More Effective C++

Introduction

The book "More Effective C++" (often translated into Russian as "Более эффективный C++") is the sequel to Scott Meyers' famous book "Effective C++", published in 1992. While the first book laid the foundation for proper language usage, the second raises the bar even higher. Written in 1996, it remains relevant today, especially for those who want to move from the level of "just writing code" to the level of "understanding the deep mechanisms of C++". The book consists of 35 items, each dedicated to a specific problem or technique. Meyers doesn't just list rules — he explains why they work and provides examples that can be immediately applied in real projects.

What is this book about?

"More Effective C++" covers five key topics that were either insufficiently covered in the first book or emerged as new challenges for developers:

• Exceptions: how to properly throw, catch, and handle exceptions without causing resource leaks and while maintaining performance.
• Efficiency: how to write fast code by avoiding unnecessary copying, temporary objects, and suboptimal algorithms.
• Techniques: advanced techniques such as virtual constructors, smart pointers, proxy classes, and double dispatch.
• Templates & Genericity: how to use templates to create flexible and reusable components while avoiding code bloat.
• Inheritance & OOD: the nuances of virtual functions, multiple inheritance, and proper design of class hierarchies.

Each item is a self-contained chapter that begins with a problem statement, then offers a solution, and concludes with a summary. The book is written in a lively style, with a touch of humor and numerous C++ examples.

Who is this book for?

The book is intended for programmers who already have experience with C++ and are familiar with the basics of the language: classes, inheritance, virtual functions, templates. If you are just starting to learn C++ and haven't written a single project yet, it's better to start with "Effective C++" or any introductory textbook. "More Effective C++" is the next step, when you want to understand how to write not just working code, but reliable, efficient, and easily maintainable code.

What will the reader learn?

After reading the book, you will be able to:

• Properly use exceptions without fear of memory leaks and undefined behavior.
• Avoid temporary objects and unnecessary copying, which is critical for high-performance systems.
• Implement smart pointers and other resource management idioms.
• Apply templates to create flexible and type-safe types.
• Understand when and how to use multiple inheritance, and when it's better to avoid it.
• Design classes that are robust to errors and easy to test.
• Improve overall code quality by following proven practices.

Strengths of the book

1. Practical focus. Each item is a ready-made solution to a real problem. You don't just learn theory; you get code that can be adapted to your needs.

2. Deep explanation. Meyers doesn't say "do it this way because I said so." He explains which language mechanisms are involved, what trade-offs exist, and why the chosen approach is better than the alternatives.

3. Relevance. Despite its age, 90% of the advice remains valid for modern C++ standards C++11/14/17/20. Some examples use outdated constructs (e.g., auto_ptr instead of unique_ptr), but this is easily adaptable. The book teaches you to think, not to blindly copy.