17 Language support library [support]

17.10 Initializer lists [support.initlist]

17.10.2 Header <initializer_list> synopsis [initializer.list.syn]

// all freestanding namespace std { template<class E> class initializer_list { public: using value_type = E; using reference = const E&; using const_reference = const E&; using size_type = size_t; using iterator = const E*; using const_iterator = const E*; constexpr initializer_list() noexcept; constexpr size_t size() const noexcept; // number of elements constexpr const E* begin() const noexcept; // first element constexpr const E* end() const noexcept; // one past the last element }; // [support.initlist.range], initializer list range access template<class E> constexpr const E* begin(initializer_list<E> il) noexcept; template<class E> constexpr const E* end(initializer_list<E> il) noexcept; }
An object of type initializer_list<E> provides access to an array of objects of type const E.
[Note 1: 
A pair of pointers or a pointer plus a length would be obvious representations for initializer_list.
initializer_list is used to implement initializer lists as specified in [dcl.init.list].
Copying an initializer list does not copy the underlying elements.
— end note]
If an explicit specialization or partial specialization of initializer_list is declared, the program is ill-formed.