I've not found a tidy, all-in-one table of all the C++0x container iterator invalidation rules.
So, with references, here they are!
Insertion
| Container | Rules | n3242 ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence containers | ||
vector |
all iterators and references before the point of insertion are unaffected, unless the new container size is greater than the previous capacity (in which case all iterators and references are invalidated) | 23.3.6.5/1 |
deque |
all iterators and references are invalidated, unless the inserted member is at an end (front or back) of the deque (in which case all iterators are invalidated, but references to elements are unaffected) | 23.3.3.4/1 |
list |
all iterators and references unaffected | 23.3.5.4/1 |
forward_list |
all iterators and references unaffected (applies to insert_after) |
23.3.4.5/1 |
array |
(n/a) | |
| Associative containers | ||
set |
all iterators and references unaffected | 23.2.4/9 |
multiset |
||
map |
||
multimap |
||
| Unordered associative containers | ||
unordered_set |
all iterators invalidated when rehashing occurs, but references unaffected | 23.2.5/8 |
unordered_multiset |
||
unordered_map |
||
unordered_multimap |
||
| Container adaptors | ||
stack |
inherited from underlying container | |
queue |
||
priority_queue |
||
Erasure
| Container | Rules | n3242 ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence containers | ||
vector |
every iterator and reference after the point of erase is invalidated | 23.3.6.5/3 |
deque |
erasing the last element invalidates only iterators and references to the erased elements and the past-the-end iterator; erasing the first element invalidates only iterators and references to the erased elements; erasing any other elements invalidates all iterators and references (including the past-the-end iterator) | 23.3.3.4/1 |
list |
only the iterators and references to the erased element is invalidated | 23.3.5.4/1 |
forward_list |
only the iterators and references to the erased element is invalidated (applies to erase_after) |
23.3.4.5/1 |
array |
(n/a) | |
| Associative containers | ||
set |
only iterators and references to the erased elements are invalidated | 23.2.4/9 |
multiset |
||
map |
||
multimap |
||
| Unordered associative containers | ||
unordered_set |
only iterators and references to the erased elements are invalidated | 23.2.5/13 |
unordered_multiset |
||
unordered_map |
||
unordered_multimap |
||
| Container adaptors | ||
stack |
inherited from underlying container | |
queue |
||
priority_queue |
||
Resizing
| Container | Rules | n3242 ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence containers | ||
vector |
as per insert/erase | 23.3.6.5/12 |
deque |
as per insert/erase | 23.3.3.4/1 |
list |
as per insert/erase | 23.3.5.3/1 |
forward_list |
as per insert/erase | 23.3.4.5/25 |
array |
(n/a) | |
Bootnote 1
Unless otherwise specified (either explicitly or by defining a function in terms of other functions), invoking a container member function or passing a container as an argument to a library function shall not invalidate iterators to, or change the values of, objects within that container. [23.2.1/11]
Bootnote 2
No swap() function invalidates any references, pointers, or iterators referring to the elements of the containers being swapped. [ Note: The end() iterator does not refer to any element, so it may be invalidated. —end note ] [23.2.1/10]
Bootnote 3
Other than the above caveat regarding swap() and the erasure rule for deque, it's not clear whether "end" iterators are subject to the above listed per-container rules; you should assume, anyway, that they are.
(this post can also be found on Stack Overflow)
(also see the same post regarding C++03)
