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std::advance

Defined in header <iterator> 
template< class InputIt, class Distance >
void advance( InputIt& it, Distance n );
 (until C++17) 
template< class InputIt, class Distance >
constexpr void advance( InputIt& it, Distance n );
 (since C++17)

Increments given iterator it by n elements.

If n is negative, the iterator is decremented. In this case, InputIt must meet the requirements of LegacyBidirectionalIterator, otherwise the behavior is undefined.

Parameters

it - iterator to be advanced
n - number of elements it should be advanced
Type requirements
-InputIt must meet the requirements of LegacyInputIterator.

Return value

(none)

Complexity

Linear.

However, if InputIt additionally meets the requirements of LegacyRandomAccessIterator, complexity is constant.

Notes

The behavior is undefined if the specified sequence of increments or decrements would require that a non-incrementable iterator (such as the past-the-end iterator) is incremented, or that a non-decrementable iterator (such as the front iterator or the singular iterator) is decremented.

Possible implementation

See also the implementations in libstdc++ and libc++.

Non-constexpr version 
namespace detail
{
    template<class It>
    void do_advance(It& it, typename std::iterator_traits<It>::difference_type n,
                    std::input_iterator_tag)
    {
        while (n > 0)
        {
            --n;
            ++it;
        }
    }
 
    template<class It>
    void do_advance(It& it, typename std::iterator_traits<It>::difference_type n,
                    std::bidirectional_iterator_tag)
    {
        while (n > 0)
        {
            --n;
            ++it;
        }
        while (n < 0)
        {
            ++n;
            --it;
        }
    }
 
    template<class It>
    void do_advance(It& it, typename std::iterator_traits<It>::difference_type n,
                    std::random_access_iterator_tag)
    {
        it += n;
    }
} // namespace detail
 
template<class It, class Distance>
void advance(It& it, Distance n)
{
    detail::do_advance(it, typename std::iterator_traits<It>::difference_type(n),
                       typename std::iterator_traits<It>::iterator_category());
}
constexpr version 
template<class It, class Distance>
constexpr void advance(It& it, Distance n)
{
    using category = typename std::iterator_traits<It>::iterator_category;
    static_assert(std::is_base_of_v<std::input_iterator_tag, category>);
 
    auto dist = typename std::iterator_traits<It>::difference_type(n);
    if constexpr (std::is_base_of_v<std::random_access_iterator_tag, category>)
        it += dist;
    else
    {
        while (dist > 0)
        {
            --dist;
            ++it;
        }
        if constexpr (std::is_base_of_v<std::bidirectional_iterator_tag, category>)
            while (dist < 0)
            {
                ++dist;
                --it;
            }
    }
}

Example

#include <iostream>
#include <iterator>
#include <vector>
 
int main() 
{
    std::vector<int> v{3, 1, 4};
 
    auto vi = v.begin();
    std::advance(vi, 2);
    std::cout << *vi << ' ';
 
    vi = v.end();
    std::advance(vi, -2);
    std::cout << *vi << '\n';
}

Output:

4 1

See also

(C++11)
increment an iterator
(function template)
(C++11)
decrement an iterator
(function template)
returns the distance between two iterators
(function template)
(C++20)
advances an iterator by given distance or to a given bound
(niebloid)

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