Rule Definition
This algorithm is designed to be used in a case where you search for a limited number of candidates in a large set of data. If N is the set of searched elements and M the scope of elements to search, the time complexity of the method is 'O(N*M)'. If the number of candidates becomes large, other methods exist whose complexity is 'O(N*log(M))' or even 'O(N)'. They use an associative container to store the list of possible candidates. If the data type can only have a very limited number of values (such as 'char'), you can have another alternative with a bit set describing the values you are searching for. This is what a function tailored to 'char' might do (for instance, the C 'strpbrk' function).

Remediation
Depending on the situation, you can either: - Use 'std::find_first_of' if you find yourself in the kind of situation for which it was designed - Use an ad-hoc specialization for small types, such as the one described in the reference - Use an alternative with 'std::set' - Use an alternative with 'std::unordered_set' or another hash set implementation

Violation Code Sample

See reference article.

Fixed Code Sample

See reference article.

"Jim Xochellis: find_first_of: A performance pitfall among the STL algorithms":http://www.codeproject.com/KB/stl/find_first_of.aspx