Conventions Used in This Book

This book uses the following conventions:

Constant Width

Used for identifiers and symbols, including all keywords. In the language reference, constant width shows syntax elements that must be used exactly as shown. For example, the if keyword, parentheses, and else keyword must be used exactly as follows:

if ( condition ) statement else statement

A function name that is followed by parentheses refers to a function call, typically to obtain the function result. The function name without the parentheses refers to the function in more general terms. For example:

The empty function returns true if the container is empty, e.g., size( ) == 0.

Constant Width Italic

Used in the language reference chapters for syntax elements that must be replaced by your code. In the previous example, you must supply the condition and the two statements.

Constant Width Bold

Used in examples to highlight key lines, and in complex declarations to highlight the name being declared. In some C++ declarations, especially for templates, the name gets buried in the middle of the declaration and can be hard to spot.

Italic

Used in the language reference for nonterminal syntax elements. Italic is also used for filenames, URLs, emphasis, and for the first use of a technical term.

. . .

Indicates statements and declarations that have been removed for the sake of brevity and clarity. An ellipsis is also a symbol in C++, but context and comments make it clear when an ellipsis is a language element and when it represents omitted code.

[first, last)

Indicates a range of values from first to last, including first and excluding last.

This icon indicates a tip, suggestion, or general note.

This icon indicates a warning or caution.

This icon indicates an issue or feature that might affect the portability of your code. In particular, some aspects of C++ are implementation-defined, such as the size of an integer, which allows the compiler or library author to decide what the best implementation should be.