1. Beginning C++ Through Game Programming, Second Edition
by Michael Dawson

2. The Standard Template Library: Hangman
Chapter 4
The Standard Template Library: Hangman

3. Objectives Use vectors to work with sequences
Use vector member functions to manipulate sequence elements
Use iterators to move through sequences
Use library algorithms to work with groups of elements
Plan your programs with pseudocode

4. The Standard Template Library (STL)
Powerful collection of code at your disposal
Facilities for storing, manipulating and retrieving data
Provides containers, algorithms, and iterators

5. Vectors One kind of container provided by the STL
A dynamic array—can grow and shrink in size as needed
Member functions to manipulate elements
All of the functionality of an array plus more

6. Preparing to Use Vectors
All STL components live in the std namespace
Have to include the file that contains definition:
#include <vector>

7. Declaring a Vector Declare vector to hold string objects
vector<string> inventory;
Declare vector to hold string objects, starting size 10
vector<string> inventory(10);
Declared vector with size 10, all elements initialized to "nothing"
vector<string> inventory(10, "nothing");
Declare vector and initialize it with the contents of another vector, myStuff
vector<string> inventory(myStuff);

8. Useful Vector Member Functions
push_back()—Adds a new element to the end of a vector
size()—Returns the size of a vector
pop_back()—Removes the last element of a vector and reduces the vector size by one
clear()—Removes all of the items of a vector and sets its size to 0
empty()—Returns true if the vector is empty; otherwise, it returns false.
insert()—Inserts a new element into a vector
erase()—Removes an element from a vector

9. Indexing Vectors
Just as with arrays, can index vectors by using the subscripting operator
Display all elements:
for (int i = 0; i < inven.size(); ++i)
cout << inven[i] << endl;
Replace the hero’s first item:
inven[0] = "battle axe";
Can’t increase a vector’s size with subscripting operator; to add a new element at the end of a vector, use push_back().

10. Iterators Identify particular element in a sequence
Can access or change the value of an element
Key to using containers to their fullest
Use them to move through a sequence container
Some parts of the STL require iterators

11. Declaring Iterators Generic declaration:
container-type<object-type>::iterator iterVar;
Declare an iterator named myIterator for a vector that can contain string objects:
vector<string>::iterator myIterator;
Declare constant iterator ("read-only" access):
vector<string>::const_iterator iter;

12. begin() Vector Member Function
begin()—Returns an iterator that refers to a container’s first element

13. end() Vector Member Function
end()—Returns an iterator one past the last element in a container

14. Iterating Through a Vector
for (iter = inventory.begin();
iter != inventory.end();
++iter)
cout << *iter << endl;
begin()—Returns an iterator that refers to first element of inventory
end()—Returns an iterator one past the last element of inventory
++iter—Increments iter, which moves it to the next element in inventory
*iter—Dereferences iter, returns the value it refers to

15. Accessing Values Through an Iterator
*myIterator = "battle axe";
Alter values to which myIterator refers
myIterator does not change
Calls the size() method of the element myIterator refers to
cout << (*myIterator).size();
Same functionality ("syntactic sugar")
cout << myIterator->size();

16. Algorithms Manipulate elements in containers through iterators
Searching, sorting, copying and more
Generic—The same algorithm can work with elements of different container types
To use, include the file with their definitions:
#include <algorithm>
Algorithms (like all STL components) live in the std namespace
Can work with some containers defined outside of the STL (like string objects)

17. Useful Algorithms find()—Searches elements for a value
random_shuffle()—Randomizes order of elements
sort()—Sorts elements (in ascending order, by default)

18. Vector Performance
Vectors (and other STL containers) are incredibly efficient
But containers have their strengths and weaknesses
Pick the right container for the job

19. Vector Growth
When vectors grow beyond current size, vector might be copied to new area of memory
However, reallocation might not occur at a performance-critical part of your program
With small vectors, the reallocation cost might be insignificant

20. Vector Capacity
Capacity not the same as size; it's how many elements a vector can hold until reallocation.
capacity()—Returns the number of elements that a vector can hold before a reallocation
reserve()—Increases the capacity of a vector
Don’t obsess over performance

21. Vector Strengths and Weaknesses
push_back() and pop_back() member functions are extremely efficient
But insert() and erase() can require more work
Another STL container, list, allows for efficient insertion and deletion, regardless of the sequence size
Just because you want to insert or delete elements from the middle of a sequence doesn’t mean you should abandon the vector

22. Other STL Containers

23. Pseudocode
Planning non-trivial programs can save much time and heartache
Pseudocode is a language that falls somewhere between English and a formal programming language; useful for sketching out programs.
Pseudocode example:
If you can think of a new and useful product
Then that’s your product
Otherwise
Repackage an existing product as your product
Make an infomercial about your product
Show the infomercial on TV
Charge $100 per unit of your product
Sell 10,000 units of your product

24. Stepwise Refinement
Taking complex steps in pseudocode and breaking them down into a series of simpler steps
Plan becomes closer to programming code
Make an infomercial becomes:
Write a script for an infomercial about your product
Rent a TV studio for a day
Hire a production crew
Hire an enthusiastic audience
Film the infomercial

25. Summary
The Standard Template Library (STL) is a powerful collection of programming code that provides containers, algorithms, and iterators
Containers are objects that let you store and access collections of values of the same type
Algorithms can be used with containers and provide common functions for working with groups of objects
Iterators are objects that identify elements in containers and can be manipulated to move among elements
To get the value referenced by an iterator, you can dereference the iterator using the dereference operator (*)

26. Summary (cont.)
A vector is one kind of sequential container provided by the STL (like dynamic array)
Very efficient to iterate through a vector
Very efficient to insert or remove an element from the end of a vector
It can be inefficient to insert or delete elements from the middle of a vector, especially if the vector is large
Pseudocode, which falls somewhere between English and a programming language, is used to plan programs
Stepwise refinement is a process used to rewrite pseudocode to make it ready for implementation