std::function

 

C++

Language

Standard library headers

Concepts

Utilities library

Strings library

Containers library

Algorithms library

Iterators library

Numerics library

Input/output library

Localizations library

Regular expressions library (C++11)

Atomic operations library (C++11)

Thread support library (C++11)

Filesystem library (C++17)

Technical Specifications

 

Utilities library

Type support (basic types, RTTI, type traits)

Dynamic memory management

Error handling

Program utilities

Variadic functions

Date and time

Function objects

initializer_list (C++11)

bitset

hash (C++11)

Relational operators

rel_ops::operator!=rel_ops::operator>rel_ops::operator<=rel_ops::operator>=

optional, any and variant (C++17)

optional

any

variant

in_placein_place_typein_place_indexin_place_tin_place_type_tin_place_index_t

Pairs and tuples

pair

tuple (C++11)

apply (C++17)

make_from_tuple (C++17)

piecewise_construct_t (C++11)

piecewise_construct (C++11)

integer_sequence (C++14)

Swap, forward and move

swap

exchange (C++14)

forward (C++11)

move (C++11)

move_if_noexcept (C++11)

Elementary string conversions

to_chars (C++17)

from_chars (C++17)

chars_format (C++17)

Type operations

declval (C++11)

as_const (C++17)

 

Function objects

Function wrappers function (C++11) mem_fn (C++11) bad_function_call (C++11) invoke (C++17)	Bind bind (C++11) is_bind_expression (C++11) is_placeholder (C++11) _1, _2, _3, ... (C++11)
Reference wrappers
reference_wrapper (C++11)
refcref (C++11)(C++11)
Operator wrappers
plus minus negate multiplies divides modulus logical_and logical_or logical_not	equal_to not_equal_to greater less greater_equal less_equal bit_and bit_or bit_xor bit_not (C++14)
Negators
not_fn not1 (deprecated) not2 (deprecated)	unary_negate (deprecated) binary_negate (deprecated)
Searchers
default_searcher (C++17)
boyer_moore_searcher (C++17)
boyer_moore_horspool_searcher (C++17)
Old binders and adaptors
unary_function (until C++17) binary_function (until C++17) ptr_fun (until C++17) pointer_to_unary_function (until C++17) pointer_to_binary_function (until C++17) mem_fun (until C++17) mem_fun_tmem_fun1_tconst_mem_fun_tconst_mem_fun1_t (until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)	binder1stbinder2nd (until C++17)(until C++17) bind1stbind2nd (until C++17)(until C++17) mem_fun_ref (until C++17) mem_fun_ref_tmem_fun1_ref_tconst_mem_fun_ref_tconst_mem_fun1_ref_t (until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)

 

std::function

Member functions

function::function

function::~function

function::operator=

function::swap

function::assign (until C++17)

function::operator bool

function::operator()

function::target_type

function::target

Non-member functions

operator==operator!=

std::swap(std::function)

Helper classes

std::uses_allocator<std::function> (until C++17)

 

Defined in header <functional>
template< class > class function; /* undefined */		(since C++11)
template< class R, class... Args > class function<R(Args...)>;		(since C++11)

Class template std::function is a general-purpose polymorphic function wrapper. Instances of std::function can store, copy, and invoke any Callable target -- functions, lambda expressions, bind expressions, or other function objects, as well as pointers to member functions and pointers to data members.

The stored callable object is called the target of std::function. If a std::function contains no target, it is called empty. Invoking the target of an empty std::function results in std::bad_function_call exception being thrown.

std::function satisfies the requirements of CopyConstructible and CopyAssignable.

Member types

Type	Definition
result_type	R
argument_type(deprecated in C++17)	T if sizeof...(Args)==1 and T is the first and only type in Args...
first_argument_type(deprecated in C++17)	T1 if sizeof...(Args)==2 and T1 is the first of the two types in Args...
second_argument_type(deprecated in C++17)	T2 if sizeof...(Args)==2 and T2 is the second of the two types in Args...

Member functions

(constructor)	constructs a new std::function instance (public member function)
(destructor)	destroys a std::function instance (public member function)
operator=	assigns a new target (public member function)
swap	swaps the contents (public member function)
assign (until C++17)	assigns a new target (public member function)
operator bool	checks if a valid target is contained (public member function)
operator()	invokes the target (public member function)
Target access
target_type	obtains the typeid of the stored target (public member function)
target	obtains a pointer to the stored target (public member function)

Non-member functions

std::swap(std::function) (C++11)	specializes the std::swap algorithm (function template)
operator==operator!=	compares an std::function with nullptr (function template)

Helper classes

std::uses_allocator<std::function> (C++11) (until C++17)

specializes the std::uses_allocator type trait (class template specialization)

Example

Run this code

#include <functional>
#include <iostream>
 
struct Foo {
    Foo(int num) : num_(num) {}
    void print_add(int i) const { std::cout << num_+i << '\n'; }
    int num_;
};
 
void print_num(int i)
{
    std::cout << i << '\n';
}
 
struct PrintNum {
    void operator()(int i) const
    {
        std::cout << i << '\n';
    }
};
 
int main()
{
    // store a free function
    std::function<void(int)> f_display = print_num;
    f_display(-9);
 
    // store a lambda
    std::function<void()> f_display_42 = []() { print_num(42); };
    f_display_42();
 
    // store the result of a call to std::bind
    std::function<void()> f_display_31337 = std::bind(print_num, 31337);
    f_display_31337();
 
    // store a call to a member function
    std::function<void(const Foo&, int)> f_add_display = &Foo::print_add;
    const Foo foo(314159);
    f_add_display(foo, 1);
 
    // store a call to a data member accessor
    std::function<int(Foo const&)> f_num = &Foo::num_;
    std::cout << "num_: " << f_num(foo) << '\n';
 
    // store a call to a member function and object
    using std::placeholders::_1;
    std::function<void(int)> f_add_display2 = std::bind( &Foo::print_add, foo, _1 );
    f_add_display2(2);
 
    // store a call to a member function and object ptr
    std::function<void(int)> f_add_display3 = std::bind( &Foo::print_add, &foo, _1 );
    f_add_display3(3);
 
    // store a call to a function object
    std::function<void(int)> f_display_obj = PrintNum();
    f_display_obj(18);
}

Output:

-9
42
31337
314160
num_: 314159
314161
314162
18

See also

bad_function_call (C++11)	the exception thrown when invoking an empty std::function (class)
mem_fn (C++11)	creates a function object out of a pointer to a member (function template)