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std::basic_string<CharT,Traits,Allocator>::basic_string

(1) 
basic_string();
explicit basic_string( const Allocator& alloc );
 (until C++17) 
basic_string() noexcept(noexcept( Allocator() )) :
    basic_string( Allocator() ) {}
explicit basic_string( const Allocator& alloc ) noexcept;
 (since C++17)
(until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string() noexcept(noexcept( Allocator() )) :
    basic_string( Allocator() ) {}
explicit constexpr basic_string( const Allocator& alloc ) noexcept;
 (since C++20)
(2) 
basic_string( size_type count, CharT ch,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( size_type count, CharT ch,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(3) 
basic_string( const basic_string& other,
              size_type pos,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( const basic_string& other,
                        size_type pos,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(3) 
basic_string( const basic_string& other,
              size_type pos, size_type count,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( const basic_string& other,
                        size_type pos, size_type count,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(4) 
basic_string( const CharT* s, size_type count,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( const CharT* s, size_type count,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(5) 
basic_string( const CharT* s,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( const CharT* s,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(6) 
template< class InputIt >
basic_string( InputIt first, InputIt last,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (until C++20) 
template< class InputIt >
constexpr basic_string( InputIt first, InputIt last,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(7) 
basic_string( const basic_string& other );
 (until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( const basic_string& other );
 (since C++20)
(7) 
basic_string( const basic_string& other,
              const Allocator& alloc );
 (since C++11)
(until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( const basic_string& other,
                        const Allocator& alloc );
 (since C++20)
(8) 
basic_string( basic_string&& other ) noexcept;
 (since C++11)
(until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( basic_string&& other ) noexcept;
 (since C++20)
(8) 
basic_string( basic_string&& other,
              const Allocator& alloc );
 (since C++11)
(until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( basic_string&& other,
                        const Allocator& alloc );
 (since C++20)
(9) 
basic_string( std::initializer_list<CharT> ilist, 
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++11)
(until C++20) 
constexpr basic_string( std::initializer_list<CharT> ilist, 
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(10) 
template< class StringViewLike >
explicit basic_string( const StringViewLike& t,
                       const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++17)
(until C++20) 
template< class StringViewLike >
explicit constexpr basic_string( const StringViewLike& t,
                                 const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20)
(11) 
template< class StringViewLike >
basic_string( const StringViewLike& t, size_type pos, size_type n,
              const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++17)
(until C++20) 
template< class StringViewLike >
constexpr basic_string( const StringViewLike& t, size_type pos, size_type n,
                        const Allocator& alloc = Allocator() );
 (since C++20) 
basic_string( std::nullptr_t ) = delete;
 (12) (since C++23)

Constructs new string from a variety of data sources and optionally using user supplied allocator alloc.

1) Default constructor. Constructs empty string (zero size and unspecified capacity). If no allocator is supplied, allocator is obtained from a default-constructed instance.
2) Constructs the string with count copies of character ch. This constructor is not used for class template argument deduction if the Allocator type that would be deduced does not qualify as an allocator. (since C++17)
3) Constructs the string with a substring [pos, pos+count) of other. If count == npos, if count is not specified, or if the requested substring lasts past the end of the string, the resulting substring is [pos, other.size()).
4) Constructs the string with the first count characters of character string pointed to by s. s can contain null characters. The length of the string is count. The behavior is undefined if [s, s + count) is not a valid range.
5) Constructs the string with the contents initialized with a copy of the null-terminated character string pointed to by s. The length of the string is determined by the first null character. The behavior is undefined if [s, s + Traits::length(s)) is not a valid range (for example, if s is a null pointer). This constructor is not used for class template argument deduction if the Allocator type that would be deduced does not qualify as an allocator. (since C++17)
6) Constructs the string with the contents of the range [first, last).

If InputIt is an integral type, equivalent to overload (2), as if by basic_string(static_cast<size_type>(first), static_cast<value_type>(last), alloc).

 (until C++11)

This constructor only participates in overload resolution if InputIt satisfies LegacyInputIterator.

 (since C++11)
7) Copy constructor. Constructs the string with a copy of the contents of other.
8) Move constructor. Constructs the string with the contents of other using move semantics. other is left in valid, but unspecified state.
9) Constructs the string with the contents of the initializer list ilist.
10) Implicitly converts t to a string view sv as if by std::basic_string_view<CharT, Traits> sv = t;, then initializes the string with the contents of sv, as if by basic_string(sv.data(), sv.size(), alloc). This overload participates in overload resolution only if std::is_convertible_v<const StringViewLike&, std::basic_string_view<CharT, Traits>> is true and std::is_convertible_v<const StringViewLike&, const CharT*> is false.
11) Implicitly converts t to a string view sv as if by std::basic_string_view<CharT, Traits> sv = t;, then initializes the string with the subrange [pos, pos + n) of sv as if by basic_string(sv.substr(pos, n), alloc). This overload participates in overload resolution only if std::is_convertible_v<const StringViewLike&, std::basic_string_view<CharT, Traits>> is true .
12) basic_string cannot be constructed from nullptr.

Parameters

alloc - allocator to use for all memory allocations of this string
count - size of the resulting string
ch - value to initialize the string with
pos - position of the first character to include
first, last - range to copy the characters from
s - pointer to an array of characters to use as source to initialize the string with
other - another string to use as source to initialize the string with
ilist - std::initializer_list to initialize the string with
t - object (convertible to std::basic_string_view) to initialize the string with

Complexity

1) constant
2-4) linear in count
5) linear in length of s
6) linear in distance between first and last
7) linear in size of other
8) constant. If alloc is given and alloc != other.get_allocator(), then linear
9) linear in size of ilist

Exceptions

3) std::out_of_range if pos > other.size()
8) Throws nothing if alloc == str.get_allocator()
11) std::out_of_range if pos is out of range

Throws std::length_error if the length of the constructed string would exceed max_size() (for example, if count > max_size() for (2)). Calls to Allocator::allocate may throw.

Notes

Initialization with a string literal that contains embedded '\0' characters uses the overload (5), which stops at the first null character. This can be avoided by specifying a different constructor or by using operator""s:

std::string s1 = "ab\0\0cd";   // s1 contains "ab"
std::string s2{"ab\0\0cd", 6}; // s2 contains "ab\0\0cd"
std::string s3 = "ab\0\0cd"s;  // s3 contains "ab\0\0cd"

Example

#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <cassert>
#include <iterator>
#include <string>
#include <cctype>
 
int main()
{
  {
    std::cout << "1) string(); ";
    std::string s;
    assert(s.empty() && (s.length() == 0) && (s.size() == 0));
    std::cout << "s.capacity(): " << s.capacity() << '\n'; // unspecified
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "2) string(size_type count, charT ch): ";
    std::string s(4, '=');
    std::cout << std::quoted(s) << '\n'; // "===="
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "3) string(const string& other, size_type pos, size_type count): ";
    std::string const other("Exemplary");
    std::string s(other, 0, other.length()-1);
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "Exemplar"
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "4) string(const string& other, size_type pos): ";
    std::string const other("Mutatis Mutandis");
    std::string s(other, 8);
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "Mutandis", i.e. [8, 16)
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "5) string(charT const* s, size_type count): ";
    std::string s("C-style string", 7);
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "C-style", i.e. [0, 7)
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "6) string(charT const* s): ";
    std::string s("C-style\0string");
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "C-style"
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "7) string(InputIt first, InputIt last): ";
    char mutable_c_str[] = "another C-style string";
    std::string s(std::begin(mutable_c_str)+8, std::end(mutable_c_str)-1);
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "C-style string"
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "8) string(string&): ";
    std::string const other("Exemplar");
    std::string s(other);
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "Exemplar"
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "9) string(string&&): ";
    std::string s(std::string("C++ by ") + std::string("example"));
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "C++ by example"
  }
 
  {
    std::cout << "α) string(std::initializer_list<charT>): ";
    std::string s({ 'C', '-', 's', 't', 'y', 'l', 'e' });
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "C-style"
  }
 
  {
    // before C++11, overload resolution selects string(InputIt first, InputIt last)
    // [with InputIt = int] which behaves *as if* string(size_type count, charT ch)
    // after C++11 the InputIt constructor is disabled for integral types and calls:
    std::cout << "β) string(size_type count, charT ch) is called: ";
    std::string s(3, std::toupper('a'));
    std::cout << quoted(s) << '\n'; // "AAA"
  }
}

Possible output:

1) string(); s.capacity(): 15
2) string(size_type count, charT ch): "===="
3) string(const string& other, size_type pos, size_type count): "Exemplar"
4) string(const string& other, size_type pos): "Mutandis"
5) string(charT const* s, size_type count): "C-style"
6) string(charT const* s): "C-style"
7) string(InputIt first, InputIt last): "C-style string"
8) string(string&): "Exemplar"
9) string(string&&): "C++ by example"
α) string(std::initializer_list<charT>): "C-style"
β) string(size_type count, charT ch) is called: "AAA"

Defect reports

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

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
LWG 2583 C++98 there is no way to supply an allocator for
basic_string(str, pos) 		there's a constructor for basic_string(str, pos, alloc)
LWG 2193 C++11 the default constructor is explicit made non-explicit
LWG 2946 C++17 string_view overload causes ambiguity in some cases avoided by making it a template
LWG 3076 C++17 two constructors may cause ambiguities in class
template argument deduction 		constrained

See also

assign characters to a string
(public member function)
assigns values to the string
(public member function)
(C++11)
converts an integral or floating point value to string
(function)
(C++11)
converts an integral or floating point value to wstring
(function)
(C++17)
constructs a basic_string_view
(public member function of std::basic_string_view<CharT,Traits>)

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Last Updated 2022-06-02T22:02:33Z