<algorithm>
Defines Standard Template Library (STL) container template functions that perform algorithms.
For a list of all members of this header, see <algorithm> Members.
#include <algorithm>
Remarks
The STL algorithms are generic because they can operate on a variety of data structures. The data structures that they can operate on include not only the STL container classes such as vector and list, but also program-defined data structures and arrays of elements that satisfy the requirements of a particular algorithm. STL algorithms achieve this level of generality by accessing and traversing the elements of a container indirectly through iterators. STL algorithms process iterator ranges that are typically specified by their beginning or ending positions. The ranges referred to must be valid in the sense that all pointers in the ranges must be dereferenceable and within the sequences of each range, the last position must be reachable from the first by incrementation.
The STL algorithms extend the actions supported by the operations and member functions of each STL container and allow working, for example, with different types of container objects at the same time. Two suffixes have been used to convey information about the purpose of the algorithms.
The _if suffix indicates that the algorithm is used with function objects operating on the values of the elements rather than on the values of the elements themselves. The find_if algorithm looks for elements whose values satisfy the criterion specified by a function object, and the find algorithm searches for a particular value.
The copy suffix indicates that the algorithm not only manipulates the values of the elements but also copies the modified values into a destination range. The reverse algorithm reverses the order of the elements within a range, and the reverse_copy algorithm also copies the result into a destination range.
STL algorithms are often classified into groups that indicate something about their purpose or requirements. These include modifying algorithms that change the value of elements as compared with nonmodifying algorithms that do not. Mutating algorithms change the order of elements, but not the values of their elements. Removing algorithms can eliminate elements from a range or a copy of a range. Sorting algorithms reorder the elements in a range in various ways and sorted range algorithms only act on algorithms whose elements have been sorted in a particular way.
The STL numeric algorithms that are provided for numerical processing have their own header file <numeric>, and function objects and adaptors are defined in the header <functional>. Function objects that return Boolean values are known as predicates. The default binary predicate is the comparison operator<. In general, the elements being ordered need to be less than comparable so that, given any two elements, it can be determined either that they are equivalent (in the sense that neither is less than the other) or that one is less than the other. This results in an ordering among the nonequivalent elements.