Processing the text efficiently is an important task in C++, and we have various methods to achieve iteration over the words in a string. Also, you know that the std::stringstream and std::string::find() are commonly used methods for this particular task. Here is another method that can be used to iterate over the words of the strings: regular expression(regex)
Using the Regular Expressions (regex)
Regular expressions in C++ are used for pattern matching. You can use this method when you are dealing with the types of strings having alphabets followed by numbers, special characters, and complex string patterns. It provides maximum flexibility for specifying the splitting criteria. Also, you can use this method when the simple whitespace-based tokenization is not sufficient to iterate over the words in a string.
Example:
Output:
In this program, std::sregex_iterator is used to iterate through the strings. It checks if the entire string matches the pattern or not and then gives the result based on the following sequences.
Another Example:
Output:
In this program, std::sregex_iterator is used to iterate through the alphanumeric strings. It checks if the entire string matches the pattern or not and then gives the result based on the following sequences.
Conclusion
You know that every method used for iterating over the words of a string in C++ has its advantages, and the std::stringstream and the iterators and std::string::find() methods are very simple and easy to use. But we have discussed that you can also use the std::sregex_iterator to iterate over the words of a string because it provides us maximum flexibility and efficiency, as it handles the various types of strings and patterns very well. This method also provides you with clear, readable, and concise code, which is very important for C++ programming. So, by learning this method, you can easily iterate over the words of a string in C++.
Some Other Methods to Iterate over Strings in C++