C++ Idioms and Patterns

What problem does it solve?

This Skill helps you avoid unsafe, non-idiomatic C++ patterns and instead produce maintainable, deterministic code that leverages modern C++ features for reliability and performance.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Modern ownership and lifetime management: Apply RAII, choose std::unique_ptr vs std::shared_ptr correctly, and prefer Rule of Zero/Rule of Five where appropriate.
• Predictable error handling: Use std::expected (C++23) or result-style types for expected failures, reserving exceptions for exceptional conditions.
• Efficient interfaces and types: Prefer std::string_view, std::optional, and std::variant for clear intent; use Concepts and Ranges for expressive, type-safe designs.
• Practical use case: When implementing a C++ service layer that fetches entities, handles “not found” and validation failures, and exposes clean APIs to callers, use these idioms to design correct ownership, robust errors, and allocation-free read-only parameters.

Quick Start

Ask your AI coding agent to refactor your C++ codebase to follow modern C++ idioms by applying RAII, improving ownership with smart pointers, using std::expected-style result handling, and updating interfaces to use std::string_view, std::optional, and std::variant where they fit best.