Book Image

Data Structures and Algorithms with the C++ STL

By : John Farrier
5 (2)
Book Image

Data Structures and Algorithms with the C++ STL

5 (2)
By: John Farrier

Overview of this book

While the Standard Template Library (STL) offers a rich set of tools for data structures and algorithms, navigating its intricacies can be daunting for intermediate C++ developers without expert guidance. This book offers a thorough exploration of the STL’s components, covering fundamental data structures, advanced algorithms, and concurrency features. Starting with an in-depth analysis of the std::vector, this book highlights its pivotal role in the STL, progressing toward building your proficiency in utilizing vectors, managing memory, and leveraging iterators. The book then advances to STL’s data structures, including sequence containers, associative containers, and unordered containers, simplifying the concepts of container adaptors and views to enhance your knowledge of modern STL programming. Shifting the focus to STL algorithms, you’ll get to grips with sorting, searching, and transformations and develop the skills to implement and modify algorithms with best practices. Advanced sections cover extending the STL with custom types and algorithms, as well as concurrency features, exception safety, and parallel algorithms. By the end of this book, you’ll have transformed into a proficient STL practitioner ready to tackle real-world challenges and build efficient and scalable C++ applications.
Table of Contents (30 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: Mastering std::vector
7
Part 2: Understanding STL Data Structures
13
Part 3: Mastering STL Algorithms
19
Part 4: Creating STL-Compatible Types and Algorithms
23
Part 5: STL Data Structures and Algorithms: Under the Hood

The significance of std::vector

In C++, std::vector is a frequently chosen data structure. While beginners might initially see parallels between it and the basic arrays in C, the advantages of std::vector become evident with deeper exploration. Additionally, a solid grasp of std::vector facilitates a smoother transition to understanding other components of STL.

Both vectors and arrays function as containers for collections of elements. The critical distinction between them lies in their flexibility and capabilities. Arrays are static in size, set at declaration time, and cannot be altered afterward.

In contrast, vectors are dynamic. They can expand or contract based on the operations performed on them. Unlike arrays, which commit to a fixed memory block upon declaration, vectors dynamically manage memory. They frequently allocate extra memory to anticipate future growth, optimizing efficiency and flexibility. While arrays offer simple index-based element access and modification...