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C++ Vectors
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C++ Vector
A vector in C++ is like a resizable array.

Both vectors and arrays are data structures used to store multiple elements of the
same data type.

The difference between an array and a vector, is that the size of an array cannot be
modified (you cannot add or remove elements from an array). A vector however, can
grow or shrink in size as needed.

To use a vector, you have to include the <vector> header file:

// Include the vector library

#include <vector>

Create a Vector
To create a vector, use the vector keyword, and specify the type of values it should
store within angle brackets <> and then the name of the vector, like: vector<type>
vectorName .

Example
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//vector<string>
Create a vector called cars that will store strings
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cars;
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If you want to add elements at the time of declaration, place them in a comma-
separated list, inside curly braces {} , just like with arrays:

Example
// Create a vector called cars that will store strings
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Print vector elements

for (string car : cars) {
cout << car << "\n";
}

Try it Yourself »

Note: The type of the vector ( string in our example) cannot be changed after its
been declared.

Access a Vector
You can access a vector element by referring to the index number inside square
brackets [] .

Vectors, like arrays, are 0-indexed, meaning that [0] is the first element, [1] is the
second element, and so on:

Example
// Create a vector called cars that will store strings
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

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// Get the first element

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cout << 
cars[0]; Exercises
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cout << cars[1]; // Outputs BMW

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One advantage of using the vector library, is that it includes many useful functions.
For example, you can access the first or the last element of a vector with the
.front() and .back() functions:

Example

// Create a vector called cars that will store strings

vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Get the first element

cout << cars.front();

// Get the last element

cout << cars.back();

Try it Yourself »

To access an element at a specified index, you can use the .at() function and
specify the index number:

Example
// Create a vector called cars that will store strings
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Get the second element

cout << cars.at(1);

// Get the third element

cout << cars.at(2);

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Note: The .at() function is often preferred over square brackets [] because it lets
you know if an error occurs.

For example if the element is out of range:

Example
// Create a vector called cars that will store strings
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Try to access an element that does not exist (throws an error message)
cout << cars.at(6);

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Change a Vector Element

To change the value of a specific element, you can refer to the index number:

Example
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cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
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// Change the value of the first element

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cars[0] = "Opel";

cout << cars[0]; // Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo

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However, it is safer to use the .at() function:

Example
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

// Change the value of the first element

cars.at(0) = "Opel";

cout << cars.at(0); // Now outputs Opel instead of Volvo

Try it Yourself »

Add Vector Elements

The biggest difference between a vector and an array is that vectors can grow
dynamically. That means you can add or remove elements from the vector.

To add an element to the vector, you can use the .push_back() function, which will
add an element at the end of the vector:

Example
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cars.push_back("Tesla");

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You can add as many elements as you want:

Example
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cars.push_back("Tesla");
cars.push_back("VW");
cars.push_back("Mitsubishi");
cars.push_back("Mini");

Try it Yourself »

Remove Vector Elements

To remove an element from the vector, you can use the .pop_back() function, which
removes an element from the end of the vector:

Example
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cars.pop_back();

Try it Yourself »

Note: Elements are usually only added and removed from the end of the vector. If
you need to add or remove elements from both ends, it is often better to use a deque
instead of a vector.

Vector Size
To find out how many elements a vector has, use the .size() function:

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vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};
cout << cars.size(); // Outputs 4

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Check if a Vector is Empty

There is also a function to find out whether a vector is empty or not.

The .empty() function returns 1 (true) if the vector is empty and 0 (false) if it
contains one or more elements:

Example

vector<string> cars;
cout << cars.empty(); // Outputs 1 (The vector is empty)

Try it Yourself »

Example

vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

cout << cars.empty(); // Outputs 0 (not empty)

Try it Yourself »

Loop Through a Vector

You can loop through the vector elements by using a for loop combined with the
.size() function:

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vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

for (int i = 0; i < cars.size(); i++) {

cout << cars[i] << "\n";
}

Try it Yourself »

You can also use a for-each loop (introduced in C++ version 11 (2011), which is
cleaner and more readable:

Example
vector<string> cars = {"Volvo", "BMW", "Ford", "Mazda"};

for (string car : cars) {

cout << car << "\n";
}

Try it Yourself »

Tip: It is also possible to loop through vectors with an iterator, which you will learn
more about in a later chapter.

Complete Vector Reference

For a complete reference of Vector functions, go to our C++ Vector Reference.

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