How do I concatenate two std::vector
s?
You should use vector::insert
v1.insert(v1.end(), v2.begin(), v2.end());
I've implemented this function which concatenates any number of containers, moving from rvalue-references and copying otherwise
namespace internal {
// Implementation detail of Concatenate, appends to a pre-reserved vector, copying or moving if
// appropriate
template<typename Target, typename Head, typename... Tail>
void AppendNoReserve(Target* target, Head&& head, Tail&&... tail) {
// Currently, require each homogenous inputs. If there is demand, we could probably implement a
// version that outputs a vector whose value_type is the common_type of all the containers
// passed to it, and call it ConvertingConcatenate.
static_assert(
std::is_same_v<
typename std::decay_t<Target>::value_type,
typename std::decay_t<Head>::value_type>,
"Concatenate requires each container passed to it to have the same value_type");
if constexpr (std::is_lvalue_reference_v<Head>) {
std::copy(head.begin(), head.end(), std::back_inserter(*target));
} else {
std::move(head.begin(), head.end(), std::back_inserter(*target));
}
if constexpr (sizeof...(Tail) > 0) {
AppendNoReserve(target, std::forward<Tail>(tail)...);
}
}
template<typename Head, typename... Tail>
size_t TotalSize(const Head& head, const Tail&... tail) {
if constexpr (sizeof...(Tail) > 0) {
return head.size() + TotalSize(tail...);
} else {
return head.size();
}
}
} // namespace internal
/// Concatenate the provided containers into a single vector. Moves from rvalue references, copies
/// otherwise.
template<typename Head, typename... Tail>
auto Concatenate(Head&& head, Tail&&... tail) {
size_t totalSize = internal::TotalSize(head, tail...);
std::vector<typename std::decay_t<Head>::value_type> result;
result.reserve(totalSize);
internal::AppendNoReserve(&result, std::forward<Head>(head), std::forward<Tail>(tail)...);
return result;
}
std::vector<int> first;
std::vector<int> second;
first.insert(first.end(), second.begin(), second.end());
Here's a general purpose solution using C++11 move semantics:
template <typename T>
std::vector<T> concat(const std::vector<T>& lhs, const std::vector<T>& rhs)
{
if (lhs.empty()) return rhs;
if (rhs.empty()) return lhs;
std::vector<T> result {};
result.reserve(lhs.size() + rhs.size());
result.insert(result.cend(), lhs.cbegin(), lhs.cend());
result.insert(result.cend(), rhs.cbegin(), rhs.cend());
return result;
}
template <typename T>
std::vector<T> concat(std::vector<T>&& lhs, const std::vector<T>& rhs)
{
lhs.insert(lhs.cend(), rhs.cbegin(), rhs.cend());
return std::move(lhs);
}
template <typename T>
std::vector<T> concat(const std::vector<T>& lhs, std::vector<T>&& rhs)
{
rhs.insert(rhs.cbegin(), lhs.cbegin(), lhs.cend());
return std::move(rhs);
}
template <typename T>
std::vector<T> concat(std::vector<T>&& lhs, std::vector<T>&& rhs)
{
if (lhs.empty()) return std::move(rhs);
lhs.insert(lhs.cend(), std::make_move_iterator(rhs.begin()), std::make_move_iterator(rhs.end()));
return std::move(lhs);
}
Note how this differs from appending to a vector
.
If what you're looking for is a way to append a vector to another after creation, vector::insert is your best bet, as has been answered several times, for example:
vector<int> first = {13};
const vector<int> second = {42};
first.insert(first.end(), second.cbegin(), second.cend());
Sadly there's no way to construct a const vector<int>
, as above you must construct and then insert
.
If what you're actually looking for is a container to hold the concatenation of these two vector<int>
s, there may be something better available to you, if:
vector
contains primitivesconst
containerIf the above are all true, I'd suggest using the basic_string who's char_type
matches the size of the primitive contained in your vector
. You should include a static_assert in your code to validate these sizes stay consistent:
static_assert(sizeof(char32_t) == sizeof(int));
With this holding true you can just do:
const u32string concatenation = u32string(first.cbegin(), first.cend()) + u32string(second.cbegin(), second.cend());
For more information on the differences between string
and vector
you can look here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/35558008/2642059
For a live example of this code you can look here: http://ideone.com/7Iww3I
If you are using C++11, and wish to move the elements rather than merely copying them, you can use std::move_iterator along with insert (or copy):
#include <vector>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
int main(int argc, char** argv) {
std::vector<int> dest{1,2,3,4,5};
std::vector<int> src{6,7,8,9,10};
// Move elements from src to dest.
// src is left in undefined but safe-to-destruct state.
dest.insert(
dest.end(),
std::make_move_iterator(src.begin()),
std::make_move_iterator(src.end())
);
// Print out concatenated vector.
std::copy(
dest.begin(),
dest.end(),
std::ostream_iterator<int>(std::cout, "\n")
);
return 0;
}
This will not be more efficient for the example with ints, since moving them is no more efficient than copying them, but for a data structure with optimized moves, it can avoid copying unnecessary state:
#include <vector>
#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
int main(int argc, char** argv) {
std::vector<std::vector<int>> dest{{1,2,3,4,5}, {3,4}};
std::vector<std::vector<int>> src{{6,7,8,9,10}};
// Move elements from src to dest.
// src is left in undefined but safe-to-destruct state.
dest.insert(
dest.end(),
std::make_move_iterator(src.begin()),
std::make_move_iterator(src.end())
);
return 0;
}
After the move, src's element is left in an undefined but safe-to-destruct state, and its former elements were transfered directly to dest's new element at the end.