C++20 Ranges - The Stuff of Science Fiction - Stewart Becker - ACCU 2025 Short Talks

ACCU Membership: https://tinyurl.com/ydnfkcyn
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C++20 Ranges - The Stuff of Science Fiction - Stewart Becker - ACCU 2025 Short Talks
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C++20 introduced ranges - a powerful feature that brought with it a lesser-known design pattern involving inline static const function objects. In this talk, “The Stuff of Science Fiction,” we explore how this design pattern works, why it matters, and why it desperately needs a better name. If you're into modern C++ and want to understand C++ ranges, C++ design patterns, or the lambda alternative techniques enabled by range adapter objects, this video is for you.

The speaker walks through how static inline const objects (often called functors or anonymous function objects) can be used to implement range filters and custom call operators in clean, reusable ways. The video addresses naming challenges—“functor,” “range adapter object,” “anonymous function object,” and even “nebloid”—and offers two alternative names that better capture the intent and usage in modern C++ programming.

We also touch on concepts like the customization point object (CPO) pattern, the importance of inline function objects in functional programming with C++, and what makes this pattern so powerful and yet so difficult to name. Whether you're already using ranges or are just learning about them, this talk offers insight into the subtle power of the C++20 ranges design pattern and what it means for writing expressive, concise code.

For those familiar with Eric Niebler's work or interested in deeper functional programming paradigms in C++, the discussion around range filters and call operator overloads will be especially relevant. Plus, it’s presented with humor, clarity, and just enough sci-fi wordplay to keep you engaged.

Topics covered: C++20, C++ ranges, C++ functors, anonymous function objects, static inline const usage, call operator overloads, naming patterns in C++, and modern design principles.

Chapters

0:00 - Introduction: Why C++ is Fun
0:12 - Discovering Ranges in C++20
0:23 - Filtering with Static Casts
0:44 - Introducing the Design Pattern
1:08 - Using Function Objects Instead of Lambdas
1:40 - The Problem with Naming
2:04 - Reviewing Existing Names: Nebloid and Beyond
2:30 - Identifying the Pattern Across Range Adapters
3:00 - From Functors to Sci-Fi
3:36 - The Case for Better Naming
4:01 - The “Unclassified Function Object”
4:20 - The Sci-Fi Analogy and Party Defense Mechanism

Slides: https://accu.org/conf-previous/accu2025/

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Stewart Becker

Stewart has been banging on keyboards ever since he was big enough to climb on a chair, and has been paid to do so for 20 years. He loves C++, and has particular interests in functional programming and concurrency.

Video Sponsored By JetBrains
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The ACCU Conference is the annual conference of the ACCU membership, but is open to any and all who wish to attend. The tagline for the ACCU is 'Professionalism in Programming', which captures the whole spectrum of programming languages, tools, techniques and processes involved in advancing our craft. While there remains a core of C and C++ - with many members participating in respective ISO standards bodies - the conference, like the organisation, embraces other language ecosystems and you should expect to see sessions on C#, D, F#, Go, Javascript, Haskell, Java, Kotlin, Lisp, Python, Ruby, Rust, Swift and more.The ACCU Conference is a conference by programmers for programmers about programming.
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