C++ 11 features with complete examples

This page summarises the features introduced in C++11, grouped by learning complexity, frequency of use, and conceptual depth. The goal is to guide developers through a structured learning path.

C++ 11 for Beginners

• auto type deduction – Simplifies variable declarations – Explanation with an Example
• nullptr – Safer alternative to NULL – Explanation with an Example
• enum class – Scoped and strongly-typed enumerations – Explanation with an Example
• static_assert – Compile-time assertions to catch errors early – Explanation with an Example
• Range-based for loops – Simplifies iteration over STL containers – Explanation with an Example
• final and override – Improves clarity and correctness in inheritance – Explanation with an Example
• Uniform initialization & initializer_list – Consistent initialization syntax – Explanation with an Example
• Explicit default/delete – Control over special member functions – Explanation with an Example

C++ 11 for Intermediate

• Lambda expressions – Anonymous functions; essential for STL algorithms.
• constexpr – Enables compile-time computations.
• Defaulted/deleted functions – Explicit control of constructors and assignment operators.
• Delegating constructors – Constructor reuse within a class.
• Inheriting constructors – Automatically inherits base constructors.
• Trailing return types – Return types after the parameter list using ->.
• decltype – Deduces the type of an expression.
• noexcept – Indicates whether a function throws.
• Forward-declared scoped enums – Useful for large header-based designs.
• STL additions: std::array, std::unordered_map, etc.

C++ 11 for Advanced

• Rvalue references & move semantics – Enables efficient resource transfer.
• Variadic templates – Functions/classes that accept a variable number of template arguments.
• User-defined literals – Custom suffixes for literals (e.g., 42_km).
• std::move and std::forward – Helpers for move semantics and perfect forwarding.
• Smart pointers – std::unique_ptr, std::shared_ptr, std::weak_ptr.
• std::tuple, std::bind, std::function – For generic and functional-style code.
• Thread support: std::thread, std::mutex, std::lock_guard, etc.
• std::chrono – Time utilities and duration handling.
• std::regex – Regular expressions support.
• Futures and async: std::future, std::async, std::promise.
• <type_traits> – Template metaprogramming utilities.
• std::begin, std::end – Range-based iteration support.