C++ Development Zone

Overriding a virtual member function in C++ can go wrong in many ways, most of which the compiler won't detect. Learn how three new C++0x attributes can help you avoid the bugs associated with overriding virtual functions.

The "most vexing parse" is a mysterious syntactic specter that the compiler interprets in the least expected manner, biting innocent programmers who think their code means something entirely different. Find out where that vexing parse might occur and how to avoid it.

A base class with multiple constructors forces a derived class to define corresponding constructors that merely forward their arguments to the matching base constructor. In C++03, you define the derived class's constructors manually. Learn how C++0x's inheriting constructors feature automates this process, thereby simplifying code maintenance and making your code more readable and secure.

Find out what dangers race conditions in general and C++0x data races in particular pose to your concurrent code, as well as the strategies for avoiding them.

A new C++0x feature called forward enum declarations allows you to declare an enumeration without providing its enumerators list. Learn how using it can avert long compilation times and ODR violations.

Danny Kalev asks Bjarne the hard questions about concepts and C++'s future.

The C++ standards committee has voted to remove concepts from C++0X, leaving a huge hole in the next specification.

A new C++0x feature called a class member initializer allows you to specify a single initializer in the very declaration of a data member. Learn how to use this feature to simplify your constructors' code, reduce potential bugs, and make your code more readable.