How do I iterate over collections generically in C++?

Question

Simply put, if I have a set and vector how do I create a generic method that can handle both as params.

All I want to do, is iterate over either types of collections. Sounds like it should be trivial but I'm missing something.

void printMeSomeStrings(somebaseclass<string> strings) {
  for (auto& str : strings) {
    cout << str << endl;
  }
}

In C#, I would pass IEnumerable or something like that. Then I could iterate over the collection.

Any general reading explaining the answer would be appreciated.

Answer 1

You could use templates. For instance:

#include <iostream>

template<typename C>
void foo(C const& c)
{
    std::cout << "{ ";
    for (auto const& x : c)
    {
        std::cout << x << " ";
    }
    std::cout << "}";
}

And here is how you would use it:

#include <set>
#include <vector>

int main()
{
    std::vector<int> v = {1, 2, 3};
    foo(v);

    std::cout << std::endl;

    std::set<std::string> s = {"Hello,", "Generic", "World!"};
    foo(s);
}

Live example.