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      ISO C++

      library

      algorithm

  The neatest accomplishment of the algorithms sect1 is that all the

  work is done via iterators, not containers directly.  This means two

  important things:

      Anything that behaves like an iterator can be used in one of

      these algorithms.  Raw pointers make great candidates, thus

      built-in arrays are fine containers, as well as your own

      iterators.

      The algorithms do not (and cannot) affect the container as a

      whole; only the things between the two iterator endpoints.  If

      you pass a range of iterators only enclosing the middle third of

      a container, then anything outside that range is inviolate.

  Even strings can be fed through the algorithms here, although the

  string class has specialized versions of many of these functions

  (for example, string::find()).  Most of the examples

  on this page will use simple arrays of integers as a playground

  for algorithms, just to keep things simple.  The use of

  N as a size in the examples is to keep things

  easy to read but probably won't be valid code.  You can use wrappers

  such as those described in

  the containers sect1 to keep

  real code readable.

  The single thing that trips people up the most is the definition

  of range used with iterators; the famous

  "past-the-end" rule that everybody loves to hate.  The

  iterators sect1 of this

    document has a complete explanation of this simple rule that seems

    to cause so much confusion.  Once you

    get range into your head (it's not that hard,

    honest!), then the algorithms are a cakewalk.

   If you call  std::swap(x,y);  where x and y are standard

      containers, then the call will automatically be replaced by a call to

       x.swap(y);  instead.

   This allows member functions of each container class to take over, and

      containers' swap functions should have O(1) complexity according to

      the standard.  (And while "should" allows implementations to

      behave otherwise and remain compliant, this implementation does in

      fact use constant-time swaps.)  This should not be surprising, since

      for two containers of the same type to swap contents, only some

      internal pointers to storage need to be exchanged.