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

Customizing existing algorithms

The STL provides for adapting and enhancing its already robust set of algorithms. This skill is crucial for any proficient C++ programmer, as it allows for the fine-tuning of algorithms to meet specific needs without starting from scratch. In this section, you will learn how to use design patterns, such as the decorator pattern, and lambda functions to modify existing algorithms, making them more suitable for your unique requirements.

In practical programming scenarios, you often encounter situations where an existing STL algorithm almost meets your needs but requires some adjustments. Knowing how to customize these algorithms, as opposed to creating entirely new ones, can save significant time and effort. This section will teach you to leverage existing solutions and adapt them creatively, ensuring efficiency and maintainability. You will discover how to integrate design patterns to add new behaviors or modify existing ones and how to use lambda...