Imperfect C++ Practical Solutions for Real-Life Programming

Part Six. Extending C++

Above all else, the most powerful aspect of C++ is its extensibility. The most clear and persuasive example of this is the Standard Template Library (STL), which has changed the way most of us use C++ and has become a major component of the C++ standard library. Covering the extensibility of STL would be a book in itself.

However, the STL is just one example. There are myriad ways in which this extensibility can manifest, and in this final part we'll cover just a few of the more interesting ones.

The first of the five chapters, Chapter 31, Return Value Lifetime, goes into the subject in some depth, via the implementation of a conceptually simple library component. We end up incorporating into the solution a practical treatment ...