std::format added in C++20 is a powerful helper for various text formatting tasks. In this blog post, we’ll have fun and print some tables with it. You’ll see the “old” C++17 version and compare it against the C++20 style. std::format excercise   As an exercise to learn about std::format, we can try printing some more advanced structures than just “Hello World”.

In this article, you’ll learn why std::initializer_list has a bad reputation in C++. Is passing values using is as efficient as “emplace”, how can we use non-copyable types? You’ll also see how to fix some of the problems. Let’s start with the issues first: 1. Referencing local array   If you recall from the previous article, std::initializer_list expands to some unnamed local array of const objects.

In C++11, we got a handy way to initialize various containers. Rather than using push_back() or insert() several times, you can leverage a single constructor by taking an initializer list. For example, with a vector of strings, you can write: std::vector<std::string> vec { "abc", "xyz", "***" }; We can also write expressions like:

Around the time C++17 was being standardized I saw magical terms like “discriminated union”, “type-safe union” or “sum type” floating around. Later it appeared to mean the same type: “variant”. Let’s see how this brand new std::variant from C++17 works and where it might be useful. Update in early 2023 with notes about C++20, C++23 and other smaller refinements/wording.

I must admit that some previous years for C++ might feel a bit “boring” and “stable”. New features, new standard every three years, meetings, conferences… life as usual (apart from some additional World/Economy/public Health events…). This year seems different as it looks like a “breakpoint” in the history of C++… and who knows where it will lead us.

I’m happy to announce that my new book on C++ Initialization is published and finished! Have a look at the background story and how to get it. Updates: Go to the latest updates from 23rd Dec here, 30 new pages added! Note: Initially, the book was called “Data Member Initialization in Modern C++”, but in September 2022, I updated it heavily and changed the title.

Structured bindings are a C++17 feature that allows you to bind multiple variables to the elements of a structured object, such as a tuple or struct, in a single declaration. This can make your code more concise and easier to read, especially when working with complex data structures. In this blog post, we will look at the basic syntax of this cool feature, its use cases, and even some real-life code examples.

It’s almost the end of the year! As usual, I started writing my “year” summary that I will publish on the 31st of December. The survey has completed, thank your for 649 votes! Stay tuned for the annual summary article on Dec 31st! Yet, this article won’t be possible without your input!

As of C++20, we have four keywords beginning with const. What do they all mean? Are they mostly the same? Let’s compare them in this article. const vs constexpr   const, our good old fried from the early days of C++ (and also C), can be applied to objects to indicate immutability.

In this text you’ll learn about a few techniques and experiments with constexpr and constinit keywords. By exploring the string implementation, you’ll also see why constinit is so powerful. What is SSO   Just briefly, SSO stands for Short String Optimization. It’s usually implemented as a small buffer (an array or something similar) occurring in the same storage as the string object.

If you have a class with a regular data member like an integer or string, you’ll get all special member functions out of the box. But how about different types? In this article, we’ll look at other categories of members like unique_ptr, raw pointers, references, or const members. Introduction   In my book on “C++ Initialization” I recently wrote a chapter about so-called non-regular data members.

In September and October, I had the pleasure of running two meetings about C++20 features for my local Cracow C++ User Group! Here are the slides and additional comments from the presentation. The Talk   Initially I did one presentation using my article on smaller C++ 20 features (20 Smaller yet Handy C++20 Features - C++ Stories).