Product Description

“This is Effective C++ volume three – it’s really that good.”
– Herb Sutter, independent consultant and secretary of the ISO/ANSI C++ standards committee“There are very few books which all C++ programmers must have. Add Effective STL to that list.”
– Thomas Becker, Senior Software Engineer, Zephyr Associates, Inc., and columnist, C/C++ Users Journal

C++’s Standard Template Library is revolutionary, but learning to use it well has always been a challenge. Until now. In this book, best-selling author Scott Meyers (Effective C++, and More Effective C++) reveals the critical rules of thumb employed by the experts – the things they almost always do or almost always avoid doing – to get the most out of the library.

Other books describe what’s in the STL. Effective STL shows you how to use it. Each of the book’s 50 guidelines is backed by Meyers’ legendary analysis and incisive examples, so you’ll learn not only what to do, but also when to do it – and why.

Highlights of Effective STL include:

• Advice on choosing among standard STL containers (like vector and list), nonstandard STL containers (like hash_set and hash_map), and non-STL containers (like bitset).
• Techniques to maximize the efficiency of the STL and the programs that use it.
• Insights into the behavior of iterators, function objects, and allocators, including things you should not do.
• Guidance for the proper use of algorithms and member functions whose names are the same (e.g., find), but whose actions differ in subtle (but important) ways.
• Discussions of potential portability problems, including straightforward ways to avoid them.

Like Meyers’ previous books, Effective STL is filled with proven wisdom that comes only from experience. Its clear, concise, penetrating style makes it an essential resource for every STL programmer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84091 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Written for the intermediate or advanced C++ programmer, renowned C++ expert Scott Meyers provides essential techniques for getting more out of the Standard Template Library in Effective STL, a tutorial for doing more with this powerful library.

STL is a hugely powerful feature of today's C++, but one with a well-earned reputation for complexity. The book is organised into 50 tips that explore different areas of the STL. Besides providing a list of dos and don'ts, Meyers presents a lot of background on what works and what doesn't with STL. Each tip is demonstrated with in-depth coding samples, many of which make use of two-colour printing to highlight the most important lines of code. (Advanced developers will enjoy Meyers' in-depth explanations, while those who are in a hurry can skip ahead to the recommended tip itself.)

A good part of this book involves using containers, like vectors and maps, which are built into STL. (Besides the standard built-in containers, the author also highlights recent additions to STL like b-trees, which are available as extensions from other vendors.) You'll learn the best ways to allocate, add, change and delete items inside containers, including associative containers like maps. You'll also learn to avoid common pitfalls for writing code that is slow or just plain wrong.

Other areas covered in Effective STL include getting the most out of the 100-plus STL algorithms that are bundled with this library. Meyers shows you how to choose the correct algorithm for sorting, and other functions. (Even advanced developers will learn something here.) Sections on using function objects (called functors) round out the text. Meyers shows you when these classes make sense and the best ways to implement them. Besides specific tips, you'll get plenty of general programming advice. A useful appendix shows the limitations of STL as implemented in Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 and how to overcome them.

Overall, Effective STL is a really invaluable source of programming expertise on an essential aspect of today's C++ for anyone who is using--or planning to use--STL in real production code. It is quite simply a must-have. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• introduction to advanced Standard Template Library (STL) programming techniques
• 50 tips and best practices for STL illustrated with sample tutorial code
• choosing containers
• efficient copying of elements inside containers
• removing, erasing and cleaning up items from containers
• using custom allocators with STL containers
• thread safety with STL
• tips for programming with the STL "vector" and "string" classes (including reserving memory and calling legacy C/C++ code)
• tips for associative containers (including comparing items, sorted vectors and non-standard enhancements to STL)
• tips for selecting and using STL iterator classes
• STL algorithms (including sorting, removing and comparing items)
• using functors with STL
• general tips for STL programming (including advice for choosing algorithms and understanding compiler diagnostic messages)
• string locales
• overcoming STL imitations in Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0

From the Back Cover
“This is Effective C++ volume three – it’s really that good.”
– Herb Sutter, independent consultant and secretary of the ISO/ANSI C++ standards committee“There are very few books which all C++ programmers must have. Add Effective STL to that list.”
– Thomas Becker, Senior Software Engineer, Zephyr Associates, Inc., and columnist, C/C++ Users Journal

C++’s Standard Template Library is revolutionary, but learning to use it well has always been a challenge. Until now. In this book, best-selling author Scott Meyers (Effective C++, and More Effective C++) reveals the critical rules of thumb employed by the experts – the things they almost always do or almost always avoid doing – to get the most out of the library.

Other books describe what’s in the STL. Effective STL shows you how to use it. Each of the book’s 50 guidelines is backed by Meyers’ legendary analysis and incisive examples, so you’ll learn not only what to do, but also when to do it – and why.

Highlights of Effective STL include:

• Advice on choosing among standard STL containers (like vector and list), nonstandard STL containers (like hash_set and hash_map), and non-STL containers (like bitset).
• Techniques to maximize the efficiency of the STL and the programs that use it.
• Insights into the behavior of iterators, function objects, and allocators, including things you should not do.
• Guidance for the proper use of algorithms and member functions whose names are the same (e.g., find), but whose actions differ in subtle (but important) ways.
• Discussions of potential portability problems, including straightforward ways to avoid them.

Like Meyers’ previous books, Effective STL is filled with proven wisdom that comes only from experience. Its clear, concise, penetrating style makes it an essential resource for every STL programmer.

About the Author

Scott Meyers is one of the world's foremost authorities on C++, providing training and consulting services to clients worldwide. He is the author of the best-selling Effective C++ series of books (Effective C++, More Effective C++, and Effective STL) and of the innovative Effective C++ CD. He is consulting editor for Addison Wesley's Effective Software Development Series and serves on the Advisory Board for The C++ Source (http://www.artima.com/cppsource). He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Brown University. His web site is http://www.aristeia.com.

Customer Reviews

What you would expect from the master of programming wisdom
Up to the standard (no pun intended) of Scott's earlier C++ works (Effective C++ and More Effective C++). I've read half of it so far and even though it has not taught me any major new insights it has rounded out my understanding of some of the details of STL usage. One thing I particularly liked was that, while Scott doesn't pull any punches when it comes to pointing out certain flaws or quirks in the library, overall he is very enthusiastic and recommends it highly - a good balance that is inspires respect (both in him and in the library!). My only criticism is that maybe it has been contrived a little too much for the "effective" books format, and some of the material looks like he's just desperately tried to think of something that will fit (maybe that's just my interpretation). Nonetheless, Scott's accessible narrative style makes this book an essential aid to mastering the STL.

Good coverage of STL gotchas
The STL is a boon to C++ programmers, but suffers from a lack of _good_ readable documentation - sure there are tutorials and reference books, but little to say which of several choices is actually the best in given circumstances. This book, like Meyers' Effective C++ one, does tackle that area: for example, looking at the efficiency of passing function objects to algorithms vs using function pointers. It also describes a number of areas that might have programmers scratching their heads over some non-obvious errors (such as use of erase).

The style is a bit patronising in places, but that is more than made up for by the excellent material in the book - it's one of the few STL books that warrants space on my bookshelf, not that it'll spend much time gathering dust there!

Now, if only Addison-Wesley would produce a searchable CD version of the book...

An STL Masterpiece
It is massively difficult to find a decent source of information regarding usage of the STL. Yes, there's Josuttis et al, but these are more your syntax manuals, rather than a guide on how to use the libraries correctly. Meyers excells at this kind of tutorship, and this book is no exception.

However, although the information contained in this book is excellent, I am unsure as to who will find the most rewards from it. Meyers covers a great deal of STL background in the Effective C++ range, this book really goes into heavy technical detail which many coders will never actually need or experience.

In all, if you are a very technical coder that requires knowledge of the advanced elements of STL, or you just want to improve your mastership of the STL then I recommend this book wholeheartedly. Otherwise, I really think you'll gain all the information you'll need from the Effective and More Effective C++ books (these are the essential purchases).