Should one prefer STL algorithms over hand-rolled loops?

Question

I seem to be seeing more \'for\' loops over iterators in questions & answers here than I do for_each(), transform(), and the like. Scott Meyers suggests that stl algori

Answer 1

It depends on:

• Whether high-performance is required
• The readability of the loop
• Whether the algorithm is complex

If the loop isn't the bottleneck, and the algorithm is simple (like for_each), then for the current C++ standard, I'd prefer a hand-rolled loop for readability. (Locality of logic is key.)

However, now that C++0x/C++11 is supported by some major compilers, I'd say use STL algorithms because they now allow lambda expressions — and thus the locality of the logic.