C++ - List Part 1: Introduction to std::list

The std::list is a container that stores elements as nodes in a doubly-linked structure. Each node contains the data and pointers to the previous and next nodes.

Examples and Explanation

Declaring and Initializing a List

#include <iostream>

#include <list>

int main() {

    std::list<int> myList;               // Empty list

    std::list<int> myList2 = {1, 2, 3};  // List with initial values

    std::list<int> myList3(5, 10);       // 5 elements, each initialized to 10

    return 0;

}

Explanation: Lists can be initialized empty, with specific values, or with a specified size and default value.

Accessing Elements

for (int val : myList2) {

    std::cout << val << " ";

}

// Output: 1 2 3

Explanation: Lists do not support random access (e.g., myList[0]) but can be traversed using loops or iterators.

Checking Size

std::cout << "Size: " << myList2.size();

Explanation: The size() method returns the number of elements in the list.