Summary
In this chapter, we have comprehensively explored the role and usage of iterators as they apply to one of the most versatile containers in the C++ STL. We started by discussing the various types of iterators available in the STL—input, output, forward, reverse, bidirectional, and random access—and their specific applications and support operations.
We then moved on to practical iteration techniques, detailing how to traverse std::vector effectively using standard and constant iterators. We underscored the importance of choosing the correct type of iterator for the task at hand to write clean, efficient, and error-resistant code.
The section on using std::begin and std::end expanded our toolkit, showing how these non-member functions can make our code more flexible by not being tightly bound to container types. We also covered the requirements and categorization of iterators, essential knowledge for understanding the STL’s inner workings, and implementing...
