Generic programming and the STL using and extending the C++ standard template library

Many programmers are unaware that C++ is more than an object-oriented language.

C++ is also a language for generic programming, a methodology that can greatly enhance your ability to write efficient and reusable software components.

Written by noted C++ authority Matthew H. Austern, "Generic Programming and the STL" introduces you to the generic programming paradigm and to the most important instance of that paradigm - the C++ Standard Template Library (STL).

This book reveals that the STL is more than a set of convenient container classes: It is also an extensible framework for generic and interoperable components. "Generic Programming and the STL" explains the central ideas underlying generic programming - concepts, modeling, and refinement - and shows how these ideas lead to the fundamental concepts of the STL: iterators, containers, and function objects.

In this way, you will conceive the STL as a library of concepts rather than a library of specific functions and classes.

You will learn its formal structure and be able to take full advantage of its potential power.This book enables you to: extend the STL with your own library of portable and interoperable general-purpose components; create algorithms that are decoupled from the types and data structures they operate on, thus eliminating the need to rewrite basic algorithms and data structures; and write more elegant, efficient, and effective code that can be used and reused across platforms.

With the knowledge and understanding you will gain, you can achieve greater skill in creating the reusable and portable software that is now invaluable in our diverse and interconnected computing environment.