What's wrong with passing C++ iterator by reference?

Question

I\'ve written a few functions with a prototype like this:

template 
int parse_integer(input_iterator &begin, input_iterato         


        

Answer 1

Your function declaration's second parameter is missing the reference, is it?

Anyway, back to your question: No, I haven't ever read anything that says you should not pass iterators by reference. The problem with references is that they allow you to change the referenced object. In this case, if you are to change the iterator, you are potentially screwing up the entire sequence beyond that point thereby rendering further processing impossible.

Just one suggestion: type your parameters carefully.