C++ Standard Template Library (STL) Guide

The Standard Template Library (STL) is a powerful set of C++ template classes that provide general-purpose classes and functions. This guide provides an overview of key components of the STL, including arrays, vectors, deques, lists, maps, queues, sets, stacks, and algorithms.

Components of STL

Containers

1. Array: Static array with a fixed size.
2. Vector: Dynamic array that can resize itself.
3. Deque: Double-ended queue.
4. List: Doubly-linked list.
5. Map: Associative container that stores key-value pairs in a sorted order based on keys.
6. Queue: FIFO (First In First Out) data structure.
7. Set: Associative container that stores unique keys in a sorted order.
8. Stack: LIFO (Last In First Out) data structure.

Algorithms

STL provides various algorithms to operate on containers or ranges:

• Sorting: std::sort
• Searching: std::find, std::binary_search
• Modifying: std::transform, std::fill, std::copy
• Numeric: std::accumulate, std::inner_product, std::partial_sum
• And many more...

Usage

To use the STL components in your C++ programs, include the appropriate header files and utilize the desired classes and functions. For example:

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>

int main() {
    std::vector<int> vec = {3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 5};

    // Sort the vector
    std::sort(vec.begin(), vec.end());

    // Print the sorted vector
    for (int x : vec) {
        std::cout << x << ' ';
    }
    std::cout << std::endl;

    return 0;
}

References

C++ Reference - STL
STL Tutorial

License
This guide is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file