STL for C++ Programmers (Paperback)

~ Leen Ammeraal (Author) "As its name suggests, the Standard Template Library (STL) is based on the comparatively new subject of templates..." (more)
Key Phrases: using namespace std, following program shows, iterator position, Standard Template Library, Computing Atan, Hewlett-Packard Company (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Standard Template Library (STL) is one of the most powerful features of C++: It allows for fast, flexible data structures with a minimum of programming overhead. However, because of STL's well-deserved reputation for difficult syntax and obscure design principals based on "generic programming" techniques, not all C++ programmers take full advantage of STL's features. STL for C++ Programmers, by Leen Ammeraal, is a very useful guide to the fundamental and advanced features of STL. The book shows the power and extensibility of STL with readable programming examples that are tailored to Borland C++ 5.x, but should work with other C++ compilers.

STL for C++ Programmers starts out with the basics of using STL, including the pitfalls of "name collisions," which can make it difficult for programmers to get STL to work with existing code libraries, such as Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). Basic container types such as vectors, lists, double-ended queues (deques), maps, and sets are introduced. The author then begins to show STL's particular strengths in supporting extensible sets of functions and objects that can manipulate items inside a collection--a topic that is unexplored in many other texts. The rest of the book is devoted to exploring these algorithms in STL. It closes with a very useful application of STL--a class library that arbitrarily processes large numbers (treated as strings), which are used here to calculate the numerical value of pi. STL for C++ Programmers fills a gap in the programming literature with a readable introduction to how to get started in STL programming without a lot of syntactic mumbo jumbo. It also shows how powerful STL can be for advanced users who are willing to delve into the details of this rich class library.

Product Description

"It is the first book that I have read that makes STL quickly usable by working programmers" Francis Glassborow, Chair of The Association of C & C++ Users (ACCU) STL for C++ programmers Leen Ammeraal The Standard Template Library (STL) provides many useful and generally applicable programming tools. This book combines reference material and a well-paced tutorial to get you past the basics quickly. Small, complete programs illustrate the key STL features such as containers, algorithms, iterators and function objects. A section is devoted to the new string data type. All STL algorithms are formally presented by their prototypes and then informally described to show how to use them in practice. Concepts are well illustrated with a large number of example programs all of which are available via ftp (for access details please refer to the preface of the book or Wiley’s website). Finally, special examples are given to explain the advanced notions of function objects and function adaptors, including predicates, binders and negators.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471971812
• ISBN-13: 978-0471971818
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,067,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read practical examples, but seriously deficient, December 15, 1998

By A Customer

Mr Ammeraal writes in a clear, easily understood style. He light on theory but very clear on application. However the book does not have the depth to be a refernce manual. In fact, he doesn't even cover the entire STL. The String class isn't even mentioned. The index is minimalistic. If you need to get a basic understanding of the STL and do not plan on manipulating character strings, this will get you started. If you need to understand the string class or are looking for a useful reference manual, stay away from this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to the use of STL. Lacks depth., February 2, 1998

By A Customer

This text was a great introduction to the use of STL, but it lacked depth in that it only covered how to use STL not how STL works, or how a programmer may derive their own STL classes from the base. It would have been very informative to get a look at a set of overridden classes such as a special iterator, a variant of an allocator class where a constructor with parameters is called instead of the base constructor, etc.. I haven't been able to find such an in-depth book yet. This book never claimed to explain these sort of questions, but it would have been extremely useful, say as the last chapter.