B
A base class initializer specifies which base class constructor we want to use to initialize the base class part of a derived class object. It is one of the two types of expressions allowed in a member initialization list. Also see inheritance, constructor.
The base class part of a derived class object is an unnamed component of the derived class object whose member variables and functions are accessible as though they were defined in the derived class, so long as they are either public or protected.
A batch file is a text file that directs the execution of a number of programs, one after the other, without manual intervention. A similar facility is available in most operating systems.
A binary number system uses only two digits, 0 and 1.
A bit is the fundamental unit of storage in a modern computer; the word bit is derived from the phrase binary digit. Each bit, as this suggests, can have one of two states: 0 and 1.
A block is a group of statements considered as one logical statement. It is delimited by the curly braces, { and }. The first of these symbols starts a block, and the second one ends it. A block can be used anywhere that a statement can be used and is treated exactly as if it were one statement. For example, if a block is the controlled block of an if statement, all of the statements in the block are executed if the condition in the if is true, and none is executed if the condition in the if is false.
A bool (short for Boolean) is a type of variable whose range of values is limited to true or false. This is the most appropriate return type for a function that uses its return value to report whether some condition exists, such as operator <. In that particular case, the return value true indicates that the first argument is less than the second, while false indicates that the first argument is not less than the second.
Brace; see curly braces.
A break statement is a loop control device that interrupts the processing of a loop whenever it is executed within the controlled block of a loop control statement. When a break statement is executed, the flow of control passes to the next statement after the end of the controlled block.
A buffer is a temporary holding place where information is stored while it is being manipulated.
Buffering is the process of using a buffer to store or retrieve information.
A byte is the unit in which data capacities are stated, whether in RAM or on a disk. In most modern computers, a byte consists of eight bits.