Databases in C++

We show how to connect to SQLite and MySQL, using a Facade pattern.

People who have been programming in Python eventually run up against its limits. While the language design is appealing to new programmers, they eventually find that they need a more professional language and naturally turn to C++, which is similar enough that the learning curve is relatively small.

This book uses examples that look enough like Python, that readers will easily begin to make the transition to C++. It repeatedly refers to Python in explaining analogous C++ features.

And what do they gain from this transition?

• C++ is a compiled language that runs substantially faster than Python can.
• C++ eliminates the dreaded Python “indentation error” messages that can slow down and baffle Python programmers, because C++ groups code using braces instead of just indentation.
• C++ requires that you declare all variables in advance and specify their type. Python does not have this requirement and can lead to your reusing a variable and changing its type in the process and causing great programmer confusion.
• C++ is a true polymorphic language. You can have functions or class methods with the same name and different argument types, which is not possible in Python.
• C++ eliminates the clumsy creation of variables inside a class using the self pointer to that class instance. Instead, you declare to variables at the top of the class by name and type. This is much less error prone.