Exploring C++20: The Programmer's Introduction to C++

© Ray Lischner 2020

R. LischnerExploring C++20https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5961-0_16

16. Type Synonyms

Ray Lischner¹ 

(1)

Ellicott City, MD, USA

 

Using types such as std::vector<std::string>::size_type or std::map<std::string, int>::iterator can be clumsy, prone to typographical errors, and just plain annoying to type and read. C++ lets you get away with auto sometimes, but not always. Fortunately, C++ lets you define short synonyms for clumsy types. You can also use type synonyms to provide meaningful names for generic types. (The standard library has quite a few synonyms of the latter variety.) These synonyms are often referred to as typedefs, because you can define them with the typedef keyword, although in modern C++, the using keyword is ...