A belated announcement: the STLSoft libraries (version 1.6.3) are now
bundled with the Digital Mars compiler (version 8.34)

Points of interest:

1. Where can I get it?
==============

It comes already bundled with the compiler on the CD. For those of you who are download-only, the download is available at http://www.digitalmars.com/download/freecompiler.html

You can also get up-to-the minute versions from http://stlsoft.org/, though I'm embarassed to admin that version 1.6.3 is not yet available for download from the main site. (It will be in a few days)

2. How do I install/build it?
==================

You don't. Well, you don't build it, anyway; it's 100% header-only, and it's staying that way.

To install, just include the dm\stlsoft directory in your project/makefiles, or add a relative entry to SC.INI. See http://www.digitalmars.com/~stlsoft for details. Then include whatever files you need

3. Why would I want to use it?
=====================

It attempts to *efficiently* wrap the whole world in STL-compliant sequences, algorithms, functions, etc. So What? you say.

Well to add all the elements in the PATH environment variable into a LISTBOX control you can do:

    stlsoft::string_tokeniser<std::string, char>
tokens(winstl::environment_variable<char>("PATH"), ';');

    std::for_each(tokens.begin(), tokens.end(),
winstl::listbox_back_inserter(hwndListBox));

How's that for declarative programming?

4. Are there samples?
===============

As of version 1.6.3, "there sure are"!!

http://www.digitalmars.com/~stlsoft/help/samples.html

Actually, there are only three bona-fide samples, and they are each command-line apps. (I recommend the WHERIS sample, which is a meaty one, enhancing this well-known utility, and demonstrating lots of STLSoft components in their full majesty ... ;)

Although there are only three at the moment, there are lots of sample material in the copious test programs, including windows programs.

For version 1.7.1 (due sometime late July) there'll be several more meaty
samples.

5. Is there help?
==========

dm\stlsoft\help\stlsoft.chm - searchable MSDN-style help file http://www.digitalmars.com/~stlsoft/help/index.html - frames/tree view (with a big script, so ignore IE's warning) http://www.digitalmars.com/~stlsoft/help/main.html - plain view admin@stlsoft.org (that'll be me!)

There are also a number of relevant articles already published, or about to be so, in C/C++ User's Journal and Windows Developer Network. See http://stlsoft.org/white_papers.html

6. Is there a newsgroup?
=================

news://news.digitalmars.com/c++.stlsoft - Thanks Walter and Jan

7. Is there a FAQ?
=============

http://stlsoft.gregpeet.com/ - Thanks Greg


Enjoy


--
Matthew Wilson

STLSoft moderator and C++ monomaniac

mailto:matthew@stlsoft.org
http://www.stlsoft.org
news://news.digitalmars.com/c++.stlsoft

"So far, C++ is the best language I've discovered to say what I want to say" -- Alex Stepanov

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Trust me when I say that it's a very nice library of miscellaneous helpful facilities. His int_to_string function drew my attention enough to look into it. Once  I did, I decided I wanted to help aid him (so far the faq I host http://stlsoft.gregpeet.com). Try it out.

-- 
________________________________

Gregory Peet

Fellow Digital Martian
STLSoft FAQ: http://stlsoft.gregpeet.com