Designing and Coding Reusable C++ [Paperback]

Martin D. Carroll (Author), Margaret A. Ellis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 020151284X | ISBN-13: 978-0201512847 | Publication Date: May 7, 1995

One of the important benefits of programming in C++ is its reuse capabilities. Designing and Implementing Reusable C++ illustrates and enumerates all of the tradeoffs involved in writing reusable code. The authors discuss the topics related to the software development of code reusability in the design of interfaces, the efficiency of implementations, portability, and compatibility. The advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives are discussed in depth so that programmers can make informed decisions. Novice and experienced programmers alike will benefit from the ideas presented by the authors to produce reusable C++ code. 020151284XB04062001

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

One of the important benefits of programming in C++ is its reuse capabilities. Designing and Implementing Reusable C++ illustrates and enumerates all of the tradeoffs involved in writing reusable code. The authors discuss the topics related to the software development of code reusability in the design of interfaces, the efficiency of implementations, portability, and compatibility. The advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives are discussed in depth so that programmers can make informed decisions. Novice and experienced programmers alike will benefit from the ideas presented by the authors to produce reusable C++ code.

020151284XB04062001

About the Author

About Martin D. Carroll

Martin D. Carroll, a member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories, has worked for a number of years on the design and implementation of reusable C++ libraries, including the AT&T Standard Components Library. He is a graduate of Rutgers University with a doctorate in computer science. Dr. Carroll is an active contributor to USENIX C++.

About Margaret A. Ellis has worked for AT&T Bell Laboratories, UNIX System Laboratories, and Novell in compiler development. Ellis received a masters of science degree in computer science from the University of California. She is the coauthor of The Annotated C++ Reference Manual.

020151284XAB04062001

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional (May 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020151284X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201512847
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Advice for Library Designers, April 27, 1999

By 

TreeHugger (Near Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designing and Coding Reusable C++ (Paperback)

In view of the fact that a previous reviewer recommended reading Scott Meyers instead of this book, I thought you might like to see what Scott Meyers has to say about Designing and Coding Reusable C++. Simply put, the book is on my short list of recommended reading for C++ programmers. I describe things this way in my More Effective C++: "If you have anything to do with the design and implementation of C++ libraries, you would be foolhardy to overlook Designing and Coding Reusable C++. Carroll and Ellis discuss many practical aspects of library design and implementation that are simply ignored by everybody else. Good libraries are small, fast, extensible, easily upgraded, graceful during template instantiation, powerful, and robust. It is not possible to optimize for each of these attributes, so one must make trade-offs that improve some aspects of a library at the expense of others. Designing and Coding Reusable C++ examines these trade-offs and offers down-to-earth advice on how to go about making them."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this if reuse is important to you., March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Designing and Coding Reusable C++ (Paperback)

I found the entire book worthwhile and hope for a new edition now that C++ is an international standard. Code reuse is easier with good documentation. One chapter contains important advice for documenting the design and interface to classes. An example (or even a reference to) a good class "design paper", tutorial, and class reference would be a great addition.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad, but uninspiring, February 23, 2007

By 

Thing with a hook - See all my reviews

This review is from: Designing and Coding Reusable C++ (Paperback)

I read this on the basis of Scott Meyers' recommendation in More Effective C++, but I must admit that I was expecting something with a bit more zing to it.

On the positive side, this not yet another style manual, or a collection of gotchas. It looks at designing software at a higher level than coding standards or idioms. There's a fairly solid introduction to thinking about object orientation, and unlike most books, it goes into non coding issues like compatibility and documentation. There's also some material on whether to design a class with a pimpl or factory methods to reduce compile time dependencies. There's even a little bit on contract programming (although they don't call it that). And the chapter on name conflicts is pretty good.

But for all that, the coverage is not very deep. Overall, there wasn't much here that was new or fresh. It might be good for an experienced C programmer, who's migrated to C++ and is looking for some an intro to OOP.