C++ Keywords
C++ Keywords
A list of useful keywords in C++ can be found in the table below.
| Keyword | Description |
|---|---|
| and | An alternative way to write the logical && operator |
| and_eq | An alternative way to write the &= assignment operator |
| auto | Automatically detects the type of a variable based on the value you assign to it |
| bitand | An alternative way to write the & bitwise operator |
| bitor | An alternative way to write the | bitwise operator |
| bool | A data type that can only store true or false values |
| break | Breaks out of a loop or a switch block |
| case | Marks a block of code in switch statements |
| catch | Catches exceptions generated by try statements |
| char | A data type that can store a single character |
| class | Defines a class |
| compl | An alternative way to write the ~ bitwise operator |
| const | Defines a variable or parameter as a constant (unchangeable) or specifies that a class method does not modify attributes of the class |
| continue | Continues to the next iteration of a loop |
| default | Specifies the default block of code in a switch statement |
| delete | Frees dynamic memory |
| do | Used together with while to create a do/while loop |
| double | A data type that is usually 64 bits long which can store fractional numbers |
| else | Used in conditional statements |
| enum | Declares an enumerated type |
| false | A boolean value equivalent to 0 |
| float | A data type that is usually 32 bits long which can store fractional numbers |
| for | Creates a for loop |
| friend | Specifies classes and functions which have access to private and protected members |
| goto | Jumps to a line of code specified by a label |
| if | Makes a conditional statement |
| int | A data type that is usually 32 bits long which can store whole numbers |
| long | Ensures that an integer is at least 32 bits long (use long long to ensure 64 bits) |
| namespace | Declares a namespace |
| new | Reserves dynamic memory |
| not | An alternative way to write the logical ! operator |
| not_eq | An alternative way to write the != comparison operator |
| or | An alternative way to write the logical || operator |
| or_eq | An alternative way to write the |= assignment operator |
| private | An access modifier which makes a member only accessible within the declared class |
| protected | An access modifier which makes a member only accessible within the declared class and its children |
| public | An access modifier which makes a member accessible from anywhere |
| return | Used to return a value from a function |
| short | Reduces the size of an integer to 16 bits |
| signed | Specifies that an int or char can represent positive and negative values (this is the default so the keyword is not usually necessary) |
| sizeof | An operator that returns the amount of memory occupied by a variable or data type |
| static |
Specifies that an attribute or method belongs to the class itself instead of instances of the class Specifies that a variable in a function keeps its value after the function ends |
| struct | Defines a structure |
| switch | Selects one of many code blocks to be executed |
| template | Declares a template class or template function |
| this | A variable that is available inside class methods and constructors which contians a pointer to a class instance |
| throw | Creates a custom error which can be caught by a try...catch statement |
| true | A boolean value equivalent to 1 |
| try | Creates a try...catch statement |
| typedef | Defines a custom data type |
| unsigned | Specifies that an int or char should only represent positive values which allows for storing numbers up to twice as large |
| using | Allows variables and functions from a namespace to be used without the namespace's prefix |
| virtual | Specifies that a class method is virtual |
| void | Indicates a function that does not return a value or specifies a pointer to a data with an unspecified type |
| while | Creates a while loop |
| xor | An alternative way to write the ^ bitwise operator |
| xor_eq | An alternative way to write the ^= assignment operator |
