For more than 30 years, C++ got along without inheritance control keywords. It wasn’t easy, to say the least. Disabling further derivation of a class was possible but tricky. To prevent users from overriding a virtual function in a derived class you had to lean over backwards. But not any more: Two new context-sensitive keywords make your job a lot easier. Here’s how they work.

C++ enum types pack a set of related constants in an intuitive and efficient user-defined type. Can you ask for more? With two new C++11 enhancements, namely scoped enums and based enums, the answer is “yes.” Find out all about the recent facelift that C++11 enums underwent and learn how to refactor your code to benefit from the new enum features – without sacrificing performance or backward compatibility.

constexpr is a new C++11 keyword that rids you of the need to create macros and hardcoded literals. It also guarantees, under certain conditions, that objects undergo static initialization. Danny Kalev shows how to embed constexpr in C++ applications to define constant expressions that might not be so constant otherwise.

I'm as happy as anyone that the presidential debates are finally over with, but, to be completely honest, I think I may be having withdrawals. Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in being one of the participants in a debate, but I do have a craving be the one to ask the questions that get a discussion or two started!

One highlight of C++11 is lambda expressions: function-like blocks of executable statements that you can insert where normally a function call would appear. Lambdas are more compact, efficient, and secure than function objects. Danny Kalev shows you how to read lambda expressions and use them in C++11 applications.

Unprepared Geeks is SmartBear’s biweekly video-podcast about all things tech and quality. Tag along as the people behind soapUI and loadUI get together and discuss recent events, gadgets, and hot topics.

Imagine that your compiler could guess the type of the variables you declare as if by magic. In C++11, it’s possible — well, almost. The new auto and decltype facilities detect the type of an object automatically, thereby paving the way for cleaner and more intuitive function declaration syntax, while ridding you of unnecessary verbiage and keystrokes. Find out how auto and decltype simplify the design of generic code, improve code readability, and reduce maintenance overhead.

Constructors in C++11 still do what they’ve always done: initialize an object. However, two new features, namely delegating constructors and class member initializers, make constructors simpler, easier to maintain, and generally more efficient. Learn how to combine these new features in your C++ classes.

Copy constructors sounds like a topic for an article from 1989. And yet, the changes in the new C++ standard affect the design of a class' special member functions fundamentally. Find out more about the impact of move semantics on objects' behavior and learn how to implement the move constructor and the move assignment operator in C++11.

Thirteen years after the ratification of the C99 standard, a new C standard is now available. Danny Kalev, a former member of the C++ standards committee, shares an overview of the goodies that C11 has to offer including multithreading support, safer standard libraries, and better compliance with other industry standards.