24 Iterators library [iterators]

24.3 Iterator requirements [iterator.requirements]

24.3.2 Associated types [iterator.assoc.types]

24.3.2.1 Incrementable traits [incrementable.traits]

24.3.2.2 Indirectly readable traits [readable.traits]

24.3.2.3 Iterator traits [iterator.traits]

24.3.2.1 Incrementable traits [incrementable.traits]

To implement algorithms only in terms of incrementable types, it is often necessary to determine the difference type that corresponds to a particular incrementable type.

Accordingly, it is required that if WI is the name of a type that models the weakly_incrementable concept ([iterator.concept.winc]), the type iter_difference_t<WI> be defined as the incrementable type's difference type.

🔗

namespace std { template<class> struct incrementable_traits { }; template<class T> requires is_object_v<T> struct incrementable_traits<T*> { using difference_type = ptrdiff_t; }; template<class I> struct incrementable_traits<const I> : incrementable_traits { }; template<class T> requires requires { typename T::difference_type; } struct incrementable_traits<T> { using difference_type = typename T::difference_type; }; template<class T> requires (!requires { typename T::difference_type; } && requires(const T& a, const T& b) { { a - b } -> integral; }) struct incrementable_traits<T> { using difference_type = make_signed_t<decltype(declval<T>() - declval<T>())>; }; template<class T> using iter_difference_t = see below; }

Let

R_{I}

be remove_cvref_t.

The type iter_difference_t denotes

(2.1)
incrementable_traits< $R_{I}$ >::difference_type if iterator_traits< $R_{I}$ > names a specialization generated from the primary template, and
(2.2)
iterator_traits< $R_{I}$ >::difference_type otherwise.

Users may specialize incrementable_traits on program-defined types.

24.3.2.2 Indirectly readable traits [readable.traits]

To implement algorithms only in terms of indirectly readable types, it is often necessary to determine the value type that corresponds to a particular indirectly readable type.

Accordingly, it is required that if R is the name of a type that models the indirectly_readable concept ([iterator.concept.readable]), the type iter_value_t<R> be defined as the indirectly readable type's value type.

🔗

template<class> struct cond-value-type { }; // exposition only template<class T> requires is_object_v<T> struct cond-value-type<T> { using value_type = remove_cv_t<T>; }; template<class T> concept has-member-value-type = requires { typename T::value_type; }; // exposition only template<class T> concept has-member-element-type = requires { typename T::element_type; }; // exposition only template<class> struct indirectly_readable_traits { }; template<class T> struct indirectly_readable_traits<T*> : cond-value-type<T> { }; template<class I> requires is_array_v struct indirectly_readable_traits { using value_type = remove_cv_t<remove_extent_t>; }; template<class I> struct indirectly_readable_traits<const I> : indirectly_readable_traits { }; template<has-member-value-type T> struct indirectly_readable_traits<T> : cond-value-type<typename T::value_type> { }; template<has-member-element-type T> struct indirectly_readable_traits<T> : cond-value-type<typename T::element_type> { }; template<has-member-value-type T> requires has-member-element-type<T> struct indirectly_readable_traits<T> { }; template<has-member-value-type T> requires has-member-element-type<T> && same_as<remove_cv_t<typename T::element_type>, remove_cv_t<typename T::value_type>> struct indirectly_readable_traits<T> : cond-value-type<typename T::value_type> { }; template<class T> using iter_value_t = see below;

Let

R_{I}

be remove_cvref_t.

The type iter_value_t denotes

(2.1)
indirectly_readable_traits< $R_{I}$ >::value_type if iterator_traits< $R_{I}$ > names a specialization generated from the primary template, and
(2.2)
iterator_traits< $R_{I}$ >::value_type otherwise.

Class template indirectly_readable_traits may be specialized on program-defined types.

[Note 1:

Some legacy output iterators define a nested type named value_type that is an alias for void.

These types are not indirectly_readable and have no associated value types.

— end note]

[Note 2:

Smart pointers like shared_ptr<int> are indirectly_readable and have an associated value type, but a smart pointer like shared_ptr<void> is not indirectly_readable and has no associated value type.

— end note]

24.3.2.3 Iterator traits [iterator.traits]

To implement algorithms only in terms of iterators, it is sometimes necessary to determine the iterator category that corresponds to a particular iterator type.

Accordingly, it is required that if I is the type of an iterator, the type

🔗

iterator_traits::iterator_category be defined as the iterator's iterator category.

In addition, the types

🔗

iterator_traits::pointer iterator_traits::reference shall be defined as the iterator's pointer and reference types; that is, for an iterator object a of class type, the same type as decltype(a.operator->()) and decltype(*a), respectively.

The type iterator_traits::pointer shall be void for an iterator of class type I that does not support operator->.

Additionally, in the case of an output iterator, the types iterator_traits::value_type iterator_traits::difference_type iterator_traits::reference may be defined as void.

The definitions in this subclause make use of the following exposition-only concepts: template<class I> concept cpp17-iterator = requires(I i) { { *i } -> can-reference; { ++i } -> same_as<I&>; { *i++ } -> can-reference; } && copyable; template<class I> concept cpp17-input-iterator = cpp17-iterator && equality_comparable && requires(I i) { typename incrementable_traits::difference_type; typename indirectly_readable_traits::value_type; typename common_reference_t<iter_reference_t&&, typename indirectly_readable_traits::value_type&>; typename common_reference_t<decltype(*i++)&&, typename indirectly_readable_traits::value_type&>; requires signed_integral<typename incrementable_traits::difference_type>; }; template<class I> concept cpp17-forward-iterator = cpp17-input-iterator && constructible_from && is_reference_v<iter_reference_t> && same_as<remove_cvref_t<iter_reference_t>, typename indirectly_readable_traits::value_type> && requires(I i) { { i++ } -> convertible_to<const I&>; { *i++ } -> same_as<iter_reference_t>; }; template<class I> concept cpp17-bidirectional-iterator = cpp17-forward-iterator && requires(I i) { { --i } -> same_as<I&>; { i-- } -> convertible_to<const I&>; { *i-- } -> same_as<iter_reference_t>; }; template<class I> concept cpp17-random-access-iterator = cpp17-bidirectional-iterator && totally_ordered && requires(I i, typename incrementable_traits::difference_type n) { { i += n } -> same_as<I&>; { i -= n } -> same_as<I&>; { i + n } -> same_as; { n + i } -> same_as; { i - n } -> same_as; { i - i } -> same_as<decltype(n)>; { i[n] } -> convertible_to<iter_reference_t>; };

The members of a specialization iterator_traits generated from the iterator_traits primary template are computed as follows:

(3.1)
If I has valid ([temp.deduct]) member types difference_type, value_type, reference, and iterator_category, then iterator_traits has the following publicly accessible members: using iterator_category = typename I::iterator_category; using value_type = typename I::value_type; using difference_type = typename I::difference_type; using pointer = see below; using reference = typename I::reference;
If the qualified-id I::pointer is valid and denotes a type, then iterator_traits::pointer names that type; otherwise, it names void.
(3.2)
Otherwise, if I satisfies the exposition-only concept cpp17-input-iterator, iterator_traits has the following publicly accessible members: using iterator_category = see below; using value_type = typename indirectly_readable_traits::value_type; using difference_type = typename incrementable_traits::difference_type; using pointer = see below; using reference = see below;
- (3.2.1)
 If the qualified-id I::pointer is valid and denotes a type, pointer names that type.
 
 Otherwise, if decltype(declval<I&>().operator->()) is well-formed, then pointer names that type.
 
 Otherwise, pointer names void.
- (3.2.2)
 If the qualified-id I::reference is valid and denotes a type, reference names that type.
 
 Otherwise, reference names iter_reference_t.
- (3.2.3)
 If the qualified-id I::iterator_category is valid and denotes a type, iterator_category names that type.
 Otherwise, iterator_category names:
 - (3.2.3.1)
 random_access_iterator_tag if I satisfies cpp17-random-access-iterator, or otherwise
 - (3.2.3.2)
 bidirectional_iterator_tag if I satisfies cpp17-bidirectional-iterator, or otherwise
 - (3.2.3.3)
 forward_iterator_tag if I satisfies cpp17-forward-iterator, or otherwise
 - (3.2.3.4)
 input_iterator_tag.
(3.3)
Otherwise, if I satisfies the exposition-only concept cpp17-iterator, then iterator_traits has the following publicly accessible members: using iterator_category = output_iterator_tag; using value_type = void; using difference_type = see below; using pointer = void; using reference = void;
If the qualified-id incrementable_traits::difference_type is valid and denotes a type, then difference_type names that type; otherwise, it names void.
(3.4)
Otherwise, iterator_traits has no members by any of the above names.

Explicit or partial specializations of iterator_traits may have a member type iterator_concept that is used to indicate conformance to the iterator concepts ([iterator.concepts]).

[Example 1:

To indicate conformance to the input_iterator concept but a lack of conformance to the Cpp17InputIterator requirements ([input.iterators]), an iterator_traits specialization might have iterator_concept denote input_iterator_tag but not define iterator_category.

— end example]

iterator_traits is specialized for pointers as namespace std { template<class T> requires is_object_v<T> struct iterator_traits<T*> { using iterator_concept = contiguous_iterator_tag; using iterator_category = random_access_iterator_tag; using value_type = remove_cv_t<T>; using difference_type = ptrdiff_t; using pointer = T*; using reference = T&; }; }

[Example 2:

To implement a generic reverse function, a C++ program can do the following: template<class BI> void reverse(BI first, BI last) { typename iterator_traits<BI>::difference_type n = distance(first, last); --n; while (n > 0) { typename iterator_traits<BI>::value_type tmp = *first; *first++ = *--last; *last = tmp; n -= 2; } }

— end example]