Advantages of std::for_each over for loop

Question

Are there any advantages of std::for_each over for loop? To me, std::for_each only seems to hinder the readability of code. Why do then some coding

Answer 1

Aside from readability and performance, one aspect commonly overlooked is consistency. There are many ways to implement a for (or while) loop over iterators, from:

for (C::iterator iter = c.begin(); iter != c.end(); iter++) {
    do_something(*iter);
}

to:

C::iterator iter = c.begin();
C::iterator end = c.end();
while (iter != end) {
    do_something(*iter);
    ++iter;
}

with many examples in between at varying levels of efficiency and bug potential.

Using for_each, however, enforces consistency by abstracting away the loop:

for_each(c.begin(), c.end(), do_something);

The only thing you have to worry about now is: do you implement the loop body as function, a functor, or a lambda using Boost or C++0x features? Personally, I'd rather worry about that than how to implement or read a random for/while loop.