std::ranges::uninitialized_default_construct_n

template< no-throw-forward-iterator I >
requires std::default_initializable<std::iter_value_t<I>>
I uninitialized_default_construct_n( I first, std::iter_difference_t<I> n );

Constructs n objects of type std::iter_value_t<I> in the uninitialized memory area starting at first by default-initialization, as if by.

for (; n-- > 0; ++first)
    ::new (static_cast<void*>(std::addressof(*first)))
        std::remove_reference_t<std::iter_reference_t<I>>;

If an exception is thrown during the initialization, the objects already constructed are destroyed in an unspecified order.

The function-like entities described on this page are niebloids, that is:

• Explicit template argument lists cannot be specified when calling any of them.
• None of them are visible to argument-dependent lookup.
• When any of them are found by normal unqualified lookup as the name to the left of the function-call operator, argument-dependent lookup is inhibited.

In practice, they may be implemented as function objects, or with special compiler extensions.

Parameters

Return value

The end of the range of objects (i.e., ranges::next(first, n)).

Complexity

Linear in n.

Exceptions

The exception thrown on construction of the elements in the destination range, if any.

Notes

An implementation may skip the objects construction (without changing the observable effect) if no non-trivial default constructor is called while default-initializing a std::iter_value_t<I> object, which can be detected by std::is_trivially_default_constructible_v.

Possible implementation

struct uninitialized_default_construct_n_fn
{
    template<no-throw-forward-iterator I>
    requires std::default_initializable<std::iter_value_t<I>>
    I operator()(I first, std::iter_difference_t<I> n) const
    {
        using ValueType = std::remove_reference_t<std::iter_reference_t<I>>;
        if constexpr (std::is_trivially_default_constructible_v<ValueType>)
            return ranges::next(first, n); // skip initialization
        I rollback{first};
        try
        {
            for (; n-- > 0; ++first)
                ::new (const_cast<void*>(static_cast<const volatile void*>
                    (std::addressof(*first)))) ValueType;
            return first;
        }
        catch (...) // rollback: destroy constructed elements
        {
            for (; rollback != first; ++rollback)
                ranges::destroy_at(std::addressof(*rollback));
            throw;
        }
    }
};
 
inline constexpr uninitialized_default_construct_n_fn uninitialized_default_construct_n{};

Example

#include <cstring>
#include <iostream>
#include <memory>
#include <string>
 
int main()
{
    struct S { std::string m{ "█▓▒░ █▓▒░ " }; };
 
    constexpr int n{4};
    alignas(alignof(S)) char out[n * sizeof(S)];
 
    try
    {
        auto first{reinterpret_cast<S*>(out)};
        auto last = std::ranges::uninitialized_default_construct_n(first, n);
 
        auto count{1};
        for (auto it{first}; it != last; ++it)
            std::cout << count++ << ' ' << it->m << '\n';
 
        std::ranges::destroy(first, last);
    }
    catch(...) { std::cout << "Exception!\n"; }
 
    // Notice that for "trivial types" the uninitialized_default_construct_n
    // generally does not zero-fill the given uninitialized memory area.
    constexpr int etalon[]{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6};
    int v[]{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6};
    std::ranges::uninitialized_default_construct_n(std::begin(v), std::size(v));
    if (std::memcmp(v, etalon, sizeof(v)) == 0)
    {
        // Maybe undefined behavior, pending CWG 1997:
        // for (const int i : v) { std::cout << i << ' '; }
        for (const int i : etalon)
            std::cout << i << ' ';
    }
    else
        std::cout << "Unspecified!";
    std::cout << '\n';
}

1 █▓▒░ █▓▒░
2 █▓▒░ █▓▒░
3 █▓▒░ █▓▒░
4 █▓▒░ █▓▒░
1 2 3 4 5 6

Defect reports

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

See also