C++ STL-Like Vector Class with Stack Storage
C++ is a powerful and popular programming language used in a wide range of applications. One of its key features is the Standard Template Library (STL), which provides a set of generic data structures and algorithms that can be easily used in C++ programs. One of the most commonly used data structures in the STL is the vector class, which provides a dynamic array that can grow or shrink in size as needed. In this article, we will explore how to create a vector class in C++ that uses stack storage instead of the traditional heap storage.
The Standard Template Library (STL) provides a set of container classes that can hold different types of data. These containers are designed to be efficient, easy to use, and highly customizable. The vector class is one of the most versatile containers in the STL, as it can hold a collection of objects of any type and can dynamically change its size based on the number of elements it contains.
Traditionally, the vector class uses heap storage to store its elements. This means that when the size of the vector needs to be changed, the elements are moved to a new location in the heap, and the old memory is deallocated. However, this process can be time-consuming and can cause performance issues in certain situations. To address this issue, we can create a custom vector class that uses stack storage instead of heap storage.
Stack storage is a type of memory allocation where data is stored in a last-in, first-out (LIFO) manner. This means that the last element added to the stack is the first one to be removed. Unlike heap storage, stack storage does not require any dynamic memory allocation or deallocation, making it more efficient and faster.
To create our custom vector class, we will need to define a class that will act as a wrapper for our stack data structure. Let's call this class "StackVector." This class will have two private members: a pointer to the beginning of the stack (top) and an integer to keep track of the size of the stack.
Next, we will create our vector class, which will be a template class that can hold objects of any type. This class will have three private members: a pointer to the beginning of the stack (top), an integer to keep track of the size, and an integer to keep track of the capacity of the stack. The capacity will represent the maximum number of elements that the stack can hold before it needs to be resized.
To initialize our vector, we will use a constructor that will take in the initial capacity of the stack as an argument. In the constructor, we will allocate memory for the stack using the "new" keyword and set the initial size and capacity accordingly.
Next, we will define the push_back() function, which will add an element to the end of our vector. In this function, we will check if the current size is equal to the capacity. If it is, we will call the resize() function to increase the capacity of the stack and then add the new element.
The resize() function will allocate new memory for the stack, copy the existing elements to the new memory, and then deallocate the old memory. This way, we can increase the size of our stack without having to move all the elements to a new location.
To access elements in our vector, we will define the at() function, which will take in an index as an argument and return the element at
