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C++ High Performance
C++ High Performance

C++ High Performance: Boost and optimize the performance of your C++17 code

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C++ High Performance

Modern C++ Concepts

In this chapter, we will take an in-depth look at some modern C++ concepts such as move-semantics, forwarding references, std::optional, std::any, and lambda functions. Some of these concepts still confuse even experienced C++ programmers and therefore we will look into both their use cases and how they work under the hood.

Automatic type deduction with the auto keyword

Since the introduction of the auto keyword in C++11, there has been a lot of confusion in the C++ community about how to use the different flavors of auto, such as const auto&, auto&, and auto&&.

Using auto in function signatures

Although discouraged by some C++ programmers, in our experience the use of auto in function signatures vastly increases readability when browsing and viewing header files.

Here is how the new auto syntax looks compared to the old syntax with explicit types:

Old syntax with explicit type: New syntax with auto:
struct Foo {
int val() const {
return m_;
}
const int& cref() const {
return m_;
}
int& mref() {
...

The lambda function

The lambda function, introduced in C++11 and further enhanced with polymorphic capabilities in C++14, is one of the most useful features in modern C++. Its versatility comes not only from easily passing functions to algorithms but it can also be used in a lot of circumstances where you need to pass the code around, especially as you can store a lambda function in std::function.

Although the lambda function made these programming techniques vastly simpler to work with, everything here is possible to perform without them by making classes with operator() overloaded.

We will explore the lambda function's similarities to these kind of classes later, but first let's introduce the lambda function in a simple use case.

Basic syntax of a C++ lambda function

...

Const propagation for pointers

A common mistake when writing const-correct code in C++ is that a const initialized object can still manipulate the values that member pointers points at. The following example illustrates the problem:

class Foo {
public:
Foo(int* ptr) : ptr_{ptr} {}
auto set_ptr_val(int v) const {
*ptr_ = v; // Compiles despite function being declared const!
}
private:
int* ptr_{};
};

auto main() -> int {
const auto foo = Foo{};
foo.set_ptr_val(42);
}

Although the function set_ptr_val() is mutating the int value, it's valid to declared it const since the pointer ptr_ itself is not mutated, only the int object that the pointer is pointing at.

In order to prevent this in a readable way, a wrapper called std::experimental::propagate_const has been added to the std library extensions (included in, as of the time of writing this, the latest versions of...

Move semantics explained

Move semantics is a concept introduced in C++11 which, in our experience, is quite hard to grasp even by experienced programmers. Therefore, we will try to give you an in-depth explanation of how it works, when the compiler utilizes it, and, most importantly, why it is needed.

Essentially, the reason C++ even has the concept of move semantics, whereas most other languages don't, is a result of being a value-based language as discussed in Chapter 1, A Brief Introduction to C++. If C++ did not have move semantics built in, the advantages of value-based semantics would get lost in many cases and programmers would have to perform one of the following trade-offs:

  • Performing redundant deep-cloning operations with high performance costs
  • Using pointers for objects like Java do, losing the robustness of value semantics
  • Performing error-prone swapping operations...

Representing optional values with std::optional

Although quite a minor feature in C++17, std::optional is a neat addition to the STL library which simplifies a common case which couldn't be expressed in a clean straightforward syntax prior to std::optional. In a nutshell, it is a small wrapper for any type where the wrapped type can be both initialized and uninitialized.

To put it in C++ lingo, std::optional is a stack-allocated container with a max size of one.

Note that the Boost Libraries has had an equivalent of std::optional,named boost::optional for many years.

Optional return values

Before the introduction of std::optional, there was no clear way to define functions which may not return a defined value, such as...

Representing dynamic values with std::any

Just like std::optional, std::any can store an optional single value, but with the difference that it can store any type at runtime, just like a dynamically typed}language. As the std::any can withhold any type, you need to explicitly specify the type using the global function std::any_cast when reading the held object.

If the std::any is empty or withholds another type than the specified type, an exception is thrown.

Here is an example of how it works:

// Initialize an empty std::any 
auto a = std::any{};
// Put a string in it
a = std::string{"something"};
// Return a reference to the withheld string
auto& str_ref = std::any_cast<std::string&>(a);
// Copy the withheld string
auto str_copy = std::any_cast<std::string>(a);
// Put a float in the 'any' and read it back
a = 135.246f;
auto flt = std::any_cast...

Summary

In this chapter you have learned how to use modern C++ features such as forwarding references, move-semantics, lambda functions, std::any, and std::optional. In the next chapter we will look into strategies for how to measure performance in C++.

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Key benefits

  • Explore concurrent programming in C++
  • Identify memory management problems
  • Use SIMD and STL containers for performance improvement

Description

C++ is a highly portable language and can be used to write both large-scale applications and performance-critical code. It has evolved over the last few years to become a modern and expressive language. This book will guide you through optimizing the performance of your C++ apps by allowing them to run faster and consume fewer resources on the device they're running on without compromising the readability of your code base. The book begins by helping you measure and identify bottlenecks in a C++ code base. It then moves on by teaching you how to use modern C++ constructs and techniques. You'll see how this affects the way you write code. Next, you'll see the importance of data structure optimization and memory management, and how it can be used efficiently with respect to CPU caches. After that, you'll see how STL algorithm and composable Range V3 should be used to both achieve faster execution and more readable code, followed by how to use STL containers and how to write your own specialized iterators. Moving on, you’ll get hands-on experience in making use of modern C++ metaprogramming and reflection to reduce boilerplate code as well as in working with proxy objects to perform optimizations under the hood. After that, you’ll learn concurrent programming and understand lock-free data structures. The book ends with an overview of parallel algorithms using STL execution policies, Boost Compute, and OpenCL to utilize both the CPU and the GPU.

Who is this book for?

If you're a C++ developer looking to improve the speed of your code or simply wanting to take your skills up to the next level, then this book is perfect for you.

What you will learn

  • Benefits of modern C++ constructs and techniques
  • Identify hardware bottlenecks, such as CPU cache misses, to boost performance
  • Write specialized data structures for performance-critical code
  • Use modern metaprogramming techniques to reduce runtime calculations
  • Achieve efficient memory management using custom memory allocators
  • Reduce boilerplate code using reflection techniques
  • Reap the benefits of lock-free concurrent programming
  • Perform under-the-hood optimizations with preserved readability using proxy objects
  • Gain insights into subtle optimizations used by STL algorithms
  • Utilize the Range V3 library for expressive C++ code
  • Parallelize your code over CPU and GPU, without compromising readability
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Publication date : Jan 31, 2018
Length: 374 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781787120952
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Table of Contents

12 Chapters
A Brief Introduction to C++ Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Modern C++ Concepts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Measuring Performance Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Data Structures Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
A Deeper Look at Iterators Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
STL Algorithms and Beyond Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Memory Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Metaprogramming and Compile-Time Evaluation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Proxy Objects and Lazy Evaluation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Concurrency Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Parallel STL Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.2
(22 Ratings)
5 star 63.6%
4 star 13.6%
3 star 4.5%
2 star 13.6%
1 star 4.5%
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Christian Albaret Feb 16, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I bought 5 books at once and could only give a fast glance at this one in order to write he review. This is a highly technical book of almost 400 pages—it takes some time to read that. I am senior developper and work on performant computing in my job. I see that the book handles all the major topics about performance as they occur in present-day computers and as they are programmed in present-day C++ (updated to C++17). The topics are discussed, and complemented with examples, and diagrams to explain memory layout. This will be a good reference book for any developper committed to performant computing, and a good introduction for anyone wanting to start seriously.
Feefo Verified review Feefo
Debasish Aug 14, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Good
Amazon Verified review Amazon
SonChakr May 24, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Liked the book very much, especially as it is written about software performance from a C++ perspective (true to its title).Chapter 11 is a bonus, as it gives some insight into Boost's compute library, though the content could be elaborated a tad more. Overall, I liked the book and read through it, like a breeze (and refer to it, once in a while).
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Anil Kumar Sep 01, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The books like 'Effective Modern C++' talk about readable and maintainable code (considering performance as well) using modern C++ but this book primarily focuses on things like: what does that code mean for processor and how to make it more efficient while maintaining the readability. All such suggestions have been supported with performance numbers. It is a huge bonus that this book also uses modern C++. Some features are yet to be included in STL but this book explained them as they were too important to skip (like Ranges library).I loved its content on cache, lazy-evaluation, STL algorithms and reflection. The content presentation is very clear and examples have working modern C++ code.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Chen Xu May 04, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The best C++ book I have every read.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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