Month: August 2022

The auto keyword has been part of C++ since C++11, and its role has developed somewhat since then. This article intends to cover all the use cases of auto, including syntax that is new in the upcoming C++23 standard. The list of uses covered is:

1. Type deduction for variable definitions
2. References to other entities
3. Deduction of a function’s return type
4. Generic lambdas and functions
5. Making a temporary copy of an entity

Continue reading “Uses of ‘auto’ in Modern C++” →

Most programs produce output. (I suppose a corner-case could be a unit test framework that indicates all tests passing by not throwing an exception, whilst itself not producing any output.) A usual way of confirming a program is correct is by examining its output, this is familiar to programmers as part of the edit-compile-run-debug cycle of coding practice. (Note: I’m not including coding practices such as TDD, which impose a slightly different workflow.)

So, hands up, who’s ever done it? Of course, I refer to inserting debugging code such as std::cerr << "here1\n"; into C++ source files, when you want to ensure a certain code path has been visited. This article intends to show a way for you to never have to use such practices again, thereby avoiding the risk of evidence of debugging hacks remaining in your production code.

Continue reading “Modern C++ flow diagnostic tools” →