
return num1 * num1 + num2 * num2;
}
public static void displayResult(int num1, int num2, int result) {
System.out.println("The sum of squares of " + num1 + " and " + num2
+ " is " + result);
}
}
Arrays / Lists
Arrays / Lists: C++
/*
Array concept
Arrays in C++ are similar to very arrays in Java and "somewhat" similar lists in Python
One major difference in C++ is that arrays are not objects
This means they are a little more difficult to work with
Arrays are a data structure that store variables which can be accessed by an integer index
Indices start at zero and go up to (ARRAY_SIZE - 1)
Python:
Arrays can NOT be resized after they are created
As a result, you can not create empty arrays and then append to them
Every element of an array MUST hold the same type of data (unlike lists)
Java / Python:
Arrays can NOT tell you their own size (since they are not objects)
This means you must always keep track of the size yourself
Creating arrays
DATA_TYPE NAME_OF_ARRAY [ARRAY_SIZE];
For example,
int numbers [5];
string words [26];
Java / Python:
The size of the array can NOT be determined at run-time.
It must be a known constant size in the code.
This means you can NOT ask the user for a size and THEN create the array
In the below example, you can use a variable for the size of "numbers" only
because SIZE_OF_ARRAY is a constant
Accessing arrays
Use the [ ] operator
int numbers [5];
numbers[0] = 36;
cout << numbers[0];
Arrays as arguments to functions
To pass an array as input to a function, simply use the name of the array
int numbers[5];
...
int result = calcSum(numbers);
To write a function prototype with an array input, use the following syntax
int calcSum(int numArray[])
unsigned
unsigned is a type modifier for integral types, that specifies the number is
greater than or equal to zero, and cannot be negative.
To declare an integer as unsigned, simply add unsigned in front of int:
unsigned int myUnsignedInt;
const
const means that the variable cannot be modified after declaration. So
if you create a const integral value, you can use that as a size of the
array, since it is a known constant size.
*/
#include <iostream>
//function defintion
// calcSum takes in two parameters:
// - The integer array
// - The size of the array
int calcSum(int numArray[], unsigned int size)
{
int sum = 0;
for (unsigned int i = 0; i < size; i++)
{
sum += numArray[i];
}
return sum;
}
//main
int main()
{
const unsigned int SIZE_OF_ARRAY = 4; // array MUST be initalized with constant values
int numbers[SIZE_OF_ARRAY]; // do not need to use NEW to initialize
// however, you can not have the size be dynamically
// assigned (i.e. by user input at run-time
//fill array with user input
for (unsigned int i = 0; i < SIZE_OF_ARRAY; i++) // note that arrays in C++ are not objects
{ // so they have no mechanism to store
std::cout << "Enter num: "; // the array size
std::cin >> numbers[i];
}
//print array
std::cout << "The numbers in the array are: ";
for (unsigned int i = 0; i < SIZE_OF_ARRAY; i++)
{
std::cout << numbers[i] << " ";
}
std::cout << std::endl;
int sum = calcSum(numbers, SIZE_OF_ARRAY);
std::cout << "The sum of the numbers is " << sum << std::endl << std::endl;
return 0;
}
Arrays / Lists: Python
# define main function
def main():
numbers = [] # create empty list (no size necessary)
sizeOfList = 4
# fill list with user input
for i in range(sizeOfList):
numbers.append(int(input("Enter num: ")))
# print list
print("The numbers in the list are:" )
for i in range(len(numbers)):
print(numbers[i])
# # the following for loop also works
# # but in C++, a for loop is more similar
# # to the loop above
# print("The numbers in the list are:" )
# for num in numbers:
# print(num)
# call function calcSum and store the return value
total = calcSum(numbers)
print("The sum of the numbers is " + str(total))
'''
calcSum
input: list of ints
output: int
desc: adds all the values in the list and returns the sum
'''
def calcSum(nums):
total = 0
for i in range(len(nums)):
total += nums[i]
return total
# call main function
main()
Arrays / Lists: Java
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Program {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
//create array of numbers of size 4
int sizeOfArray = 4;
int [] numbers = new int [sizeOfArray];
//fill array with user input
for (int i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++) {
System.out.println("Enter num: ");
numbers[i] = input.nextInt();
}
//print array
System.out.println("The numbers in the array are:" );
for (int i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++){
System.out.println(numbers[i]);
}
//call method calcSum and store the return value
int sum = calcSum(numbers);
System.out.println("The sum of the numbers is " + sum);
}
/*
* calcSum
* input: array of ints
* output: int
* desc: adds all the values in the array and returns the sum
*/
public static int calcSum(int[] nums) {
int sum = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
sum += nums[i];
}
return sum;
}
}
Creating Class Definitions
Class definition: C++ (Order.h)
/*
Rob Parke
Viterbi School of Engineering
University of Southern California
Java, C++, and Python Review
*/
// This file defines the prototype (aka outline) of the Order class
#pragma once // Required at the top of new header (.h) files
public class Order {
// variables declaration
private:
String name;
int pounds;
double costPerPound;
public:
//default constructor
Order();
// get / set methods
string getName();
int getPounds();
double getCostPerPound();
void setName(string newName);
void setPounds(int newPounds);
void setCostPerPound(double newCostPerPound);
// methods
/* calcCost
* input: none
* output: returns pounds * costPerPound
*/
double calcCost();
/* displayOrder
* input: none
* output: none
* side-effect: prints a summary of the order to the screen
*/
void displayOrder();
}
Class definition: Python (Order.py)
class Order(object):
# default constructor
def __init__(self):
# create instance variables for the objects
self.__name = ""
self.__pounds = 0
self.__costPerPound = 0.0
# get / set methods
def getName(self):
return self.__name
def getPounds(self):
return self.__pounds
def getCostPerPound(self):
return self.__costPerPound
def setName(self, newName):
self.__name = newName
def setPounds(self, newPounds):
self.__pounds = newPounds
def setCostPerPound(self, newCostPerPound):
self.__costPerPound = newCostPerPound
# methods
'''
calcCost
input: none
output: returns pounds * costPerPound
'''
def calcCost(self):
return self.__pounds * self.__costPerPound
'''
displayOrder
input: none
output: none
side-effect: prints a summary of the order to the screen
'''
def displayOrder(self):
print("Order: " + self.__name + " for " +
str(self.__pounds) + " lbs @ $" +
str(self.__costPerPound) + "/lb")
Class definition: Java (Order.java)
public class Order {
// variables declaration
private String name;
private int pounds;
private double costPerPound;
//default constructor
public Order() {
name = "";
pounds = 0;
costPerPound = 0.0;
}
// get / set methods
public String getName(){ return name; }
public int getPounds() { return pounds; }
public double getCostPerPound() { return costPerPound; }
public void setName(String newName) { name = newName; }
public void setPounds(int newPounds) { pounds = newPounds; }
public void setCostPerPound(double newCostPerPound){ costPerPound = newCostPerPound;
}
// methods
/* calcCost
* input: none
* output: returns pounds * costPerPound
*/
public double calcCost(){
return pounds * costPerPound;
}
/* displayOrder
* input: none
* output: none
* side-effect: prints a summary of the order to the screen
*/
public void displayOrder(){
System.out.println("Order: " + name + " for " + pounds +
" lbs @ $" + costPerPound + "/lb");
}
}
Using Classes to Create Objects
Using classes: C++
/*
Rob Parke
Viterbi School of Engineering
University of Southern California
Java, C++, and Python Review
*/
/*
Classes concept
Very similar to Java / Python with most syntax changes
Class can contain instance variables and instance methods
Methods and variables can have an access level (public, private, or protected)
Definition
As in Java / Python, classes are defined in a block of code and begin with the word "class"
Class definitions end with a SEMI-COLON;
Constructor
The constructor method always has the same name as the class
Python: There is no __init__. Instead, the class name serves as the constructor.
For instance, the class "Coffee" would have a constructor called
Coffee()
Public / Private and declaring instance variables
Classes in C++ have a public and private section.
Within each section you specify all the methods and variables that are either public or private
For example, if a class has private int variable foo and public methods getFoo and setFoo, use
private:
int foo;
public:
int getFoo()
...
void setFoo(int num)
...
Java: You do not specify "public" or "private" for every variable / method.
Rather, you include all relevant variables / methods with section.
Python: A major difference in C++ is that you MUST define all instance variables
in the class defintion (i.e. OUTSIDE of the constructor).
For example, instead of creating private variale "self.__foo" in __init__,
you instead use "int foo" in the private section of the class.
This follows the C++ principle that you must define ahead of time all
variables / functions before using them
Parameters by value vs. by reference
When parameters are passed to functions, there are two primary options:
- If a parameter is passed by value, a copy of the parameter is passed
to the function. Generally, basic types (such as int, double, etc)
should be passed by value.
- If a parameter is passed by reference, the variable is handed off to the
class, and no copy is made. Generally, object types (such as std::string,
and custom classes) should be passed by reference.
** A major exception to this is arrays. Arrays are never copied, and are
more or less "automatically" passed by reference
We have been passing parameters by value in our functions so far. So for
example, calcSquare takes in the parameter num by value:
int calcSquare(int num)
{
return num * num;
}
To pass a parameter by reference, an ampersand & is placed between the type and the
parameter name. So for example, this function takes in a std::string by reference:
void printString(std::string& toPrint)
{
std::cout << toPrint << std::endl;
}
Note: In this example, we declare our class and use it in the same file.
Typically, this is not the case and we create separate .h/.cpp files for each class
(as in the Inheritance example #5).
As with functions, classes must be declared before any code that uses them.
*/
#include "Order.h" // This is our custom Rectangle
#include <iostream> //needed for cin / cout
#include <string> //needed for strings
// function prototype
void finalizeOrder(Order& newOrder) // Pass by reference!
{
double cost = 0;
newOrder.displayOrder();
cost = newOrder.calcCost();
std::cout << "Your order costs $" << cost;
}
int main() {
//const means the variable is a CONSTANT and can not change
const double COST_PER_POUND = 7.99;
//create an order object
//Java: note we do not use NEW in the basic case of constructing
// a class as a local variable
Order order1;
std::string tempName = "";
int tempPounds = 0;
std::cout << "Enter coffee name (one word please): ";
std::cin >> tempName;
order1.setName(tempName);
std::cout <<"Enter # of pounds: ";
std::cin >> tempPounds;
order1.setPounds(tempPounds);
order1.setCostPerPound(COST_PER_POUND);
finalizeOrder(order1);
std::cout << std::endl << std::endl;
return 0;
}
Using classes: Python
# import Order class
from Order import Order
# define CONSTANT
COST_PER_POUND = 7.99
# define main function
def main():
order1 = Order()
tempName = ""
tempPounds = 0
tempName = input("Enter coffee name (one word please): ")
order1.setName(tempName)
tempPounds = int(input("Enter # of pounds: "))
order1.setPounds(tempPounds)
order1.setCostPerPound(COST_PER_POUND)
finalizeOrder(order1)
def finalizeOrder(newOrder):
cost = 0
newOrder.displayOrder()
cost = newOrder.calcCost()
print("Your order costs $" + str(cost))
# call main function
main()
Using classes: Java
/*
Rob Parke
Viterbi School of Engineering
University of Southern California
Java, C++, and Python Review
*/
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Program {
public static void main(String[] args) {
final double COST_PER_POUND = 7.99;
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
Order order1 = new Order();
String tempName = "";
int tempPounds = 0;
System.out.println("Enter coffee name (one word please): ");
tempName = input.next();
order1.setName(tempName);
System.out.println("Enter # of pounds: ");
tempPounds = input.nextInt();
order1.setPounds(tempPounds);
order1.setCostPerPound(COST_PER_POUND);
finalizeOrder(order1);
}
public static void finalizeOrder(Order newOrder){
double cost = 0;
newOrder.displayOrder();
cost = newOrder.calcCost();
System.out.println("Your order costs $" + cost);
}
}