std::back_inserter for a std::set?

set doesn't have push_back because the position of an element is determined by the comparator of the set. Use std::inserter and pass it .begin():

std::set<int> s1, s2;
s1 = getAnExcitingSet();
transform(s1.begin(), s1.end(), 
          std::inserter(s2, s2.begin()), ExcitingUnaryFunctor());

The insert iterator will then call s2.insert(s2.begin(), x) where x is the value passed to the iterator when written to it. The set uses the iterator as a hint where to insert. You could as-well use s2.end().


In 2016 there was a proposal to have a "single argument inserter iterator". https://isocpp.org/files/papers/p0471r0.html . I couldn't find if it the proposal advanced. I think it makes sense.

For now you can have this behavior defining the maker function:

template<class Container>
auto sinserter(Container& c){
    using std::end;
    return std::inserter(c, end(c));
}

Used as:

std::transform(begin(my_vec), end(my_vec), sinserter(my_set), [](auto& e){return e.member;});