Intermediate Launchpad: the Model You Already Have

You finished Beginner, so you can already write functions, use std::vector, read files, and reason about basic RAII. Intermediate starts by tightening the mental model you will rely on for everything that follows: every object has a lifetime, and someone is responsible for it.

The three questions to ask about any object

1. Where does it live? — automatic (stack), static (global), or dynamic (heap).
2. When does it die? — end of scope, end of program, or an explicit delete.
3. Who is responsible? — one owner, always; everyone else borrows.

#include <string>
#include <vector>

int counter = 42;                 // static: lives for the whole program

struct Session {
    std::string user;
    explicit Session(std::string u) : user{std::move(u)} {}
    ~Session() { /* release anything the session owns */ }
};

void demo() {
    int local = 7;                // automatic: dies at the closing brace
    Session s{"ana"};             // automatic; destructor runs at scope exit
    std::vector<int> v{1, 2, 3};  // the vector owns its heap buffer; frees it
}                                 // <- everything destroyed in REVERSE order

Review: the discipline you already know

• Prefer const on anything that should not change.
• Pass non-trivial objects by const&; return by value.
• Containers manage their own memory — that is why they beat raw arrays.
• Initializer lists and {} braces beat = for consistency.

If any of those feel shaky, revisit the relevant Beginner module before continuing; Intermediate builds every new idea on exactly these foundations.