Book Image

Mastering the C++17 STL

By : Arthur O'Dwyer
Book Image

Mastering the C++17 STL

By: Arthur O'Dwyer

Overview of this book

Modern C++ has come a long way since 2011. The latest update, C++17, has just been ratified and several implementations are on the way. This book is your guide to the C++ standard library, including the very latest C++17 features. The book starts by exploring the C++ Standard Template Library in depth. You will learn the key differences between classical polymorphism and generic programming, the foundation of the STL. You will also learn how to use the various algorithms and containers in the STL to suit your programming needs. The next module delves into the tools of modern C++. Here you will learn about algebraic types such as std::optional, vocabulary types such as std::function, smart pointers, and synchronization primitives such as std::atomic and std::mutex. In the final module, you will learn about C++'s support for regular expressions and file I/O. By the end of the book you will be proficient in using the C++17 standard library to implement real programs, and you'll have gained a solid understanding of the library's own internals.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Classical Polymorphism and Generic Programming, covers classical polymorphism (virtual member functions) and generic programming (templates).

Chapter 2, Iterators and Ranges, explains the concept of iterator as a generalization of pointer, and the utility of half-open ranges expressed as a pair of iterators.

Chapter 3, The Iterator-Pair Algorithms, explores the vast variety of standard generic algorithms that operate on ranges expressed as iterator-pairs.

Chapter 4, The Container Zoo, explores the almost equally vast variety of standard container class templates, and which containers are suitable for which jobs.

Chapter 5, Vocabulary Types, walks you through algebraic types such as std::optional. and ABI-friendly type-erased types such as std::function.

Chapter 6, Smart Pointers, teaches the purpose and use of smart pointers.

Chapter 7, Concurrency, covers atomics, mutexes, condition variables, threads, futures, and promises.

Chapter 8, Allocators, explains the new features of C++17's <memory_resource> header.

Chapter 9, Iostreams, explores the evolution of the C++ I/O model, from <unistd.h> to <stdio.h> to <iostream>.

Chapter 10, Regular Expressions, teaches regular expressions in C++.

Chapter 11, Random Numbers, walks you through C++'s support for pseudo-random number generation.

Chapter 12, Filesystem, covers the new-in-C++17 <filesystem> library.