Readers can pick up this book and become familiar with C++ in a short time. Stan has taken a very broad and complicated topic and reduced it to the essentials that budding C++ programmers need to know to write real programs. His case study is effective and provides a familiar thread throughout the book. --Steve Vinoski, IONA For the practicing programmer with little time to spare, Essential C++ offers a fast-track to learning and working with C++ on the job. This book is specifically designed to bring you up to speed in a short amount of time. It focuses on the elements of C++ programming that you are most likely to encounter and examines features and techniques that help solve real-world programming challenges. Essential C++ presents the basics of C++ in the context of procedural, generic, object-based, and object-oriented programming. It is organized around a series of increasingly complex programming problems, and language features are introduced as solutions to these problems. In this way you will not only learn about the functions and structure of C++, but will understand their purpose and rationale. You will find in-depth coverage of key topics such as: Generic programming and the Standard Template Library (STL) Object-based programming and class design Object-oriented programming and the design of class hierarchies Function and class template design and use Exception handling and Run-Time Type Identification In addition, an invaluable appendix provides complete solutions to, and detailed explanations of, the programming exercises found at the end of each chapter. A secondappendix offers a quick reference handbook for the generic algorithms, providing an example of how each is used. This concise tutorial will give you a working knowledge of C++ and a firm foundation on which to further your professional expertise.