C++ Tutorial seems wrong

Question

I just wanted to ask about this tutorial.

I don't get it. The code they write is like this:

intmain() {
    cout << "Hello World!\n";
    return0;
}

Now, I'm really really new to c++, but surely it should be:

int main() {
    std::cout << "Hello World!\n";
    return 0;
}

Or is there some fancy way of writing c++ that I don't understand? The code written in this tutorial won't compile for me.

@LightnessRacesinOrbit thanks. But am I right? Or am I missing something? — Chud37, May 19 '16 at 17:26
did you ask the author of the tuturial ? imho it is better to contact them before posting their mistakes in public — 463035818_is_not_a_number, May 19 '16 at 17:28
and btw don`t trust any tutorial. There are just to many of them and it is just not possible that all of them are good. — 463035818_is_not_a_number, May 19 '16 at 17:29
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it refers to a tutorial on a different site and mainly attracts critics on that tutorial whose authors most likely had good intentions. — 463035818_is_not_a_number, May 19 '16 at 17:56

score 11 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:23

11

You are correct; that "tutorial" is chock full of formatting mistakes.

Many, many, many C++ tutorials are wrong. Don't trust the word of some randomer on the internet; use a proper, peer-reviewed book.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:23

Community

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answered May 19 '16 at 17:26

Lightness Races in Orbit

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score 2 · Answer 2 · answered May 19 '16 at 17:28

2

They clearly had problems with spaces and quotes when they copy-pasted their code.

As a result, their code is not copy-paste ready.

I believe it should be:

#include <iostream>
using std::cout;
int main()
{
    cout << "Hello world!\n";
    return 0;
}

answered May 19 '16 at 17:28

abelenky

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Yes it's weird really, because theres comments at the bottom of people saying "Thanks! Works great!" sort of thing. I don't get it. – Chud37 May 19 '16 at 18:18
Maybe the formatting was changed by someone who does not know `c++` after the article was published. Although that does not explain the missing std:: – drescherjm May 19 '16 at 18:20

πάντα ῥεῖ · Answer 3 · 2016-05-19T17:41:10.700

1

Or is there some fancy way of writing c++ that I don't understand?

Well, there still could be nasty things presumed like using c-preprocessor macros¹:

#define intmain int main
#define return0 return 0

But I have to agree with @Lightness, just don't trust random sources for learning.

A good one for c++ I use at an almost daily basis for getting a reliable reference is cppreference.com.

¹⁾_{I'd escalate seeing such to my boss as blatant incompetence, and recommend to fire the author that wrote such code.}

edited May 19 '16 at 17:41

answered May 19 '16 at 17:33

πάντα ῥεῖ

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That's a reference site; good for lookup but not for learning. – Lightness Races in Orbit May 19 '16 at 17:38

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered May 19 '16 at 17:30

0

Well, obviously, you need to have spaces between return 0; and int main().

Now, lemme go ahead and explain the std:: for you. std is a 'namespace'. Basically, its used to group similar code together, to avoid name collisions. The 'standard' (std) namespace includes well, the basic C++ features. In new(ish) versions of C++, you need to specify the namespace you take your functions from.

You could, do "using namespace std;" at the beginning, or specify the namespace individually, like in your corrected code, for each standard function you use.

answered May 19 '16 at 17:30

MerajA

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You should never have `using namespace std;` [***Link***](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1452721/why-is-using-namespace-std-in-c-considered-bad-practice) – abelenky May 19 '16 at 17:32
@abelenky True, but it doesn't really matter for trivial pieces of code. – MerajA May 19 '16 at 17:34
3

It matters **more** for trivial pieces of code. It brings in the massive `std::` namespace for your code to use 1 or 2 items. When another developer reads the code, it tells them *nothing* new. (all code uses `std::`, but it still doesn't tell them what parts get used) – abelenky May 19 '16 at 17:35
5

imho `using namespace std;` is one the worst habit of tutorial writers. It merely saves you from writing 4 letters (which actually I personally see as a downside) and makes beginners believe that it would be good practice – 463035818_is_not_a_number May 19 '16 at 17:44

C++ Tutorial seems wrong

4 Answers4