Programming Fundamentals Using C++

Weeks 01–04 — Foundations (Stage A)

Four weeks from “never programmed” to writing interactive decision-making programs. ← Roadmap home · Weeks 5–8 →

Week 1 — Your first program

Session 1.1 — What a program is, and your first compile

Part Details
Prerequisites none — this is the start; only a computer and curiosity
Learning objectives explain what a compiler does; run the edit–compile–run cycle; write, compile, and run a Hello-world program; read your first compiler errors without panic
Concepts source code, compiler, executable, main(), cout, statements, the compile command and its flags
Recommended reading Getting Started lesson (sections: what is C++, compiler, source→executable) · First-program exercise
Examples to study Getting Started starter · Unit 01 Session 1.1 examples · Unit 01 examples
Exercises Getting Started exercises E1–E5 · Unit 01 exercises (concept checks)
Lab/practice Getting Started lab — first session, first 60 minutes
Challenge make Hello-world fail three different ways (remove a semicolon, misspell cout, break a quote) — read each error and write down what the compiler was trying to tell you
Estimated self-study time 60 min (compile practice + error reading)
Completion checklist ☐ compiler installed (setup checklist) ☐ Hello-world compiles and runs ☐ 3 deliberate errors produced and understood ☐ toolchain sanity check passes

Session 1.2 — Program anatomy and clean output

Part Details
Prerequisites Session 1.1 — you can compile and run
Learning objectives annotate every line of a small program; chain cout output; use \n and endl correctly; begin reading error messages systematically
Concepts #include, namespaces and using namespace std;, return 0, comments, string literals, escape sequences
Recommended reading C++ Foundations Lesson 1 — A Program’s Shape · Unit 01 Session 1.2
Examples to study Unit 01 examples (anatomy + output programs) · Getting Started lesson examples
Exercises Unit 01 exercises (output section) · C++ Foundations exercises (structure part)
Lab/practice Unit 01 Lab 01
Challenge C++ Foundations challenges — structure entries
Estimated self-study time 60 min
Completion checklist ☐ can annotate a program line by line ☐ can predict simple cout chains on paper ☐ Lab 01 done vs solution ☐ W01 quiz ≥ 90%

Week 2 — Data & arithmetic

Session 2.1 — Variables, types, and constants

Part Details
Prerequisites Week 1 — programs compile and run
Learning objectives declare and initialize int, double, char, bool; choose sensible names; use const for fixed values; explain declaration vs initialization
Concepts types, literals, identifiers and naming conventions, const, declaration vs initialization vs assignment
Recommended reading C++ Foundations Lesson 2 — Data (first half)
Examples to study Lesson 2’s worked examples — type each and modify one thing
Exercises C++ Foundations exercises — data part · Practice Bank B-01–B-10 (variables)
Lab/practice C++ Foundations lab — first variation
Challenge Practice Bank B-07 — the three-variable swap dance
Estimated self-study time 60 min
Completion checklist ☐ all four base types used in one program ☐ 10 Bank problems attempted ☐ can explain const’s two benefits in your own words

Session 2.2 — Operators, precedence, and conversion

Part Details
Prerequisites Session 2.1
Learning objectives use arithmetic, compound assignment, increment/decrement; predict expressions with precedence; explain integer division, remainders, and implicit vs explicit conversion
Concepts operator precedence and associativity, / vs %, integer vs floating division, implicit conversion, explicit casting, common type mistakes
Recommended reading C++ Foundations Lesson 3 — Operators · Lesson 4 — Conversion
Examples to study both lessons’ worked examples · C++ Foundations predictions (attempt before key)
Exercises Practice Bank B-02, B-05, B-09 · C++ Foundations debugging D1–D3
Lab/practice C++ Foundations lab — complete with variations
Challenge Practice Bank B-10 — the expression evaluator
Estimated self-study time 75 min
Completion checklist ☐ predictions ≥ 8/10 before the key ☐ 3 debug hunts diagnosed ☐ Lab variations done ☐ W02 quiz ≥ 90%

Week 3 — Input & output

Session 3.1 — cin and the input buffer

Part Details
Prerequisites Week 2 — variables and operators fluent
Learning objectives read values with cin >>; explain the whitespace rules; read multiple values; validate failed reads with fail()/clear()/ignore()
Concepts cin, extraction operator, whitespace skipping, multiple inputs, the input buffer, stream fail state
Recommended reading C++ I/O Lesson 2 — cin and the Buffer
Examples to study Lesson 2’s worked examples · cpp-io traces
Exercises Practice Bank B-11–B-20 (I/O set) · cpp-io exercises (cin part)
Lab/practice cpp-io labs — temperature conversion desk
Challenge Practice Bank B-12 — half-up rounding
Estimated self-study time 60 min
Completion checklist ☐ can predict buffer behavior on paper ☐ I/O Bank problems attempted ☐ validation pattern (fail→clear→ignore) used once from memory

Session 3.2 — getline, formatting, and the mixing trap

Part Details
Prerequisites Session 3.1
Learning objectives read whole lines with getline; mix >> and getline correctly; format output with fixed, setprecision, setw; recognize the classic input mistakes on sight
Concepts getline, cin.ignore(), output formatting, field widths, common input mistakes gallery
Recommended reading C++ I/O Lesson 3 — getline and the Mixing Trap · Lesson 1 — cout (skim — most was Week 1–2)
Examples to study Lesson 3’s trap gallery — reproduce two of the mistakes deliberately, then fix them
Exercises cpp-io exercises (getline + formatting parts) · Practice Bank B-11, B-13, B-15
Lab/practice cpp-io labs — student information system + billing calculator
Challenge cpp-io challenges — first three
Estimated self-study time 75 min
Completion checklist ☐ can explain why getline after >> fails (the buffered newline) ☐ two labs completed ☐ cpp-io debugging D1–D2 ☐ W03 quiz ≥ 90%

Week 4 — Decisions

Session 4.1 — if, else, and compound conditions

Part Details
Prerequisites Weeks 2–3 — expressions and input fluent
Learning objectives write if/else/else-if ladders; build compound conditions with &&/||/!; test boundaries deliberately (the > vs >= trap); read a flowchart into an if-ladder
Concepts boolean expressions, comparison and logical operators, short-circuit evaluation, boundary conditions, validation guards
Recommended reading Decisions Lesson 1 — Branches · Lesson 2 — Conditions and Boundaries
Examples to study both lessons’ worked examples · decisions predictions
Exercises Practice Bank B-21–B-26 · decisions exercises (first part)
Lab/practice decisions labs — grading system + age/category classification
Challenge Practice Bank B-23 — the full leap-year rule
Estimated self-study time 75 min
Completion checklist ☐ boundary test cases written for every decision ☐ two decision labs done ☐ predictions ≥ 8/10

Session 4.2 — switch, menus, and requirements→decisions

Part Details
Prerequisites Session 4.1
Learning objectives write switch statements (and know when an if-ladder is better); build a repeat-until-quit menu with do-while; convert written requirements into decision tables and then into C++
Concepts switch/case/break/default, fallthrough, the conditional operator ?:, nested if, decision tables, requirements-to-logic translation
Recommended reading Decisions Lesson 3 — Switch · Lesson 4 — Requirements to Decisions
Examples to study Lesson 4’s requirements walkthrough — follow the table→pseudocode→C++ path yourself on paper first
Exercises decisions exercises (remaining) · decisions debugging D1–D3 · Practice Bank B-27–B-30
Lab/practice decisions labs — electricity billing + cinema ticket pricing
Challenge decisions challenges — first two
Estimated self-study time 90 min
Completion checklist ☐ one requirement translated table→code without peeking ☐ 3 debug hunts ☐ Stage A checkpoint: W04 quiz ≥ 90% and all four weekly quizzes closed — Stage B unlocks

Next: Weeks 05–08 — Control flow and functions → · Roadmap home