Week 3 of My C++ Learning Journey: Memory Management, OOP & STL

Adhyan Jain - Feb 24 - - Dev Community

Overview

This week, I explored memory allocation, object-oriented programming (OOP), and the Standard Template Library (STL)โ€”key concepts for writing efficient, modular, and scalable programs. Here's a breakdown of what I covered:


Day 15: Memory Allocation & Static Members

๐Ÿ”น Key Topics:

  • Dynamic vs. static memory allocation in classes.
  • Using arrays within a class.
  • Static data members for memory optimization.

๐Ÿ›  Practice Tasks:

โœ… Shop Management System: Implement a class to store item data dynamically.

โœ… Optimized Memory Usage: Modify the system using static members and methods.


Day 16: Arrays of Objects & Object Passing

๐Ÿ”น Key Topics:

  • Managing multiple instances using arrays.
  • Passing objects as function arguments.

๐Ÿ›  Practice Tasks:

โœ… Employee Management System: Store multiple employees using an object array.

โœ… Complex Number Operations: Perform arithmetic using object parameters.


Day 17-18: Friend Functions & Friend Classes

๐Ÿ”น Key Topics:

  • Accessing private members using friend functions.
  • Sharing data between classes via friend classes.

๐Ÿ›  Practice Tasks:

โœ… Complex Number Addition: Implement a friend function to add two complex numbers.

โœ… Swapping Private Data: Use a friend function to swap values between objects.


Day 19-20: Constructors, Destructors & Inheritance

๐Ÿ”น Key Topics:

  • Default, parameterized, overloaded, and copy constructors.
  • Destructor behavior and inheritance hierarchy.

๐Ÿ›  Practice Tasks:

โœ… Bank Deposit Calculator: Use constructors for interest calculation.

โœ… Single Inheritance: Implement an Employee class inherited by Programmer.


Day 21: STL & Advanced Concepts

๐Ÿ”น Key Topics:

  • Sorting (Merge Sort), Binary Search.
  • Vectors, Pairs, Tuples, Maps, and Sets.

๐Ÿ›  Practice Tasks:

โœ… Sorting & Searching: Implement Merge Sort and Binary Search.

โœ… STL Containers: Practice with Vectors, Maps, and Sets.


Reflections & Next Steps

This week strengthened my grasp on memory management, OOP principles, and STLโ€”all essential for real-world applications. Next, Iโ€™ll focus on advanced STL operations and design patterns.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Whatโ€™s your favorite STL feature? Drop your thoughts below! ๐Ÿš€

. . . . . . . . .