'for' loop vs Qt's 'foreach' in C++

Question

Which is better (or faster), a C++ for loop or the foreach operator provided by Qt? For example, the following condition

QList

        

Answer 1

First off, I'd just like to say I agree with Pax, and that the speed probably doesn't enter into it. foreach wins hands down based on readability, and that's enough in 98% of cases.

But of course the Qt guys have looked into it and actually done some profiling: http://blog.qt.io/blog/2009/01/23/iterating-efficiently/

The main lesson to take away from that is: use const references in read only loops as it avoids the creation of temporary instances. It also make the purpose of the loop more explicit, regardless of the looping method you use.