Programming Fundamentals Using C++

Welcome! This is the online home of a complete, free, self-study course. Repository: nadeem-majeedch/Programming-Fundamentals-Using-C-

🚀 Start here — 30 minutes to your first program

Getting Started — install a C++ compiler (Windows · Linux · macOS · or use an online compiler), then compile the course’s sanity-check program.
How to Study — the read → run → modify → solve → debug → revise method. Two minutes to read; the whole course works better with it.
Lesson 1 — what a program looks like, and your first C++ program.

That’s it — you’re a programmer in training.

What this course is

A beginner-to-advanced journey through programming fundamentals, taught entirely in C++, designed so you can study it without an instructor:

16 units · 32 sessions — one unit per week at 5–7 hours/week, or your own pace.
Every concept has examples you run, modify, and break.
Every unit has exercises, a lab with starter + solution, a quiz with a full answer key, debug activities, challenges, and a revision sheet.
Three projects (Weeks 5, 10, 16) consolidate your skills, ending with a capstone: a Contact Management System.

The full plan: Syllabus.

Course map

Stage	Units	You learn to…
Foundations	01–03	write, run, and understand your first programs; variables, types, arithmetic, input/output — deep-dive: C++ Foundations module
Control flow	04–06	make decisions, repeat work, and design loops (+ Project 1)
Structure	07–09	decompose problems into functions; manage collections of data
Algorithms & data	10–12	search, sort, process text, and store files (+ Project 2)
Memory & objects	13–15	pointers, dynamic memory, classes, and object-oriented design
Capstone	16	complete a real project integrating everything (+ Project 3)

Full week-by-week table: Syllabus.

How the course fits together

        ┌─────────────┐
        │ Unit pages  │  index → lessons → practice
        └─────────────┘
   ┌──────┬─────────┼──────────┬─────────┬───────────┐
   ▼      ▼         ▼          ▼         ▼           ▼
lessons  examples  exercises  lab     quiz       revision
(session) (.cpp    (3 kinds)  (starter (10 Q +   (flashcards
 pages    files)              +solution debug    + checklist)
                              +Debug It) activities)

Every piece exists so you can check your own work — the course never leaves you stuck.

Essential links


🧭 Study method	How to Study · Study Guide
🛫 Week-0 module	Getting Started lesson · Setup checklist · First-program exercise · Troubleshooting
🧠 Problem-solving module	Think before you code: 20 worked scenarios + lab
🔧 C++ Foundations module	Language toolkit: structure, types, operators, conversions + 60+ practice items, lab, quiz
💬 C++ Input/Output module	The conversation: cout, cin, formatting, the buffer, getline, the mixing trap + 5 labs
🔀 Decisions module	Requirements → logic: if/else-if/nested, switch, ternary, decision tables, boundaries + 8 labs
🔁 Iteration module	Repeat with purpose: while/do-while/for, counters, accumulators, sentinels, break/continue, nesting + 10 labs and a mini-project
🧩 Functions module	Breaking problems into machines: parameters, returns, scope, references, overloading, refactoring + 10 refactor exercises, 8 labs, and a toolkit mini-project
📦 Arrays module	Many values, one name: boxes and bounds, the classic passes, arrays with functions, matrices + 7 labs and the Marks Analyzer mini-project
🔤 Strings module	Working with text: the two ways to hold text, indexing, find/substr, cctype, conversions + 26 exercises, 7 labs and the Text Analysis Toolkit mini-project
📁 Files module	Data that outlives the program: ifstream/ofstream/fstream, open-check-close, line-based vs formatted reading, CSV, record storage, file errors + 18 exercises, 10 debugging hunts, 10 challenges, 6 file labs and the File-Based Student Management System
📍 Pointers module	Addresses, arrows, and ownership: `&`/`*`, references, out-parameters, dynamic memory with `new`/`delete`, the three failure families + 10 memory-tracing drills, 4 safe labs and the Quiz Runner mini-project
🗂️ Records module	Organizing related data: struct, members, initialization, arrays of records, nesting, passing/returning, enum and enum class + 22 exercises, 10 debugging hunts, 6 record-keeping labs and the Student Record Management System
⚙️ Algorithms module	Recursion, searching & sorting: base cases and the call stack, factorial/Fibonacci/digit recursion, linear and binary search, bubble/selection/insertion sort, complexity intuition + 32 exercises, 15 hand traces, 10 debugging hunts, 15 challenges, the Algorithm Performance and Comparison Lab, and the Project 2 brief
🐞 Debugging & Testing module	Finding bugs and preventing them: the error taxonomy, reading diagnostics, the debugging workflow, breakpoints/stepping/inspection, assertions, boundary & invalid-input testing, regression testing, defensive programming + 20 broken programs and the Debugging Challenge Lab
🏛️ OOP module	From procedures to objects: classes, encapsulation, constructors/destructors, `this`, const member functions, composition, class design, `operator<<`, vectors of objects — no inheritance by design + 26 exercises, 10 design drills, 7 labs and the Object-Oriented Mini Project
🧬 Inheritance & Polymorphism module	Building on classes: base/derived, `protected`, constructor order, `virtual` dispatch, abstract classes, interfaces, the composition-vs-inheritance decision + 22 exercises, 10 debugging hunts, 10 design judgements, 5 hierarchy labs and the Media Library mini-project
⚡ Operator Overloading & Templates module (advanced)	Code that works for many types: member vs non-member operators, comparison and stream operators, function and class templates, generic contracts, honest limitations + 20 exercises, 8 debugging hunts, 6 design problems, 8 challenges, 5 labs — explicitly optional enrichment
📦 Standard Template Library module (advanced)	The library you’ve been reaching for: vector/array/deque/list, stack/queue/priority_queue, set/map and their unordered cousins, iterators and ranges, the workhorse algorithms, introductory lambdas, the choice table + 25 exercises, 10 debugging hunts, 15 challenges, 6 labs and the Media Catalogue mini-project — optional enrichment after the capstone
🛡️ Robustness module (advanced)	Errors, exceptions, and programs that refuse to lie: try/catch/throw, the standard and custom exception families, exception safety’s four levels, validation layering, the silent-failure gallery + 15 exercises, 10 debugging hunts, 10 challenges, 8 earlier-lab refactors and the Robust Student/Bank/Inventory Application lab — optional enrichment after the capstone
✨ Modern C++ module	What to know, what to adopt: the fundamentals every student should know (const correctness, references, `nullptr`, `enum class`, range-`for`, lambdas, library-first) separated from the modern practices to adopt (RAII, `auto` with restraint, `constexpr`, `unique_ptr`/`shared_ptr`, move semantics conceptually, retiring raw `new`/`delete`) + 18 exercises, 8 debugging hunts, 6 challenges and the Modernisation Lab — the Unit 16 toolkit, capstone-ready
🧩 Modular Programming module	From one file to organized programs: declarations vs definitions, header/source split, include guards, namespaces, separate compilation and linking, multi-file command-line builds, project layout, modular design, circular dependencies + a complete multi-file example project, 15 exercises, 10 debugging hunts, 8 organization tasks and the Modular Programming Lab — capstone prep
📅 Plan	16-Week Roadmap · Syllabus
🧠 Learn how to learn	How to Learn Programming: the skills guide — reading code, typing instead of copying, predicting, debugging, the Recommended Study Cycle (Read → Predict → Code → Run → Test → Debug → Explain → Extend), the notebook, the portfolio, escaping tutorial dependency
🧪 Labs & projects	Assessment · Grading rubrics
🔬 Programming Labs	42 scenarios in five levels: beginner to integrated — billing, student systems, inventory, banking, library, text analysis, scheduling, data processing — each with requirements, test cases, hints, complete solution, explanation, and a testing checklist
🏗️ Projects	10 builds from beginner to integrated: calculator → number analysis → grade analyzer → expense tracker → quiz app → inventory → library → contacts → file-based student system → integrated OOP system — each with milestones, test plan, edge cases, rubric, hints, reference solution, and design notes
🧮 Practice Bank	200 categorized problems in five tiers: beginner → basic → intermediate → advanced → challenge across 17 topics — every problem with statement, difficulty, topics, I/O, constraints, sample tests, graded hints, reference solution, and explanation, plus a progress checklist
📝 Self-Assessment System	34 instruments · 366 questions: 16 weekly quizzes, 8 topic revision tests, 4 cumulative tests, 2 comprehensive practice finals — every question with difficulty label, hidden answer key, and explanation, plus scoring bands and a post-exam worksheet
📖 Reference	Glossary · Compiler error catalogue · FAQ · Completion checklist
🧰 Tools	VS Code tips · Online compilers
👨‍🏫 Instructor	About Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Majeed
📄 Licence	MIT — free to study, adapt, and share with attribution

About the instructor

This course is written and maintained by Engr. Dr. Muhammad Nadeem Majeed, Professor, Department of Data Science (PUCIT), University of the Punjab, Lahore — read more on the About page.

*Ready? → Getting Started