Exceptional C++ Style 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions

Chapter 37. Monoliths “Unstrung,” Part 1: A Look at std::string

Difficulty: 3

I've decided to conclude the Style Case Studies section somewhat impishly, with a miniseries targeting an example from the C++ standard library itself: std::string. We begin our critique with a review of an important design guideline and a contrasting overview of the standard string facility.

JG Question

1. What is a monolithic class, and why is it bad? Explain.

Guru Question

1. List all the member functions of std::basic_string.

Solution

Avoid Unduly Monolithic Designs

1. What is a monolithic class, and why is it bad? Explain.

The word “monolithic” is used to describe software that is a single, big, indivisible piece, like a monolith. The word “monolith” comes from the words “mono” (one) ...