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Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
C++ Best way to check if an iterator is valid
I want to do something like this:
std::vector<int>::iterator it;
// /cut/ search for something in vector and point iterator at it.
if(!it) //check whether found
do_something();
But there is no operator! for iterators. How can I check whether iterator points at anything?
You can't. The usual idiom is to use the container's end iterator as a 'not found' marker. This is what std::find returns.
std::vector<int>::iterator i = std::find(v.begin(), v.end(), 13);
if (i != v.end())
{
// ...
}
The only thing you can do with an unassigned iterator is assign a value to it.
Though the iterators are considered as general form of pointers, they are not exactly the pointers. The standard defines Past-the-end iterator to indicate the search failure in containers. Hence, it is not recommended to check the iterators for NULL
Past-the-end values are nonsingular and nondereferenceable.
if(it != aVector.end()) //past-the-end iterator
do_something();
If you want to use iterator in a loop, the safest way to use it is in this fashion:
for (std::vector<int>::iterator it = v.begin(); it != v.end(); ++it)
{
do_smth();
}
I believe this should generally give you a good test:
if (iterator._Mycont == &MyContainer)
{
Probably a valid iterator!
}
You could do tests to make sure that the iterator does not equal the end...
iterator != MyContainer.end()
and:
iterator >= MyContainer.begin()
Related
This question already has answers here:
How to remove from a map while iterating it?
(6 answers)
Closed 8 years ago.
I'm using Xcode with C++ 11 for a std::map. Some elements in my map have a flag that says they need to be removed.
I want to iterate through the map, erasing the flagged elements in O(n) time. The call to erase does not return an iterator. I have seen some kind of erase(it++) implementation, but I have no evidence that such a call can work since the iterator will become invalid after the erase operation but before the increment operation.
My current code seems so inefficient.
for(auto it = myMap.begin(); it != myMap.end(); ++it)
{
delete *it;
myMap.erase(it);
it = myMap.begin(); //how can I avoid iterating through the map again
}
From the online documentation:
"Iterators, pointers and references referring to elements removed by the function are invalidated. All other iterators, pointers and references keep their validity."
So maybe this:
for(auto it = myMap.begin(); it != myMap.end();)
{
auto itPrev = it;
++it;
if(shouldBeDeleted(*itPrev))
myMap.erase(itPrev);
}
Edit: The erase(it++) idea you mention is actually ok, because the increment occurs (and returns a copy of the old, pre-increment value) before erase() is called. It's in effect the equivalent of:
template<typename IteratorT>
IteratorT PostIncrement(IteratorT& it)
{
auto copy = it;
++it;
return copy;
}
for(auto it = myMap.begin(); it != myMap.end();)
myMap.erase(PostIncrement(it));
which amounts to the same thing as the other example. Incidentally, this is why you should normally use the prefix ++ with iterators; that copy operation is extra overhead, and you usually don't need it.
When std::map::erase() is passed an iterator, it returns an iterator to the next element that follows the element being erased. This allows you to continue your iteration without starting over.
Try this:
auto it = myMap.begin();
while (it != myMap.end())
{
if (it->flagged)
{
delete *it;
it = myMap.erase(it);
}
else
++it;
}
This question already has answers here:
Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
C++ Best way to check if an iterator is valid
Let's say I have a function which takes an iterator as its sole parameter as below.
void DoSomethingWithIterator(std::vector<int>::iterator iter)
{
// Check the pre-condition
assert( /* how to validate iter here? */ )
// Operate on iter afterwards
..
}
How do I know if iter is valid or not. By valid, I mean it points to a existing element inside the vector, e.g., from m_intVector.begin() to m_intVector.end().
In general, you can't do that. C++ types are designed to be maximally efficient and don't contain such additional information.
For example, vector's iterator is likely to be equivalent to a pointer to element (this is the case on my machine, using g++ 4.7.2).
> I mean it points to a existing element inside the vector, e.g., from m_intVector.begin() to m_intVector.end().
Sure. Just iterate through the contents of m_vector, and compare each iterator to iter.
for ( std::vector<int>::iterator it = m_intVector.begin (); it != m_intVector.end (); ++it )
if ( it == iter ) return true;
return false;
But I suspect that you won't want to pay for that kind of checking.
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Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
iterator validity ,after erase() call in std::set
When I iterate over a set and want to delete certain items the iterators are changed. This results in segfaults as the iteration fails after deletion. How can I overcome this problem?
std::set< std::pair<double,unsigned>, comparisonFunction> candidates;'
[...]
for( auto it = candidates.begin(); it != candidates.end(); ++it)
{
[...]
if ( some constraint satisfied)
{
candidates.erase(it);
}
}
I encounter a segfault when I use this code. My guess is that this is either due to the corrupted iterators or due to the fact, that the element to be deleted is the last element in some cases. Does a post increment on the iterator overcome this problem? Like this:
candidate.erase(it++);
Use the return value of erase:
it = candidates.erase(it);
Note that you must not increment it if you erase an element, otherwise your iterator could be invalidated.
for( auto it = candidates.begin(); it != candidates.end();)
{
if ( some constraint satisfied)
{
it = candidates.erase(it);
}
else
++it;
}
Also note that this wasn't possible in C++03, since erase didn't return any iterator. However, since you're using C++11 it shouldn't be a problem.
References
std::set::erase
I was wondering if something like this is safe...
// Iterating through a <list>
while ( iter != seq.end()) {
if ( test ) {
iter = seq.erase( iter );
} else {
++iter;
}
I know that iterating through a vector in this way would invalidate the iterator, but would the same thing occur in a list? I assume not since a list is sequential through pointers rather than being "next" to each other in memory, but any reassurance would be helpful.
This is just fine because the erase method returns a new valid iterator.
Yes -- std::list::erase(): "Invalidates only the iterators and references to the erased elements."
That said, you probably shouldn't do this at all -- you seem to be trying to imitate std::remove_if().
The standard defines erase behaviour for every STL container. For std::list only iterators to the erased elements are invalidated. The return value of erase needn't be a dereferencable one, though (it could be list.end()).
Therefore, to erase all elements in a list the following is absolutely valid:
.. it = l.begin();
while(it != l.end()) {
it = l.erase(it);
}
BUT beware of something like this (dangerous pitfall):
for (.. it = l.begin; it != l.end(); ++it) {
it = l.erase(it);
}
If it is l.end(), it is incremented twice (second time by the loop head). Baamm.
Yes, this is the standard way to do that. See Effective STL, Item 9 (p. 46).
Yes, this is totally safe. The erase() function returns an iterator to the element succeeding the one which was erased. Had you not reassigned the result of erase() to iter, you'd have trouble.
As others have explained, your code does not invalidate the iterator used in the function. However, it does invalidate other iterators if the collection is a vector, but not if the collection is a list.
As others have mentioned, yes, it will work. But I'd recommend using list::remove_if instead, as it's more expressive.
This question already has answers here:
What happens if you call erase() on a map element while iterating from begin to end?
(3 answers)
Closed 8 years ago.
Can I continue to use an multimap iterator even after a call to multimap::erase()? For example:
Blah::iterator iter;
for ( iter = mm.begin();
iter != mm.end();
iter ++ )
{
if ( iter->second == something )
{
mm.erase( iter );
}
}
Should this be expected to run correctly, or is the iterator invalidated following the call to erase? Reference sites like http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/stl/multimap/erase.html are strangely quiet on this topic of the lifespans of iterators, or the effects of constructive/destructive methods on iterators.
http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/Multimap.html
Multimap has the important property that inserting a new element
into a multimap does not invalidate iterators that point to existing
elements. Erasing an element from a multimap also does not invalidate
any iterators, except, of course, for iterators that actually point to
the element that is being erased.
So it should look like this:
Blah::iterator iter;
for ( iter = mm.begin();iter != mm.end();)
{
if ( iter->second == something )
{
mm.erase( iter++ );
// Use post increment. This increments the iterator but
// returns a copy of the original iterator to be used by
// the erase method
}
else
{
++iter; // Use Pre Increment for efficiency.
}
}
Also see:
What happens if you call erase() on a map element while iterating from begin to end?
and
delete a specific entry in the map,but the iterator must point to the next element after the deletion
C++ Standard 23.1.2.8:
The insert members shall not affect the validity of iterators and references to the container, and the erase members shall
invalidate only iterators and references to the erased elements.
This is a common requirement for all associative containers, and std::multimap is one of them.