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std::swap

Defined in header <algorithm> (until C++11)
Defined in header <utility> (since C++11)
Defined in header <string_view> (since C++17)
(1)
template< class T >
void swap( T& a, T& b );
(until C++11)
template< class T >
void swap( T& a, T& b ) noexcept( /* see below */ );
(since C++11)
(until C++20)
template< class T >
constexpr void swap( T& a, T& b ) noexcept( /* see below */ );
(since C++20)
(2)
template< class T2, std::size_t N >
void swap( T2 (&a)[N], T2 (&b)[N] );
(until C++11)
template< class T2, std::size_t N >
void swap( T2 (&a)[N], T2 (&b)[N] ) noexcept( /* see below */ );
(since C++11)
(until C++20)
template< class T2, std::size_t N >
constexpr void swap( T2 (&a)[N], T2 (&b)[N] ) noexcept( /* see below */ );
(since C++20)

Exchanges the given values.

1) Swaps the values a and b. This overload does not participate in overload resolution unless std::is_move_constructible_v<T> && std::is_move_assignable_v<T> is true. (since C++17)
2) Swaps the arrays a and b. In effect calls std::swap_ranges(a, a + N, b). This overload does not participate in overload resolution unless std::is_swappable_v<T2> is true. (since C++17)

Parameters

a, b - the values to be swapped
Type requirements
-T must meet the requirements of CopyConstructible and CopyAssignable (until C++11)MoveConstructible and MoveAssignable (since C++11)
-T2 must meet the requirements of Swappable.

Return value

(none).

Exceptions

1)

(none).

(until C++11)
noexcept specification: (since C++11)
2)
noexcept specification:
noexcept(noexcept(swap(*a, *b)))
The lookup for the identifier swap in the exception specification finds this function template in addition to anything found by the usual lookup rules, making the exception specification equivalent to C++17 std::is_nothrow_swappable.
(since C++11)
(until C++17)
noexcept specification: (since C++17)

Complexity

1) Constant
2) Linear in N

Specializations

std::swap may be specialized in namespace std for program-defined types, but such specializations are not found by ADL (the namespace std is not the associated namespace for the program-defined type).

(until C++20)

The expected way to make a program-defined type swappable is to provide a non-member function swap in the same namespace as the type: see Swappable for details.

The following overloads are already provided by the standard library:

(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++20)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++23)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++23)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++23)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++23)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function)
(C++11)
specialization of std::swap for unique_lock
(function template)
(C++14)
specialization of std::swap for shared_lock
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++11)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++17)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++17)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function)
(C++17)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++23)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function template)
(C++17)
swaps two paths
(function)
(C++23)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function)
(C++20)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function)
(C++23)
overloads the std::swap algorithm
(function)
(C++20)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function)
(C++20)
specializes the std::swap algorithm
(function)

Example

#include <algorithm>
#include <iostream>
 
namespace Ns
{
    class A
    {
        int id {};
 
        friend void swap(A& lhs, A& rhs)
        {
            std::cout << "swap(" << lhs << ", " << rhs << ")\n";
            std::swap(lhs.id, rhs.id);
        }
 
        friend std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, A const& a)
        {
            return os << "A::id=" << a.id;
        }
 
    public:
        A(int i) : id {i} {}
        A(A const&) = delete;
        A& operator = (A const&) = delete;
    };
}
 
int main()
{
    int a = 5, b = 3;
    std::cout << a << ' ' << b << '\n';
    std::swap(a, b);
    std::cout << a << ' ' << b << '\n';
 
    Ns::A p {6}, q {9};
    std::cout << p << ' ' << q << '\n';
//  std::swap(p, q); // error, type requirements are not satisfied
    swap(p, q);      // OK, ADL finds the appropriate friend `swap`
    std::cout << p << ' ' << q << '\n';
}

Output:

5 3
3 5
A::id=6 A::id=9
swap(A::id=6, A::id=9)
A::id=9 A::id=6

Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
LWG 227 C++98 T was not required to be CopyConstructible or DefaultConstructible
(a temporary object of type T might not be able to be constructed)
T is also required to
be CopyConstructible
LWG 809 C++98 arrays could not be swapped added overload (2)
LWG 2554 C++11 swapping multi-dimensional arrays can never
be noexcept due to name lookup problems
made to work

See also

(C++20)
swaps the values of two objects
(customization point object)
swaps the elements pointed to by two iterators
(function template)
swaps two ranges of elements
(function template)
(C++14)
replaces the argument with a new value and returns its previous value
(function template)

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