Advice on a better way to extend C++ STL container with user-defined methods

Question

I inherited from C++ STL container and add my own methods to it. The rationale was such that to the clients, it will look act a regular list, yet has application-specific me

Answer 1

why you need extend vector in this way?

use standard with your functors.
e.g.

std::min_element, std::max_element

int max_a = std::max_element
        ( 
            v.begin(), 
            v.end(), 
            boost::bind( 
                std::less< int >(),
                bind( &Item::a, _1 ), 
                bind( &Item::a, _2 ) 
            )
        )->a;

std::accumulate - for calculate avarage

const double avg_c = std::accumulate( v.begin(), v.end(), double( 0 ), boost::bind( Item::c, _1 ) ) / v.size(); // ofcourse check size before divide  

your ItemList::SpecialB() could be rewrited as:

int accumulate_func( int start_from, int result, const Item& item )
{
   if ( item.SpecialB() < start_from )
   {
       result -= item.SpecialB();
   }
   return result;
}

if ( v.empty() )
{
    throw sometghing( "empty vector" );
}
const int result = std::accumulate( v.begin(), v.end(), v.front(), boost::bind( &accumulate_func, v.front(), _1, _2 ) );

BTW: if you don't need access to members, you don't need inheritance.