std::insert...r::operator*(3)

💅 std::insert_iterator::operator* — C++ Standard Library, section 3

okay bestie, sit down, because today's episode of "the standard library is a whole vibe" is about the most unserious little operator you will ever meet. it's std::insert_iterator::operator*, straight out of the C++ Standard Libary (yes that's how it's spelled up top, we don't fix, we stan 🫶), manual page std::insert...r::operator*(3), section 3 of the C++ Standard Library. sounds scary. it is literally not. ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

so there are two eras of this function and honestly the glow-up is real:

insert_iterator& operator*();            (until C++20)
constexpr insert_iterator& operator*();  (since C++20)

that's it. that's the whole synopsis. constexpr era is giving main character energy since C++20, but the signature itself? still the same little guy. 🎀

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

here's the tea: it does nothing. no cap. operator* on an insert_iterator performs absolutely zero operations, and it is not being lazy — this member function exists purely to satisfy the requirements of LegacyOutputIterator. that's the whole job. showing up, being technically present, passing the vibe check. 💀

and because it returns the iterator itself, you can do the iconic move where you write code like:

*iter = value

which outputs (inserts) the value into the underlying container. so the dereference looks like it's doing something, but really the iterator just hands you itself back and then the assignment does the inserting. the way that *iter is lowkey just a decoy and the actual assignment is the one carrying the whole group project... 😭 iconic behaviour honestly. 🌸

🌈 PARAMETERS 🌈

• (none) — zero. zilch. it takes no arguments. it needs no arguments. it's thriving. 🧚

⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

• *this — it returns itself. self-love! we love to see it! 💖 it hands you back the iterator object so the *iter = value pattern keeps working like the little legend it is. 🔥

💅 reminder bestie: this dereference is a formality — don't go expecting it to grab a reference to some element, because the "does nothing" part is load-bearing and fr fr it's all there is.

👑 SIGN-OFF 👑

and that's the page! courtesy of cppreference.com, dated 2024.06.10, footer of std::insert...r::operator*(3) and we are obsessed with how short this one was. go forth, insert things, dereference your iterator, and remember: sometimes doing nothing is, in fact, the correct implementation. periodt. 🎀✨🦋