# Function Output Iterator

Author: | David Abrahams, Jeremy Siek, Thomas Witt
Contact: | dave@boost-consulting.com, jsiek@osl.iu.edu, witt@ive.uni-hannover.de
Organization: | Boost Consulting, Indiana University Open Systems Lab, University of Hanover Institute for Transport Railway Operation and Construction
Date: | 2006-09-11
Copyright: | Copyright David Abrahams, Jeremy Siek, and Thomas Witt 2003.

abstract: | The function output iterator adaptor makes it easier to create custom output iterators. The adaptor takes a unary function and creates a model of Output Iterator. Each item assigned to the output iterator is passed as an argument to the unary function. The motivation for this iterator is that creating a conforming output iterator is non-trivial, particularly because the proper implementation usually requires a proxy object.

Table of Contents

- Header
- `function_output_iterator` requirements
- `function_output_iterator` models
- `function_output_iterator` operations
- Example

# Header

    #include <boost/function_output_iterator.hpp>

    template <class UnaryFunction>
    class function_output_iterator {
    public:
      typedef std::output_iterator_tag iterator_category;
      typedef void                     value_type;
      typedef void                     difference_type;
      typedef void                     pointer;
      typedef void                     reference;

      explicit function_output_iterator();

      explicit function_output_iterator(const UnaryFunction& f);

      /* see below */ operator*();
      function_output_iterator& operator++();
      function_output_iterator& operator++(int);
    private:
      UnaryFunction m_f;     // exposition only
    };

# `function_output_iterator` requirements

`UnaryFunction` must be Assignable and Copy Constructible.

# `function_output_iterator` models

`function_output_iterator` is a model of the Writable and Incrementable Iterator concepts.

# `function_output_iterator` operations

`explicit function_output_iterator(const UnaryFunction& f = UnaryFunction());`

Effects: | Constructs an instance of `function_output_iterator` with `m_f` constructed from `f`.

`operator*();`

Returns: | An object `r` of unspecified type such that `r = t` is equivalent to `m_f(t)` for all `t`.

`function_output_iterator& operator++();`

Returns: | `*this`

`function_output_iterator& operator++(int);`

Returns: | `*this`

# Example

    struct string_appender
    {
        string_appender(std::string& s)
            : m_str(&s)
        {}

        void operator()(const std::string& x) const
        {
            *m_str += x;
        }

        std::string* m_str;
    };

    int main(int, char*[])
    {
      std::vector<std::string> x;
      x.push_back("hello");
      x.push_back(" ");
      x.push_back("world");
      x.push_back("!");

      std::string s = "";
      std::copy(x.begin(), x.end(),
                boost::make_function_output_iterator(string_appender(s)));

      std::cout << s << std::endl;

      return 0;
    }