array vs vector

[ajtgarber]

Probably a stupid question, but when should you choose to use an array over something like a vector (or ArrayList in Java)?

Just a note: I'm coming from the Java standpoint moving into C++, so the world is slightly alien to me.

[qpHalcy0n]

In C++ the std::vector is closer to a standard contiguously allocated array type. There is penalty for out of order insertion, out of order access and resizing. If you treat an std::vector similarly to a regular ol' array, you won't see much difference in performance.

std::list is closer to the ArrayList implementation which is a linked list structure. There's minimal penalty for out of order insertion/deletion, and indexing into them is slower but fairly consistent. They can grow at runtime with minimal penalty.

Use vector where there's not much chance for resizing/inserting excessively and where runtime performance is desired.
Use list where random access trumps performance.

[Falco Girgis]

And please use a regular-ol, static array for when you don't need dynamic resizing at runtime.

I see far too many people these days who abuse the shit out of STL and dynamic containers when a static buffer would be faster and/or have much less overhead. If you are of the mindset "why do I care about a few extra bytes," then why the hell are you using C/++ anyway?