Collections are used to store and manage elements (or objects) of a user-defined type. Different collections have different internal structures, performance characteristics, and access methods for storage and retrieval of objects. The Collection Classes implement the common collection types, such as trees, relations and ordered lists. They provide a framework of properties to help you decide which abstract collection type is appropriate in a given situation, and allow you to choose how the abstract data type you have chosen is implemented.
The Collection Classes let you choose the appropriate collection type for a given situation by providing collection classes which have a systematic and consistent combination of basic properties. These properties help you to select the appropriate level of abstraction. For example, you may have the choice between using a bag and a key sorted set. The properties of these two collections will help you decide which one is more appropriate.
The Collection Classes offer you a choice of implementations for each type of collection. Each abstract collection class has a common interface with all of its possible implementations. It is easy to replace one implementation with another for performance reasons or if the requirements of your application change.
The Collection Classes are divided into three types:
Collection Class
Hierarchy
Overall
Implementation Structure
Element
Functions and Key-Type Functions
Collection Class
Polymorphism
Collection
Characteristics
Ordering of
Collection Elements
Access by Key
Equality
Relation
Uniqueness
of Entries
Adding Elements
Removing
Elements
Replacing
Elements
Overview of
Iteration
Iteration with
Cursors
Iteration
with allElementsDo
Flat Collections
Trees
Defining
Equality Relation
Defining Key
or Element Equality
Defining an
Operations Class
Implementing
Element- and Key-Type Functionality
Defining
Member Functions of the Element Object Type
Defining
Separate Global Functions
Using
or Defining an Element Operation Class
Things
to Watch Out For
Class
Template Naming Conventions
Possible
Implementation Paths
Choosing One
of the Provided Implementation Variants
Copying and
Referencing Collections
Choosing the
Appropriate Smart Pointer Class
Replacing
the Default Implementation
Taking
Advantage of the Abstract Class Hierarchy
Instantiating
the Collection Classes
