# Extra Clang Tools 18.1.8 documentation

## clang-tidy - modernize-use-emplace

# modernize-use-emplace

The check flags insertions to an STL-style container done by calling the `push_back`, `push`, or `push_front` methods with an explicitly-constructed temporary of the container element type. In this case, the corresponding `emplace` equivalent methods result in less verbose and potentially more efficient code. Right now the check doesn’t support `insert`. It also doesn’t support `insert` functions for associative containers because replacing `insert` with `emplace` may result in speed regression, but it might get support with some addition flag in the future.

The `ContainersWithPushBack`, `ContainersWithPush`, and `ContainersWithPushFront` options are used to specify the container types that support the `push_back`, `push`, and `push_front` operations respectively. The default values for these options are as follows:

- `ContainersWithPushBack`: `std::vector`, `std::deque`, and `std::list`.

- `ContainersWithPush`: `std::stack`, `std::queue`, and `std::priority_queue`.

- `ContainersWithPushFront`: `std::forward_list`, `std::list`, and `std::deque`.

This check also reports when an `emplace`-like method is improperly used, for example using `emplace_back` while also calling a constructor. This creates a temporary that requires at best a move and at worst a copy. Almost all `emplace`-like functions in the STL are covered by this, with `try_emplace` on `std::map` and `std::unordered_map` being the exception as it behaves slightly differently than all the others. More containers can be added with the `EmplacyFunctions` option, so long as the container defines a `value_type` type, and the `emplace`-like functions construct a `value_type` object.

Before:

    std::vector<MyClass> v;
    v.push_back(MyClass(21, 37));
    v.emplace_back(MyClass(21, 37));

    std::vector<std::pair<int, int>> w;

    w.push_back(std::pair<int, int>(21, 37));
    w.push_back(std::make_pair(21L, 37L));
    w.emplace_back(std::make_pair(21L, 37L));

After:

    std::vector<MyClass> v;
    v.emplace_back(21, 37);
    v.emplace_back(21, 37);

    std::vector<std::pair<int, int>> w;
    w.emplace_back(21, 37);
    w.emplace_back(21L, 37L);
    w.emplace_back(21L, 37L);

By default, the check is able to remove unnecessary `std::make_pair` and `std::make_tuple` calls from `push_back` calls on containers of `std::pair` and `std::tuple`. Custom tuple-like types can be modified by the `TupleTypes` option; custom make functions can be modified by the `TupleMakeFunctions` option.

The other situation is when we pass arguments that will be converted to a type inside a container.

Before:

    std::vector<boost::optional<std::string> > v;
    v.push_back("abc");

After:

    std::vector<boost::optional<std::string> > v;
    v.emplace_back("abc");

In some cases the transformation would be valid, but the code wouldn’t be exception safe. In this case the calls of `push_back` won’t be replaced.

    std::vector<std::unique_ptr<int>> v;
    v.push_back(std::unique_ptr<int>(new int(0)));
    auto *ptr = new int(1);
    v.push_back(std::unique_ptr<int>(ptr));

This is because replacing it with `emplace_back` could cause a leak of this pointer if `emplace_back` would throw exception before emplacement (e.g. not enough memory to add a new element).

For more info read item 42 - “Consider emplacement instead of insertion.” of Scott Meyers “Effective Modern C++”.

The default smart pointers that are considered are `std::unique_ptr`, `std::shared_ptr`, `std::auto_ptr`. To specify other smart pointers or other classes use the `SmartPointers` option.

Check also doesn’t fire if any argument of the constructor call would be:

> - a bit-field (bit-fields can’t bind to rvalue/universal reference)

> - a `new` expression (to avoid leak)

> - if the argument would be converted via derived-to-base cast.

This check requires C++11 or higher to run.

## Options

ContainersWithPushBack

  Semicolon-separated list of class names of custom containers that support `push_back`.

ContainersWithPush

  Semicolon-separated list of class names of custom containers that support `push`.

ContainersWithPushFront

  Semicolon-separated list of class names of custom containers that support `push_front`.

IgnoreImplicitConstructors

  When true, the check will ignore implicitly constructed arguments of `push_back`, e.g.

      std::vector<std::string> v;
      v.push_back("a"); // Ignored when IgnoreImplicitConstructors is `true`.

  Default is false.

SmartPointers

  Semicolon-separated list of class names of custom smart pointers.

TupleTypes

  Semicolon-separated list of `std::tuple`-like class names.

TupleMakeFunctions

  Semicolon-separated list of `std::make_tuple`-like function names. Those function calls will be removed from `push_back` calls and turned into `emplace_back`.

EmplacyFunctions

  Semicolon-separated list of containers without their template parameters and some `emplace`-like method of the container. Example: `vector::emplace_back`. Those methods will be checked for improper use and the check will report when a temporary is unnecessarily created.

### Example

    std::vector<MyTuple<int, bool, char>> x;
    x.push_back(MakeMyTuple(1, false, 'x'));
    x.emplace_back(MakeMyTuple(1, false, 'x'));

transforms to:

    std::vector<MyTuple<int, bool, char>> x;
    x.emplace_back(1, false, 'x');
    x.emplace_back(1, false, 'x');

when `TupleTypes` is set to `MyTuple`, `TupleMakeFunctions` is set to `MakeMyTuple`, and `EmplacyFunctions` is set to `vector::emplace_back`.