std::basic_stringbuf<CharT,Traits,Allocator>:: underflow

From cppreference.com
protected :
virtual int_type underflow ( )

Reads the next character from the get area of the buffer.

Specifically:

1) If the input sequence has a read position available ( egptr ( ) > gptr ( ) ), returns Traits :: to_int_type ( * gptr ( ) )
2) Otherwise, if pptr ( ) > egptr ( ) (some characters were inserted into the stream since the last time overflow() changed egptr() ) then extends the end of the get area to include the most recently inserted characters, by changing egptr() to equal pptr() , and then returns Traits :: to_int_type ( * gptr ( ) )
3) Otherwise, returns Traits :: eof ( ) .

Any character in the buffer which has been initialized, regardless of whether it originated from the string passed in the constructor or was appended by overflow() , is considered to be part of the input sequence.

Parameters

(none)

Return value

Traits :: to_int_type ( * gptr ( ) ) (the next character to read in the get area) in case of success, or Traits :: eof ( ) in case of failure.

Example

#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
 
struct mybuf : std::stringbuf
{
    mybuf(const std::string& new_str,
          std::ios_base::openmode which = std::ios_base::in | std::ios_base::out)
        : std::stringbuf(new_str, which) {}
 
    int_type overflow(int_type c)
    {
        std::cout << "Before overflow():  get area size is " << egptr() - eback()
                  << ", the put area size is " << epptr() - pbase() << '\n';
        int_type rc = std::stringbuf::overflow(c);
        std::cout << "After overflow():   get area size is " << egptr() - eback()
                  << ", put area size is " << epptr() - pbase() << '\n';
        return rc;
    }
 
    int_type underflow()
    {
        std::cout << "Before underflow(): get area size is " << egptr() - eback()
                  << ", put area size is " << epptr() - pbase() << '\n';
        int_type ch = std::stringbuf::underflow();
        std::cout << "After underflow():  get area size is " << egptr() - eback()
                  << ", put area size is " << epptr() - pbase() << '\n';
 
        if (ch == EOF)
            std::cout << "underflow() returns EOF\n";
        else
            std::cout << "underflow() returns '" << char(ch) << "'\n";
        return ch;
    }
};
 
int main()
{
    mybuf sbuf("123"); // read-write stream
    std::iostream stream(&sbuf);
    int n;
    stream >> n; // calls sgetc() four times
                 // three calls return the characters '1', '2', '3'
                 // the fourth call, gptr() == egptr() and underflow() is called
                 // underflow returns EOF
    std::cout << "n = " << n << '\n';
    stream.clear(); // clear the eofbit
 
    stream << "123456"; // sputc() is called 6 times
                        // first three calls store "123" in the existing buffer
                        // 4th call finds that pptr() == epptr() and calls overflow()
                        // overflow() grows the buffer and sets egptr() to 4
                        // 5th and 6th calls store '5' and '6', advancing pptr()
 
    stream >> n; // calls sgetc() 4 times
                 // 1st call returns the '4' that was made available by overflow()
                 // on the 2nd call, egptr() == egptr() and underflow() is called
                 // underflow advances egptr() to equal pptr() (which is 6)
                 // 3rd sgetc() returns '6'
                 // 4th sgetc() finds gptr() == egptr(), calls underflow()
                 // underflow() returns EOF
 
    std::cout << "n = " << n << '\n';
}

Possible output:

Before underflow(): get area size is 3, put area size is 15
After underflow():  get area size is 3, put area size is 15
underflow() returns EOF
n = 123
Before underflow(): get area size is 3, put area size is 15
After underflow():  get area size is 6, put area size is 15
underflow() returns '4'
Before underflow(): get area size is 6, put area size is 15
After underflow():  get area size is 6, put area size is 15
underflow() returns EOF
n = 456

Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR Applied to Behavior as published Correct behavior
LWG 432 C++98 it was unclear whether characters appended by overflow()
are considered to be part of the input sequence
made clear

See also

[virtual]
reads characters from the associated input sequence to the get area
(virtual protected member function of std::basic_streambuf<CharT,Traits> )
[virtual]
reads from the associated file
(virtual protected member function of std::basic_filebuf<CharT,Traits> )
[virtual]
reads a character from the input sequence without advancing the next pointer
(virtual protected member function of std::strstreambuf )
reads one character from the input sequence without advancing the sequence
(public member function of std::basic_streambuf<CharT,Traits> )