The STL Tutorial and Reference Guide: C++ Programming with the Standard Template Library Professional Computing: Amazon.co.uk: David R. Musser, Gillmer J. Derge, Atul Saini: Books

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"The second edition is clearer and adds more examples on how to use STL in a practical environment. Moreover, it is more concerned with performance and tools for its measurement. Both changes are very welcome."
--Lawrence Rauchwerger, Texas A&M University"So many algorithms, so little time! The generic algorithms chapter with so many more examples than in the previous edition is delightful! The examples work cumulatively to give a sense of comfortable competence with the algorithms, containers, and iterators used."
--Max A. Lebow, Software Engineer, Unisys Corporation

The STL Tutorial and Reference Guide is highly acclaimed as the most accessible, comprehensive, and practical introduction to the Standard Template Library (STL). Encompassing a set of C++ generic data structures and algorithms, STL provides reusable, interchangeable components adaptable to many different uses without sacrificing efficiency. Written by authors who have been instrumental in the creation and practical application of STL, STL Tutorial and Reference Guide, Second Edition includes a tutorial, a thorough description of each element of the library, numerous sample applications, and a comprehensive reference.

You will find in-depth explanations of iterators, generic algorithms, containers, function objects, and much more. Several larger, non-trivial applications demonstrate how to put STL's power and flexibility to work. This book will also show you how to integrate STL with object-oriented programming techniques. In addition, the comprehensive and detailed STL reference guide will be a constant and convenient companion as you learn to work with the library.

This second edition is fully updated to reflect all of the changes made to STL for the final ANSI/ISO C++ language standard. It has been expanded with new chapters and appendices. Many new code examples throughout the book illustrate individual concepts and techniques, while larger sample programs demonstrate the use of the STL in real-world C++ software development. An accompanying Web site, including source code and examples referenced in the text, can be found at http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~musser/stl-book/index.html.

0201379236B05212001

From the Back Cover

"So many algorithms, so little time! The generic algorithms chapter with so many more examples than in the previous edition is delightful! The examples work cumulatively to give a sense of comfortable competence with the algorithms, containers, and iterators used."
--Max A. Lebow, Software Engineer, Unisys Corporation

0201379236B07092001

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Excellent introduction to the STL 2 Nov 2002

By Michael C da Silva

Format:Hardcover

This is an excellent introduction to the STL, and at the time it was written, was the only book available on the subject.

The examples are necessarily simple (mutating alphabetic and numeric sequences etc), but are sufficient to demonstrate the power of the container and algorithm functionality without extraneous clutter.

The discussion of Big-Oh notation and quantification of the performance impact of container and algorithm choices is particularly useful in guiding the developer towards the appropriate choice for their application.

One minor annoyance is that because this book was published prior to ratification of the C++ Standard, the book does not reflect the adoption of the std namespace, dropping of the file extension (eg .h) for standard library headers, and the general renaming of header files that occurred as part of the standardization process.

However, as a contract C++ programmer, I have found this book invaluable in developing quality systems to constrained timescales and budget, using Visual C++ 4.2 onwards.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Still the best guide for the standard C++ library 17 Oct 1998

By A Customer

Since this book was written the Standard Template Library (STL) has become part of the ANSI/ISO standard C++ library. The book is old (for being a bleeding edge technology) and some minor details have changed, but this is still the best guide available. Every serious C++ programmer should have this book within reach when programming.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Excellent tutorial / Decent (albeit abridged) reference 7 July 1998

If you are just starting, you can't lose with this. A three part book - philosophy and overview of generic programming / putting STL to use (an anagram machine) / reference. Well laid out, easy to follow, brings you from zero knowledge to above average ability quickly. I hesitate to give it five stars because it fails to mention several large chunks of STL that you could immediately use, including the functionals and some very useful pieces (strings (with iostreams), bit sets, fstreams, locales, limits, etc). Aesthetically pleasing next to the Gang-o-Four (Design Patterns - also by Addison-Wesley).