std::array<T,N>::begin, std::array<T,N>::cbegin

 

C++

Compiler support

Freestanding and hosted

Language

Standard library headers

Named requirements

Feature test macros (C++20)

Language support library

Concepts library (C++20)

Metaprogramming library (C++11)

Diagnostics library

General utilities library

Strings library

Containers library

Iterators library

Ranges library (C++20)

Algorithms library

Numerics library

Localizations library

Input/output library

Filesystem library (C++17)

Regular expressions library (C++11)

Concurrency support library (C++11)

Technical specifications

Symbols index

External libraries

 

Containers library

Sequence

array (C++11)

vector

deque

forward_list (C++11)

list

Associative

set

multiset

map

multimap

Unordered associative

unordered_set (C++11)

unordered_multiset (C++11)

unordered_map (C++11)

unordered_multimap (C++11)

Adaptors

stack

queue

priority_queue

Views

span (C++20)

 

std::array

Member functions

Element access

array::at

array::operator[]

array::front

array::back

array::data

Iterators

array::beginarray::cbegin

array::endarray::cend

array::rbeginarray::crbegin

array::rendarray::crend

Capacity

array::empty

array::size

array::max_size

Modifiers

array::fill

array::swap

Non-member functions

get

std::swap

to_array (C++20)

operator==operator!=operator<operator>operator<=operator>=operator<=> (until C++20)(until C++20)(until C++20)(until C++20)(until C++20)(C++20)

Helper classes

tuple_size

tuple_element

Deduction guides(C++17)

 

iterator begin() noexcept;		(until C++17)
constexpr iterator begin() noexcept;		(since C++17)
const_iterator begin() const noexcept;		(until C++17)
constexpr const_iterator begin() const noexcept;		(since C++17)
const_iterator cbegin() const noexcept;		(until C++17)
constexpr const_iterator cbegin() const noexcept;		(since C++17)

Returns an iterator to the first element of the array.

If the array is empty, the returned iterator will be equal to end().

Parameters

(none)

Return value

Iterator to the first element.

Complexity

Constant.

Example

Run this code

#include <array>
#include <iostream>
#include <algorithm>
#include <iomanip>
 
int main()
{
    std::cout << std::boolalpha;
 
    std::array<int, 0> empty;
    std::cout << "1) "
              << (empty.begin() == empty.end()) << ' '     // true
              << (empty.cbegin() == empty.cend()) << '\n'; // true
    // *(empty.begin()) = 42; // => undefined behaviour at run-time
 
 
    std::array<int, 4> numbers{5, 2, 3, 4};
    std::cout << "2) "
              << (numbers.begin() == numbers.end()) << ' '    // false
              << (numbers.cbegin() == numbers.cend()) << '\n' // false
              << "3) "
              << *(numbers.begin()) << ' '    // 5
              << *(numbers.cbegin()) << '\n'; // 5
 
    *numbers.begin() = 1;
    std::cout << "4) " << *(numbers.begin()) << '\n'; // 1
    // *(numbers.cbegin()) = 42; // compile-time error: 
                                 // read-only variable is not assignable
 
    // print out all elements
    std::cout << "5) ";
    std::for_each(numbers.cbegin(), numbers.cend(), [](int x) {
       std::cout << x << ' ';
    });
    std::cout << '\n';
 
 
    constexpr std::array constants{'A', 'B', 'C'};
    static_assert(constants.begin() != constants.end());   // OK
    static_assert(constants.cbegin() != constants.cend()); // OK
    static_assert(*constants.begin() == 'A');              // OK
    static_assert(*constants.cbegin() == 'A');             // OK
    // *constants.begin() = 'Z'; // compile-time error: 
                                 // read-only variable is not assignable
}

Output:

1) true true
2) false false
3) 5 5
4) 1
5) 1 2 3 4

See also

end cend (C++11)	returns an iterator to the end (public member function)
begincbegin (C++11)(C++14)	returns an iterator to the beginning of a container or array (function template)