std::string::assign vs std::string::operator=

Question

I coded in Borland C++ ages ago, and now I\'m trying to understand the \"new\"(to me) C+11 (I know, we\'re in 2015, there\'s a c+14 ... but I\'m working on an C++11 project)

Answer 1

Both are equally fast, but = "..." is clearer.

If you really want fast though, use assign and specify the size:

test2.assign("Hello again", sizeof("Hello again") - 1); // don't copy the null terminator!
// or
test2.assign("Hello again", 11);

That way, only one allocation is needed. (You could also .reserve() enough memory beforehand to get the same effect.)