C++ named requirements: CharTraits - cppreference.com (original) (raw)

CharTraits is a traits class that abstracts basic character and string operations for a given character type. Most standard library string and input/output classes require a CharTraits template type parameter alongside a corresponding character template type parameter.

Contents

[edit] Requirements

No operation listed below on CharTraits may throw an exception.

Given

[edit] Types

Type Semantics
X::char_type CharT
X::int_type A type that can hold all valid values of X::char_type plus X::eof()
X::off_type Invokes implementation-defined behavior if not std::streamoff when X is used as the traits template parameter in input/output classes.
X::pos_type Functions in input/output classes returning this type use X::pos_type(X::off_type(-1)) as an invalid value to signal an error Use of this invalid value as an argument to any std::istream, std::ostream or std::streambuf member taking a value of this type is undefined behavior Invokes implementation-defined behavior if this type is not std::streampos when X is used as the traits template parameter in input/output classes
X::state_type Destructible, CopyAssignable, CopyConstructible, DefaultConstructible

[edit] Expressions

Expression Return type Semantics Complexity
X::eq(c, d) bool Returns: whether c is to be treated as equal to d Constant
X::lt(c, d) bool Returns: whether c is to be treated as less than d Constant
X::compare(p, q, n) int Returns: ​0​ if for each i in [​0​, n), X::eq(p[i], q[i]) is true Else, a negative value if For some j in [​0​, n), X::lt(p[j], q[j]) is true and For each i in [​0​, j), X::eq(p[i], q[i]) is true Else a positive value Linear
X::length(p) std::size_t Returns: the smallest i such that X::eq(p[i], CharT()) is true Linear
X::find(p, n, c) const X::char_type* Returns: The smallest q in [p, p + n) such that X::eq(*q, c) is true ​0​ otherwise Linear
X::move(s, p, n) X::char_type* For each i in [​0​, n), performs X::assign(s[i], p[i]) Copies correctly even where the ranges [p, p + n) and [s, s + n) overlap Returns: s Linear
X::copy(s, p, n) X::char_type* Requires: [p, p + n) and [s, s + n) do not overlap Returns: s For each i in [​0​, n), performs X::assign(s[i], p[i]) Linear
X::assign(r, d) (Not used) Assigns r = d Constant
X::assign(s, n, c) X::char_type* For each i in [​0​, n), performs X::assign(s[i], c). Returns: s Linear
X::not_eof(e) X::int_type Returns: e if X::eq_int_type(e, X::eof()) is false Otherwise a value f such that X::eq_int_type(f, X::eof()) is false Constant
X::to_char_type(e) X::char_type Returns: If for some c, X::eq_int_type(e, X::to_int_type(c)) is true, c Else some unspecified value Constant
X::to_int_type(c) X::int_type Returns: some value e, constrained by the definitions of X::to_char_type and X::eq_int_type Constant
X::eq_int_type(e, f) bool For all c and d, X::eq(c, d) is equal to X::eq_int_type(X::to_int_type(c), X::to_int_type(d)) Returns: Yields X::eq(c, d) if for some c and d, e == X::to_int_type(c) and f == X::to_int_type(d) Otherwise, yields true if e and f are both copies of X::eof() Otherwise, yields false if one of e and f is a copy of X::eof() and the other is not Otherwise the value is unspecified Constant
X::eof() X::int_type Returns: a value e such that X::eq_int_type(e, X::to_int_type(c)) is false for all values c Constant

[edit] Standard library

CharTraits is required by the following standard library class templates as a template type parameter:

Strings
basic_string stores and manipulates sequences of characters (class template) [edit]
basic_string_view(C++17) read-only string view (class template) [edit]
Streams
basic_ios manages an arbitrary stream buffer (class template) [edit]
basic_istream wraps a given abstract device (std::basic_streambuf)and provides high-level input interface (class template) [edit]
basic_ifstream implements high-level file stream input operations (class template) [edit]
basic_istringstream implements high-level string stream input operations (class template) [edit]
basic_ispanstream(C++23) implements fixed character buffer input operations (class template) [edit]
basic_ostream wraps a given abstract device (std::basic_streambuf)and provides high-level output interface (class template) [edit]
basic_ofstream implements high-level file stream output operations (class template) [edit]
basic_ostringstream implements high-level string stream output operations (class template) [edit]
basic_osyncstream(C++20) synchronized output stream wrapper (class template) [edit]
basic_ospanstream(C++23) implements fixed character buffer output operations (class template) [edit]
basic_iostream wraps a given abstract device (std::basic_streambuf)and provides high-level input/output interface (class template) [edit]
basic_fstream implements high-level file stream input/output operations (class template) [edit]
basic_stringstream implements high-level string stream input/output operations (class template) [edit]
basic_spanstream(C++23) implements fixed character buffer input/output operations (class template) [edit]
Stream iterators
istream_iterator input iterator that reads from std::basic_istream (class template) [edit]
ostream_iterator output iterator that writes to std::basic_ostream (class template) [edit]
Stream buffers
basic_streambuf abstracts a raw device (class template) [edit]
basic_filebuf implements raw file device (class template) [edit]
basic_stringbuf implements raw string device (class template) [edit]
basic_syncbuf(C++20) synchronized output device wrapper (class template) [edit]
basic_spanbuf(C++23) implements raw fixed character buffer device (class template) [edit]
Stream buffer iterators
istreambuf_iterator input iterator that reads from std::basic_streambuf (class template) [edit]
ostreambuf_iterator output iterator that writes to std::basic_streambuf (class template) [edit]

CharTraits is satisfied by the following standard library explicit specializations of std::char_traits:

| template<> class char_traits<char>; template<> class char_traits<wchar_t>; template<> class char_traits<char8_t>; template<> class char_traits<char16_t>; template<> class char_traits<char32_t>; | | (since C++20)(since C++11)(since C++11) | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | --------------------------------------- |

[edit] Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
LWG 335 C++98 the requirements on the binary overload ofassign did not prevent assignments to rvalues its first argumentcan only be an lvalue
LWG 352 C++98 X::state_type was onlyrequired to be CopyConstructible it is also required to beCopyAssignable and DefaultConstructible
LWG 3085 C++98 X::copy(s, p, n) only required p notin [s, s + n), which is too weak[1] requires [p, p + n) and[s, s + n) not to overlap
  1. [p, p + n) and [s, s + n) can overlap, using std::memcpy to implement X::copy results in undefined behavior in this case.