Software Design Using C++
An Online Book
Old Version -- No Longer Maintained
The Standard Template Library
The Standard Template Library (STL) is a fairly recent and powerful addition
to C++. Through the use of template-based container classes, iterators,
algorithms, etc. the STL allows one to easily use common data structures
such as lists and stacks that have already been implemented for you. In
addition, one can use the STL to create various kinds of stacks,
for example, within the same program.
(Thus you could have a stack of floats and a stack of characters.)
The STL is large and somewhat complex. Only some of its
features will be presented here. See the references below for further
information. Some of the items not examined in these Web pages include
certain container classes (such as deques, sets, and multimaps), some of
the available class functions and algorithms, function objects, and allocators.
STL Topics
- MFC Programming in C++ with the Standard Template Libraries.
William H. Murray, Chris H. Pappas.
Prentice-Hall PTR (2000).
This book discusses templates, the standard template library,
Microsoft Foundation Class programming, and graphics programming.
- Data Structures with C++. William Ford, William Topp.
Prentice-Hall (1996). Although this book does not cover the STL, it
does provide material on templates and iterators, which are heavily
used by the STL.
- C++ from the Ground Up, 2nd ed. Herbert Schildt.
Osborne/McGraw-Hill (1998). See especially chapters 16 and 21.
- STL Programming from the Ground Up. Herbert Schildt.
Osborne/McGraw-Hill (1999).
- Data Structures in C++ Using the Standard Template Library.
Timothy Budd. Addison-Wesley (1998).
- Teach Yourself C++, 5th ed. Al Stevens.
MIS:Press (1997). Chapter 16 has a brief introduction to the STL.
- C++ How to Program, 2nd ed. Deitel & Deitel.
Prentice-Hall (1998). See especially chapters 12 and 20.