C++ STL question related to insert iterators and overloaded operators
- by rshepherd
#include <list>
#include <set>
#include <iterator>
#include <algorithm>
using namespace std;
class MyContainer {
public:
string value;
MyContainer& operator=(const string& s) {
this->value = s;
return *this;
}
};
int main()
{
list<string> strings;
strings.push_back("0");
strings.push_back("1");
strings.push_back("2");
set<MyContainer> containers;
copy(strings.begin(), strings.end(), inserter(containers, containers.end()));
}
The preceeding code does not compile. In standard C++ fashion the error output is verbose and difficult to understand. The key part seems to be this...
/usr/include/c++/4.4/bits/stl_algobase.h:313: error: no match for ‘operator=’ in ‘__result.std::insert_iterator::operator* [with _Container = std::set, std::allocator ]() = __first.std::_List_iterator::operator* [with _Tp = std::basic_string, std::allocator ]()’
...which I interpet to mean that the assignment operator needed is not defined. I took a look at the source code for insert_iterator and noted that it has overloaded the assignment operator. The copy algorithm must uses the insert iterators overloaded assignment operator to do its work(?).
I guess that because my input iterator is on a container of strings and my output iterator is on a container of MyContainers that the overloaded insert_iterator assignment operator can no longer work.
This is my best guess, but I am probably wrong.
So, why exactly does this not work and how can I accomplish what I am trying to do?
