Aims of this book

The book has two aims. As a technical reference, the reference document mentioned

earlier is hardly suited to explain the concepts of the STL. Therefore, the first aim is

to present how the STL can be used in a sensible way. Internal details of the STL

are described only to the extent needed to understand how it works.

However, this book is more than a simple introduction. With the aid of comprehensive

examples, the STL is presented as a tool box for the construction of more

powerful and sometimes even faster components. These components are more complex

data structures and algorithms which can be efficiently implemented by means

of the modules contained in the STL. The algorithms are evaluated with respect to

their run time behavior relative to the amount of data to be processed (time complexity).

However, not only the modules themselves and their combination are of

interest, but also the programming techniques employed in the STL and in this book.