C++ – vector::at vs. vector::operator[]

cstdvectorstl

I know that at() is slower than [] because of its boundary checking, which is also discussed in similar questions like C++ Vector at/[] operator speed or ::std::vector::at() vs operator[] << surprising results!! 5 to 10 times slower/faster!. I just don't understand what the at() method is good for.

If I have a simple vector like this one: std::vector<int> v(10); and I decide to access its elements by using at() instead of [] in situation when I have a index i and I'm not sure if its in vectors bounds, it forces me to wrap it with try-catch block:

try
{
    v.at(i) = 2;
}
catch (std::out_of_range& oor)
{
    ...
}

although I'm able to do the get the same behaviour by using size() and checking the index on my own, which seems easier and much convenient for me:

if (i < v.size())
    v[i] = 2;

So my question is:
What are advantages of using vector::at over vector::operator[] ?
When should I use vector::at rather than vector::size + vector::operator[] ?

Best Answer

I'd say the exceptions that vector::at() throws aren't really intended to be caught by the immediately surrounding code. They are mainly useful for catching bugs in your code. If you need to bounds-check at runtime because e.g. the index comes from user input, you're indeed best off with an if statement. So in summary, design your code with the intention that vector::at() will never throw an exception, so that if it does, and your program aborts, it's a sign of a bug. (just like an assert())

Using std::vector

Using iterators

for(std::vector<T>::iterator it = v.begin(); it != v.end(); ++it) {
    /* std::cout << *it; ... */
}

Important is, always use the prefix increment form for iterators whose definitions you don't know. That will ensure your code runs as generic as possible.

Using Range C++11

for(auto const& value: a) {
     /* std::cout << value; ... */

Using indices

for(std::vector<int>::size_type i = 0; i != v.size(); i++) {
    /* std::cout << v[i]; ... */
}

Using arrays

Using iterators

for(element_type* it = a; it != (a + (sizeof a / sizeof *a)); it++) {
    /* std::cout << *it; ... */
}

Using Range C++11

for(auto const& value: a) {
     /* std::cout << value; ... */

Using indices

for(std::size_t i = 0; i != (sizeof a / sizeof *a); i++) {
    /* std::cout << a[i]; ... */
}

Read in the backward iterating answer what problem the sizeof approach can yield to, though.

C++ – How to erase an element from std::vector<> by index

To delete a single element, you could do:

std::vector<int> vec;

vec.push_back(6);
vec.push_back(-17);
vec.push_back(12);

// Deletes the second element (vec[1])
vec.erase(std::next(vec.begin()));

Or, to delete more than one element at once:

// Deletes the second through third elements (vec[1], vec[2])
vec.erase(std::next(vec.begin(), 1), std::next(vec.begin(), 3));

Best Answer

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C++ – How to erase an element from std::vector<> by index

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