std::vector<T,Allocator>::data

 

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array (C++11)

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span (C++20)

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std::vector

Member types
Member functions
vector::vector vector::~vector vector::operator= vector::assign vector::assign_range (C++23)   vector::get_allocator Element access vector::operator[] vector::at vector::data vector::front vector::back Iterators vector::beginvector::cbegin (C++11) vector::endvector::cend (C++11) vector::rbeginvector::crbegin (C++11) vector::rendvector::crend (C++11)	Capacity vector::empty vector::size vector::max_size vector::reserve vector::capacity vector::shrink_to_fit (DR*) Modifiers vector::clear vector::erase vector::insert vector::insert_range (C++23) vector::append_range (C++23) vector::emplace (C++11) vector::emplace_back (C++11) vector::push_back vector::pop_back vector::resize vector::swap
Non-member functions
operator==operator<=> (C++20) swap(std::vector) erase(std::vector)erase_if(std::vector) (C++20)(C++20)	operator!=operator<operator>operator<=operator>= (until C++20)(until C++20)(until C++20)(until C++20)(until C++20)
Deduction guides(C++17)

 

T* data();	(1)	(noexcept since C++11) (constexpr since C++20)
const T* data() const;	(2)	(noexcept since C++11) (constexpr since C++20)

Returns a pointer to the underlying array serving as element storage. The pointer is such that range [data(), data() + size()) is always a valid range, even if the container is empty (data() is not dereferenceable in that case).

Parameters

(none)

Return value

Pointer to the underlying element storage. For non-empty containers, the returned pointer compares equal to the address of the first element.

Complexity

Constant.

Notes

If size() is ​0​, data() may or may not return a null pointer.

Example

Run this code

#include <cstddef>
#include <iostream>
#include <span>
#include <vector>
 
void pointer_func(const int* p, std::size_t size)
{
    std::cout << "data = ";
    for (std::size_t i = 0; i < size; ++i)
        std::cout << p[i] << ' ';
    std::cout << '\n';
}
 
void span_func(std::span<const int> data) // since C++20
{
    std::cout << "data = ";
    for (const int e : data)
        std::cout << e << ' ';
    std::cout << '\n';
}
 
int main()
{
    std::vector<int> container{1, 2, 3, 4};
 
    // Prefer container.data() over &container[0]
    pointer_func(container.data(), container.size());
 
    // std::span is a safer alternative to separated pointer/size.
    span_func({container.data(), container.size()});
}

Output:

data = 1 2 3 4
data = 1 2 3 4

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 464	C++98	vector did not have this member function	added
LWG 1312	C++98	the return type were pointer and const_pointer	changed to T* and const T* respectively

See also

front	access the first element (public member function)
back	access the last element (public member function)
size	returns the number of elements (public member function)
operator[]	access specified element (public member function)
span (C++20)	a non-owning view over a contiguous sequence of objects (class template)
data (C++17)	obtains the pointer to the underlying array (function template)