std::filesy...ry_iterator)(3)

🌸 std::filesystem::begin(directory_iterator) / std::filesystem::end(directory_iterator) 🌸

okay so this is the C++ Standard Libary manual page — yes, that's literally how the header spells it, and we are not fixing it, we are respecting the typo 💅 — and it's all about the begin / end bestie duo for directory_iterator. periodt.

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🎀 NAME 🎀

std::filesystem::begin(directory_iterator),std::filesystem::end(directory_iterator) — and the NAME section literally repeats it: std::filesystem::begin(directory_iterator),std::filesystem::end(directory_iterator). so that's the whole name vibe, no notes 👑

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✨ Synopsis ✨

Defined in header <filesystem>
directory_iterator begin( directory_iterator iter ) noexcept; (1)
(since C++17)
directory_iterator end( directory_iterator ) noexcept;        (2)
(since C++17)

1. Returns iter unchanged.
2. Returns a default-constructed directory_iterator, which serves as the end iterator. The argument is ignored.

These non-member functions enable the use of directory_iterators with range-based for loops and make directory_iterator a range type (since C++20). okay slay, that's the whole point 🫶

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🌈 Parameters 🌈

• iter — a directory_iterator

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💖 Return value 💖

1. iter unchanged.
2. End iterator (default-constructed directory_iterator).

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🧚 Example 🧚

// Run this code

#include <filesystem>
#include <fstream>
#include <iostream>
namespace fs = std::filesystem;

int main()
{
    fs::create_directories("sandbox/a/b");
    std::ofstream("sandbox/file1.txt");
    std::ofstream("sandbox/file2.txt");
    for (auto& p : fs::directory_iterator("sandbox"))
        std::cout << p << '\n';
    fs::remove_all("sandbox");
}

🖥️ Possible output 🖥️

"sandbox/a"
"sandbox/file1.txt"
"sandbox/file2.txt"

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🩹 Defect reports 🩹

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

• DR LWG 3480 — Applied to C++17; behavior as published: end took the argument by reference; correct behavior: takes the argument by value.

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👀 See also 👀

• begin(std::filesystem::recursive_directory_iterator) — range-based for loop support
• end(std::filesystem::recursive_directory_iterator) — (function)

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okay that's the whole page, bestie 🫶 — source/version: http://cppreference.com, date: 2024.06.10, and the footer tag is std::filesy...ry_iterator)(3). mwah 💋