C++ Primer Plus, Fourth Edition

The Standard Template Library

The Standard Template Library, or STL, provides a collection of templates representing containers, iterators, function objects, and algorithms. A container is a unit, like an array, that can hold several values. STL containers are homogeneous, that is, they hold values all of the same kind. Algorithms are recipes for accomplishing particular tasks, such as sorting an array or finding a particular value in a list. Iterators are objects that let you move through a container much as pointers let you move through an array; they are generalizations of pointers. Function objects are objects that act like functions; they can be class objects or function pointers (which includes function names because a function name acts ...