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

Using std::begin and std::end

As you discover more use cases for std::vector, you’ll encounter situations where it is advantageous, or even necessary, to venture beyond member functions. Here’s where non-member functions, specifically std::begin and std::end, step into the spotlight. These two functions are handy and offer a more generic way to access the beginning and end of a container, including but not limited to std::vector.

Why the distinction, you might ask? Aren’t there member functions such as vector::begin() and vector::end()? Indeed, there are. However, the beauty of the non-member std::begin and std::end is their broader applicability across different container types, making your code more flexible and adaptable.

Vectors in C++ offer a potent blend of dynamic memory and continuous storage, making them indispensable in many coding scenarios. But to truly leverage their potential, understanding their interaction with iterators is crucial. While...