One of C++'s most powerful features is its support for generic programming. This power is reflected directly in the flexibility of the C++ standard library, especially in its containers, iterators, and algorithms portion, originally known as the standard template library (STL).
This opening section focuses on how to make the best use of the C++ standard library, particularly the STL. When and how can you make best use of std::vector and std::deque ? What pitfalls might you encounter when using std::map and std::set , and how can you safely avoid them? Why doesn't std::remove() actually remove anything?
This section also highlights some useful techniques, as well as pitfalls, that occur when writing generic code of your own, including code that's meant to work with and extend the STL. What kinds of predicates are safe to use with the STL; what kinds aren't, and why? What techniques are available for writing powerful generic template code that can change its own behavior based on the capabilities of the types it's given to work with? How can you switch easily between different kinds of input and output streams? How does template specialization and overloading work? And what's with this funny typename keyword, anyway?
This and more, as we delve into topics related to generic programming and the C++ standard library.
