Writing a custom general-purpose algorithm

In the first section of this chapter, we saw why abstracting access to container elements with iterators is key for building general-purpose algorithms. However, it should be useful for you to practice writing such an algorithm because it can help you better understand the use of iterators. Therefore, in this section, we will write a general-purpose algorithm.

The standard library features many such algorithms. One that is missing is a zipping algorithm. What zipping means is actually interpreted or understood differently by different people. For some, zipping means taking two or more input ranges and creating a new range with the elements from the input ranges intercalated. This is exemplified in the following diagram:

Figure 8.4

For others, zipping means taking two or more input ranges and creating a new range, with elements being tuples formed from the elements of the input ranges. This is shown in the next diagram...