Different programming languages have different areas where they are most effective. For instance, C++ allows creating fast and efficient overall programs that give the programmer nearly complete control over what happens. This includes control over the user interface in console applications: using escape color codes in printf() calls, one can change the color of the text or its background as necessary. One can use the same function to alter the text’s formatting, such as adding leading characters or ensuring a given precision in decimal numbers.
Python complements C++’s efficiency with its versatility and accessibility. By using some of the many easily accessible modules for Python, one can add any functionality he or she requires for the program without needing to write new code. For example, the re module contains functions for working with regular expressions, which allow one to quickly and easily parse large amounts of text to find relevant data. Furthermore, Python code is relatively easy to modify for people who are less familiar with programming and does not require compilation, unlike C++. Thus, when working in a team, code that may require frequent modification as the situation demands can be created in Python, while the program’s core that rarely changes is written in C++.
Combining these two languages allows one to utilize the advantages of both to create versatile and efficient programs. C++ and Python are not the only languages that can be combined in this way. Java, for instance, contains functions for creating graphical user interfaces. By combining this functionality with Python’s data-processing functionality, one can adjust the grocery-tracking program to work with a graphical interface, potentially incorporating buttons and images instead of plain console input and output.