C++ Handbook

Header Reference: <span>

Header Reference: <span>

The non-owning contiguous view type std::span and the lifetime rules that matter when using it.

How to use this reference page

Use reference pages to confirm names, categories, nearby facilities, and the constraints that matter before writing or reviewing code.

  • Scan the top of the page first to identify the primary types, functions, or algorithm families involved.
  • Use the nearby-page links when your question is really about a companion header, related algorithm family, or broader subsystem.
  • Validate tricky behavior with a small compileable example before relying on memory for details like invalidation, ordering, allocation, or lifetime rules.

What header pages are for

Header reference pages are meant to answer a practical question quickly: what this header provides, when to reach for it, and which usage rules are easiest to get wrong.

  • Start here when you already know roughly which header you need but want a fast operational summary.
  • Use the example section below as a minimal pattern, then adapt it to your real container, ownership, text, or concurrency workflow.
  • Jump to broader index pages when you need exhaustive coverage rather than a header-focused summary.

Header Reference: <span>

Main type

Main facility groups

What it provides

When to use it

Caveats

Nearby pages

Minimal example

#include <span>
#include <array>

int sum(std::span<const int> values) {
    int total = 0;
    for (int value : values) {
        total += value;
    }
    return total;
}

What to verify before relying on this header

  • Whether the type models ownership, borrowing, type erasure, value transport, or a compile-time constraint.
  • Which operations are constant time versus potentially allocating, dispatching, or instantiating more template machinery than expected.
  • How the facility composes with nearby headers like ``, ``, ``, or ``.