What are some advanced examples of std::string_view in C++17?

What are some advanced examples of std::string_view in C++17?

In C++17, std::string_view provides a lightweight way to refer to strings without copying them. One advanced example is using it for efficient substring operations. For instance, you can create a string_view from a larger string and manipulate it without the overhead of creating new string objects.

Can you show me a code snippet that demonstrates this?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

#include <iostream>
#include <string_view>

void printSubstring(std::string_view str) {
    std::cout << str << std::endl;
}

int main() {
    std::string text = "Hello, World!";
    std::string_view view(text.c_str() + 7, 5); // Points to "World"
    printSubstring(view);
    return 0;
}

What are the benefits of using string_view over string?

Using std::string_view can improve performance by avoiding unnecessary copies of strings, especially in functions that only need to read the string data. It also allows for more flexible APIs since it can accept both string literals and std::string objects.