Six Ways for Implementing Math Expressions Calculator in C++ - Amir Kirsh - CppCon 2023

Learn six techniques for implementing math expressions calculator in C++: inheritance, composition, templates, immutability, variadic templates, and delayed inheritance, and discover how to write more efficient, flexible, and maintainable code.

Key takeaways

Inheritance is not always the best solution, sometimes it can be replaced with other techniques like Composition or simple classes and functions.
Hide implementation details, like using unique ptr instead of raw pointers, to make the code easier to use and understand.
Use templates to simplify code and make it more flexible.
Favor immutability and value semantics over pointers and ownership.
Use variadic templates to implement generic code that can handle any number of arguments.
Sometimes it’s better to delay inheritance and use composition instead.
The code can be made more concise and expressive by using C++17 features like constexpr and std::make_unique.
The use of templates can help to avoid runtime polymorphism and make the code more efficient.
Polymorphism is not always necessary, it’s often possible to achieve the same results with simpler code and composition.
Composition is a more flexible and extensible way to design classes and systems.
In some cases it’s better to use a factory function instead of inheritance to create objects.
Compiler error messages can be very helpful in understanding the code and fixing errors.
Code should be self-explanatory and easy to understand for others, without needing a long explanation of the code.
The use of abstractions and interfaces is a powerful tool for creating reusable and maintainable code.
Simplicity and conciseness of code are important for maintainability and readability.

Six Ways for Implementing Math Expressions Calculator in C++ - Amir Kirsh - CppCon 2023

More talks