Section

std::span

The class template span describes an object that can refer to a contiguous sequence of objects with the first element of the sequence at position zero. A span can either have a static extent, in which case the number of elements in the sequence is known at compile-time and encoded in the type, or a dynamic extent.

# Declarations

template<
class T,
std::size_t Extent = std::dynamic_extent
> class span;

(since C++20)

# Notes

Specializations of std::span are already trivially copyable types in all existing implementations, even before the formal requirement introduced in C++23.

# Example

#include <algorithm>
#include <cstddef>
#include <iostream>
#include <span>
 
template<class T, std::size_t N>
[[nodiscard]]
constexpr auto slide(std::span<T, N> s, std::size_t offset, std::size_t width)
{
    return s.subspan(offset, offset + width <= s.size() ? width : 0U);
}
 
template<class T, std::size_t N, std::size_t M>
constexpr bool starts_with(std::span<T, N> data, std::span<T, M> prefix)
{
    return data.size() >= prefix.size()
        && std::equal(prefix.begin(), prefix.end(), data.begin());
}
 
template<class T, std::size_t N, std::size_t M>
constexpr bool ends_with(std::span<T, N> data, std::span<T, M> suffix)
{
    return data.size() >= suffix.size()
        && std::equal(data.end() - suffix.size(), data.end(),
                      suffix.end() - suffix.size());
}
 
template<class T, std::size_t N, std::size_t M>
constexpr bool contains(std::span<T, N> span, std::span<T, M> sub)
{
    return std::ranges::search(span, sub).begin() != span.end();
}
 
void println(const auto& seq)
{
    for (const auto& elem : seq)
        std::cout << elem << ' ';
    std::cout << '\n';
}
 
int main()
{
    constexpr int a[]{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8};
    constexpr int b[]{8, 7, 6};
    constexpr static std::size_t width{6};
 
    for (std::size_t offset{}; ; ++offset)
        if (auto s = slide(std::span{a}, offset, width); !s.empty())
            println(s);
        else
            break;
 
    static_assert(""
        && starts_with(std::span{a}, std::span{a, 4})
        && starts_with(std::span{a + 1, 4}, std::span{a + 1, 3})
        && !starts_with(std::span{a}, std::span{b})
        && !starts_with(std::span{a, 8}, std::span{a + 1, 3})
        && ends_with(std::span{a}, std::span{a + 6, 3})
        && !ends_with(std::span{a}, std::span{a + 6, 2})
        && contains(std::span{a}, std::span{a + 1, 4})
        && !contains(std::span{a, 8}, std::span{a, 9})
    );
}

# Defect reports

DRApplied toBehavior as publishedCorrect behavior
LWG 3203C++20it was unclear when the pointers, iterators, andreferences to elements of span are invalidatedmade clear
LWG 3903C++20the declaration of span’s destructor was unnecessaryremoved the declaration
P2325R3C++20a span of non-zero static extents was not a viewany span is a view

# See also