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<table id="Title" border="0">
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<td>
<h1>Templated Circular Buffer Container</h1>
<h1>circular_buffer&lt;T, Alloc&gt;</h1>
</td>
<td><a href="http://boost.org"><IMG width="277" height="86" src="../../../c++boost.gif" border="0"></a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<h3>Contents</h3>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#synopsis">Synopsis</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#rationale">Rationale</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#simpleexample">Simple Example</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#definition">Definition</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#parameters">Template Parameters</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#members">Members</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#friendfunc">Friend Functions</A><BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#model">Model of</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#type">Type Requirements</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#semantics">Semantics</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#caveats">Caveats</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#debug">Debug Support</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#example">Example</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#notes">Notes</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#see">See also</A><br>
&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="#ack">Acknowledgments</A>
</p>
<hr SIZE="1">
<table id="Figure" align="right" border="0">
<tr>
<td><IMG width="300" height="332" src="circular_buffer.png"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="300">
<table id="FigureDesc" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="5">
<tr>
<td valign="top"><b>Figure:</b></td>
<td valign="top">The circular buffer (for someone known as ring or cyclic buffer).</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<h3><a name="synopsis">Synopsis</a></h3>
<p>The <code>circular_buffer</code> container provides fixed capacity storage with
constant time insertion and removal of elements at each end of a circular
buffer. When the capacity of the <code>circular_buffer</code> is exhausted,
inserted elements will cause elements at the opposite end to be overwritten.
(See the Figure.) The <code>circular_buffer</code> only allocates memory when
created, when the capacity is adjusted explicitly, or as necessary to
accommodate a resizing or assign operation. (There is also a <code><A href="circular_buffer_adaptor.html">circular_buffer_space_optimized</A>
</code>available. It is an adaptor of the <code>circular_buffer</code>
which does not allocate memory at once when created rather it allocates memory as needed.)
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="rationale">Rationale</a></h3>
<p>A contiguous region of memory utilized as a circular buffer has several unique
and useful characteristics:
</p>
<ol>
<li>
Fixed memory use and no implicit or unexpected memory allocation.
<li>
Fast constant-time insertion and removal of elements from the front and back.
<li>
Fast constant-time random access of elements.
<li>
Suitability for real-time and performance critical applications.
</li>
</ol>
<p>The <code>circular_buffer</code> container provides a similar interface to <code>std::vector</code>,
<code>std::deque</code> and <code>std::list</code> including <code>push</code>, <code>
pop</code>, <code>insert</code>, <code>erase</code>, iterators and
compatibility with <code>std</code> algorithms.
</p>
<p>Possible applications of the <code>circular_buffer</code> include:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
Storage of the most recently received samples, overwriting the oldest as new
samples arrive.
<li>
Efficient fixed capacity FIFO (First In, First Out) queue.
<li>
Efficient fixed capacity LIFO (Last In, First Out) queue.
<li>
In a producer-consumer arrangement elements are inserted at one end of the
buffer by a producer thread, and removed from the other end by a consumer
thread (both threads need to get synchronized in this).
</li>
</ul>
<p>The design of the <code>circular_buffer</code> container is guided by the
following principles:
</p>
<ol>
<li>
Maximum <em>efficiency</em>
for envisaged applications.
<li>
Suitable for <em>general purpose</em>
use.
<li>
<em>Interoperable</em> with other <code>std</code>
containers and algorithms.
<li>
The behaviour of the buffer as <em>intuitive</em>
as possible.
<li>
Suitable for <em>specialization</em> by means of adaptors. (The <code><A href="circular_buffer_adaptor.html">circular_buffer_space_optimized</A>
</code> is such an example of the adaptor.)
<LI>
Guarantee of <EM>basic exception safety</EM>.</LI></ol>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="simpleexample">Simple Example</a></h3>
<p>A brief example using the <code>circular_buffer</code>:
</p>
<pre> #include &lt;boost/circular_buffer.hpp&gt;
int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
// Create a circular buffer with capacity for 3 integers.
boost::circular_buffer&lt;int&gt; cb(3);
cb.push_back(1); // Insert the first element.
cb.push_back(2); // Insert the second element.
cb.push_back(3); // Insert the third element.
// The buffer is full now, pushing subsequent
// elements will overwrite the front-most elements.
cb.push_back(4); // Overwrite 1 with 4.
cb.push_back(5); // Overwrite 2 with 5.
// The buffer now contains 3, 4 and 5.
int a = cb[0]; // a == 3
int b = cb[1]; // b == 4
int c = cb[2]; // c == 5
// Elements can be popped from either the front or back.
cb.pop_back(); // 5 is removed.
cb.pop_front(); // 3 is removed.
int d = cb[0]; // d == 4
return 0;
}
</pre>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="definition">Definition</a></h3>
<p><code>#include &lt;boost/circular_buffer.hpp&gt;</code>
</p>
<P>
In fact the <code>circular_buffer</code> is defined in the file <code><A href="../../../boost/circular_buffer/base.hpp">
boost/circular_buffer/base.hpp</A></code>, but it is necessary to
include the <code><A href="../../../boost/circular_buffer.hpp">boost/circular_buffer.hpp</A></code>
in order to use this container. Also, there is a forward declaration for <code>circular_buffer</code>
in the header <code><A href="../../../boost/circular_buffer_fwd.hpp">boost/circular_buffer_fwd.hpp</A></code>.
</P>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="parameters">Template Parameters</a></h3>
<table id="Table Template parameters" border="1">
<tr>
<th>
Parameter</th>
<th>
Description</th>
<th>
Default</th></tr>
<tr>
<td><code>T</code></td>
<td>The type of the elements stored in the circular buffer.</td>
<td>&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>Alloc</code></td>
<td>The allocator type used for all internal memory management.</td>
<td><code>std::allocator<T></code></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="members">Members</a></h3>
<p>Refer the <A href="srcdoc/index.html">source code documentation</A> for a
detailed description.</p>
<table id="Table Members Types" border="1">
<tr>
<th>
Type</th>
<th>
Description</th></tr>
<tr>
<td><code>value_type</code>
</td>
<td>The type of the elements stored in the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>allocator_type</code></td>
<td>The type of the allocator used in the circular buffer.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>iterator</code>
</td>
<td>Iterator (random access) used to iterate through a circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>pointer</code>
</td>
<td>Pointer to the element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>reference</code>
</td>
<td>Reference to the element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>reverse_iterator</code>
</td>
<td>Iterator used to iterate backwards through a circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>const_iterator</code>
</td>
<td>Const (random access) iterator used to iterate through a circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>const_pointer</code>
</td>
<td>Const pointer to the element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>const_reference</code>
</td>
<td>Const reference to the element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>const_reverse_iterator</code>
</td>
<td>Const iterator used to iterate backwards through a circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>difference_type</code>
</td>
<td>Distance type. A signed integral type used to represent the distance between
two iterators.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>size_type</code>
</td>
<td>Size type. An unsigned integral type that can represent any nonnegative value
of the container's distance type.
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<table id="Table Members Operations" width="85%" border="1">
<tr>
<TH>
Method
</TH>
<TH>
Description
</TH>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a26">circular_buffer</A>(size_type
capacity, const allocator_type&amp; alloc = allocator_type())</code>
</td>
<td>Create an empty circular buffer with a given capacity.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a27">circular_buffer</A>(size_type
capacity, const T&amp; item, const allocator_type&amp; alloc =
allocator_type())</code>
</td>
<td>Create a full circular buffer with a given capacity and filled with copies of <code>
item</code>.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a28">circular_buffer</A>(const
circular_buffer&amp; cb)</code>
</td>
<td>Copy constructor.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>template&lt;InputIterator&gt; <A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a29">
circular_buffer</A>(size_type capacity, InputIterator first, InputIterator
last, const allocator_type&amp; alloc = allocator_type())</code>
</td>
<td>Create a circular buffer with a copy of a range.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a30">~circular_buffer</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Destructor.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>template&lt;InputIterator&gt; <A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a33">
assign</A>(InputIterator first, InputIterator last)</code>
</td>
<td>Assign a copy of range.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a32">assign</A>(size_type
n, const T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Assign <code>n</code> items into the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a36">push_back</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Insert a new element with the default value at the end.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a35">push_back</A>(const
T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert a new element at the end.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a38">push_front</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Inserts a new element with the default value at the start.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a37">push_front</A>(const
T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert a new element at the start.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a39">pop_back</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Remove the last (rightmost) element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a40">pop_front</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Remove the first (left-most) element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a14">front</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return the first (leftmost) element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a15">back</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return the last (rightmost) element.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a12">at</A>(size_type
index)<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return the element at the <code>index</code> position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a10">operator[]</A>(size_type
index)<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return the element at the <code>index</code> position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a18">data</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Return pointer to data stored in the circular buffer as a continuous array of
values.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a42">insert</A>(iterator
pos)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert a new element with the default value before the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a41">insert</A>(iterator
pos, const T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert the <code>item</code> before the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a43">insert</A>(iterator
pos, size_type n, const T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert <code>n</code> copies of the <code>item</code> before the given
position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>template&lt;InputIterator&gt; <A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a44">
insert</A>(iterator pos, InputIterator first, InputIterator last)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert the range <code>[first, last)</code> before the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a46">rinsert</A>(iterator
pos)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert a new element with the default value before the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a45">rinsert</A>(iterator
pos, const T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert the <code>item</code> before the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a47">rinsert</A>(iterator
pos, size_type n, const T&amp; item)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert <code>n</code> copies of the <code>item</code> before the given
position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>template&lt;InputIterator&gt; <A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a48">
rinsert</A>(iterator pos, InputIterator first, InputIterator last)</code>
</td>
<td>Insert the range <code>[first, last)</code> before the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a49">erase</A>(iterator
pos)</code>
</td>
<td>Erase the element at the given position.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a50">erase</A>(iterator
first, iterator last)</code>
</td>
<td>Erase the range <code>[first, last)</code>.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a51">clear</A>()</code>
</td>
<td>Erase all the stored elements.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a21">empty</A>() const</code>
</td>
<td>Is the circular buffer empty?
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a22">full</A>() const</code>
</td>
<td>Is the circular buffer full?
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a19">size</A>() const</code>
</td>
<td>Return the number of elements currently stored in the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a25">resize</A>(size_type
new_size, param_value_type item = T(), bool remove_front = true)</code>
</td>
<td>Change the size of the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a20">max_size</A>() const</code>
</td>
<td>Return the largest possible size (or capacity) of the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a23">capacity</A>() const</code>
</td>
<td>Return the capacity of the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a24">set_capacity</A>(size_type
new_capacity, bool remove_front = true)</code>
</td>
<td>Change the capacity of the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a2">begin</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return an iterator pointing to the beginning of the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a3">end</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return an iterator pointing to the end of the circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a6">rbegin</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return a reverse iterator pointing to the beginning of the reversed circular
buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a7">rend</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return a reverse iterator pointing to the end of the reversed circular buffer.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a1">get_allocator</A>()<A href="#asterix"><sup>*</sup></A></code>
</td>
<td>Return the allocator.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a31">operator=</A>(const
circular_buffer&amp; cb)</code>
</td>
<td>Assignment operator.
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code><A href="srcdoc/classboost_1_1circular__buffer.html#a34">swap</A>(circular_buffer&amp;
cb)</code>
</td>
<td>Swap the contents of two circular buffers.
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<a name="asterix">*</a> The method also has its <code>const</code> counterpart.
<br>
<br>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="friendfunc">Friend Functions</a></h3>
<table id="Table Members Operations" width="85%" border="1">
<tr>
<TH>
Method
</TH>
<TH>
Description
</TH>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>operator&lt;(const circular_buffer&amp; lhs, const circular_buffer&amp; rhs)</code></td>
<td>Lexicographical comparison.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code>operator==(const circular_buffer&amp; lhs, const circular_buffer&amp; rhs)</code>
</td>
<td>Test two circular buffers for equality.
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="model">Model of</a></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/RandomAccessContainer.html">Random Access
Container</a>, <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/FrontInsertionSequence.html">
Front Insertion Sequence</a>, <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/BackInsertionSequence.html">
Back Insertion Sequence</a>, <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/Assignable.html">
Assignable</a> (SGI), <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/EqualityComparable.html">
Equality Comparable</a>, <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/LessThanComparable.html">
LessThan Comparable</a> (SGI)
</p>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="type">Type Requirements</a></h3>
<ul>
<li>
<code>T</code> is <a href="http://boost.org/libs/utility/CopyConstructible.html">CopyConstructible</a>.
</li>
</ul>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="semantics">Semantics</a></h3>
<p>The behaviour of insertion for <code>circular_buffer</code> is as follows:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
The capacity of a <code>circular_buffer</code> remains fixed unless adjusted
via <code>set_capacity</code> or <code>resize</code>.
<li>
<code>insert</code>
will overwrite front elements as necessary.
<li>
<code>rinsert</code> will overwrite back elements as necessary.
</li>
</ul>
<p>The behaviour of resizing a <code>circular_buffer</code> is as follows:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
The capacity will be adjusted to accommodate a <code>resize</code>. (The
capacity can be only increased, not decreased.)
</li>
</ul>
<p>The behaviour of assigning to a <code>circular_buffer</code> is as follows:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
The capacity will be adjusted to accommodate an <code>assign</code>. (The
capacity can be only increased, not decreased.)
</li>
</ul>
<p><a name="invalidation"></a>The rules for iterator (and result of <code>data()</code>)
invalidation for <code>circular_buffer</code> are as follows:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<code>insert</code> at the end of the <code>circular_buffer</code> (including <code>
push_back</code>) does not invalidate any iterator except the case the
iterator points to the overwritten element.
<li>
<code>rinsert</code> at the beginning of the <code>circular_buffer</code> (including
<code>push_front</code>) does not invalidate any iterator except the case
the iterator points to the overwritten element.
<li>
<code>insert</code> in the middle of the <code>circular_buffer</code>
invalidates iterators pointing to the elements at the insertion point and
behind the insertion point. It also invalidates iterators pointing to the
overwritten element(s).
<li>
<code>rinsert</code> in the middle of the <code>circular_buffer</code>
invalidates iterators pointing to the elements before the insertion point and
iterators pointing to the overwritten element(s).
<li>
<code>erase</code> at the end of the <code>circular_buffer</code> (including <code>pop_back</code>)
invalidates only iterators pointing to the erased element(s).
<li>
<code>pop_front</code>
invalidates only iterators pointing to the erased element.
<li>
<code>erase</code> at the beginning or in the middle of the <code>circular_buffer</code>
invalidates iterators pointing to the erased element(s) and iterators pointing
to the elements behind the erase point.
<li>
<code>data</code>, <code>set_capacity</code>, <code>resize</code>, <code>operator=</code>,
<code>assign</code>, <code>swap</code> and <code>clear</code> invalidate all
iterators pointing to the <code>circular_buffer</code>.
</li>
</ul>
<p>In addition to the preceding rules the iterators get also invalidated due to
overwritting (e.g. iterator pointing to the front-most element gets invalidated
when inserting into the full <code>circular_buffer</code>). They get
invalidated in that sense they do not point to the same element as before but
they do still point to the same <b>valid</b> place in the memory. If you want
to rely on this feature you have to turn of the <A href="#debug">Debug Support</A>
otherwise an assertion will report an error if such invalidated iterator is used.</p>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="caveats">Caveats</a></h3>
<p>The <code>circular_buffer</code> should not be used for storing pointers to
dynamically allocated objects. When a <code>circular_buffer</code> becomes
full, further insertion will overwrite the stored pointers - resulting in a <b>memory
leak</b>. One recommend alternative is the use of smart pointers <A href="#1">[1]</A>.
(Any container of <code>std::auto_ptr</code> is considered particularly
hazardous. <A href="#2">[2]</A>)</A>
</p>
<p>Elements inserted near the front of a full <code>circular_buffer</code> can be
lost. According to the <A href="#semantics">semantics</A> of <code>insert</code>,
insertion overwrites front-most items as necessary - possibly including
elements currently being <b>inserted at the front</b> of the buffer.
Conversely, <code>push_front</code> to a full <code>circular_buffer</code> is
guaranteed to overwrite the back-most element.
</p>
<p>Elements inserted near the back of a full <code>circular_buffer</code> can be
lost. According to the <A href="#semantics">semantics</A> of <code>rinsert</code>,
insertion overwrites front-most items as necessary - possibly including
elements currently being <b>inserted at the back</b> of the buffer. Conversely, <code>
push_back</code> to a full <code>circular_buffer</code> is guaranteed to
overwrite the front-most element.
</p>
<p>
<P>While internals of a <code>circular_buffer</code> are circular, iterators are <b>not</b>.
Iterators of a <code>circular_buffer</code> are only valid for the range <code>[begin(),
end()]</code>. E.g. iterators <code>(begin() - 1)</code> and <code>(end() + 1)</code>
are invalid.
</P>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="debug">Debug Support</a></h3>
<p>In order to help a programmer to avoid and find common bugs, the <code>circular_buffer</code>
contains a kind of debug support.</p>
<P>
The <CODE>circular_buffer</CODE> maintains a list of valid iterators. As soon
as any element gets destroyed all iterators pointing to this element are
removed from this list and explicitly invalidated (an invalidation flag is
set). The debug support also consists of many assertions (<a href="http://boost.org/libs/utility/assert.html"><code>BOOST_ASSERT</code></a>
macros) which ensure the <code>circular_buffer</code> and its iterators are
used in the correct manner at runtime. In case an invalid iterator is used the
assertion will report an error. The connection of explicit iterator
invalidation and assertions makes a very robust debug technique which catches
most of the errors.</P>
<p>Moreover, the uninitialized memory allocated by <code>circular_buffer</code> is
filled with the value <code>0xcc</code> in the debug mode. This can help the
programmer when debugging the code to recognize the initialized memory from the
uninitialized. For details refer the <A href="../../../boost/circular_buffer/base.hpp">
source code</A>.
</p>
<P>The debug support is enabled only in the debug mode (when the <CODE>NDEBUG</CODE>
is not defined). It can also be explicitly disabled by defining <CODE>BOOST_DISABLE_CB_DEBUG</CODE>
macro.</P>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="example">Example</a></h3>
<p>The following example includes various usage of the <code>circular_buffer</code>.
</p>
<pre> #include &lt;boost/circular_buffer.hpp&gt;
#include &lt;numeric&gt;
#include &lt;assert.h&gt;
int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
// create a circular buffer of capacity 3
boost::circular_buffer&lt;int&gt; cb(3);
// insert some elements into the circular buffer
cb.push_back(1);
cb.push_back(2);
// assertions
assert(cb[0] == 1);
assert(cb[1] == 2);
assert(!cb.full());
assert(cb.size() == 2);
assert(cb.capacity() == 3);
// insert some other elements
cb.push_back(3);
cb.push_back(4);
int sum = std::accumulate(cb.begin(), cb.end(), 0); // evaluate sum
// assertions
assert(cb[0] == 2);
assert(cb[1] == 3);
assert(cb[2] == 4);
assert(sum == 9);
assert(cb.full());
assert(cb.size() == 3);
assert(cb.capacity() == 3);
return 0;
}
</pre>
<p>The <code>circular_buffer</code> has a capacity of three <code>int</code>.
Therefore, the size of the buffer will not exceed three. The <code><a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/accumulate.html">
accumulate</a></code> algorithm evaluates the sum of the stored
elements. The semantics the <code>circular_buffer</code> can be inferred from
the assertions.
</p>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="notes">Notes</a></h3>
<p><a name="1">[1]</a> A good implementation of smart pointers is included in <A href="http://boost.org/libs/smart_ptr">
Boost</A>.
</p>
<p><a name="2">[2]</a> Never create a circular buffer of <code>std::auto_ptr</code>.
Refer to <a href="http://www.aristeia.com">Scott Meyers</a>' excellent book <em>Effective
STL</em> for a detailed discussion. (Meyers S., <i>Effective STL: 50 Specific
Ways to Improve Your Use of the Standard Template Library</i>.
Addison-Wesley, 2001.)
</p>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="see">See also</a></h3>
<p><code><A href="circular_buffer_adaptor.html">boost::circular_buffer_space_optimized</A>,
<a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/Vector.html">std::vector</a>, <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/List.html">
std::list</a>, <a href="http://www.sgi.com/tech/stl/Deque.html">std::deque</a></code>
</p>
<hr SIZE="1">
<h3><a name="ack">Acknowledgments</a></h3>
<p>I would like to thank the Boost community for help when developing the <code>circular_buffer</code>.</p>
<p>The <code>circular_buffer</code> has a short history. Its first version was a <code>std::deque</code>
adaptor. This container was not very effective because of many reallocations
when inserting/removing an element. Thomas Wenish did a review of this version
and motivated me to create a circular buffer which allocates memory at once
when created.</p>
<p>The second version adapted <code>std::vector</code> but it has been abandoned
soon because of limited control over iterator invalidation.</p>
<p>The current version is a full-fledged STL compliant container. Pavel Vozenilek
did a thorough review of this version and came with many good ideas and
improvements. Also, I would like to thank Howard Hinnant and Nigel Stewart for
valuable comments and ideas. And once again I want to thank Nigel Stewart for
this document revision.
</p>
<hr>
<small>Copyright <20> 2003-2004 <a href="mailto:jano_gaspar[at]yahoo.com">Jan Gaspar</a></small>
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