feat: Add Term Entry for C++ Arrays begin()

content/cpp/concepts/arrays/terms/begin/begin.md

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+---
+Title: '.begin()'
+Description: 'Returns an iterator pointing to the first element of a C++ array or container.'
+Subjects:
+  - 'Code Foundations'
+  - 'Computer Science'
+Tags:
+  - 'Arrays'
+  - 'Iterators'
+  - 'Pointers'
+CatalogContent:
+  - 'learn-c-plus-plus'
+  - 'paths/computer-science'
+---
+
+The **`.begin()`** method in C++ returns an iterator pointing to the first element of a container, such as `std::array`, or of a C-style array when used with the free function `std::begin()`. This iterator can be used to access or iterate through the array elements.
+
+## Syntax
+
+The usage of `.begin()` depends on the type of array:
+
+1\. For `std::array` (from `<array>`, introduced in C++11):
+
+```pseudo
+std_array_object.begin()
+```
+
+**Return value:** 
+
+Returns an iterator of the appropriate type, pointing to the first element of the `std_array_object`. If the array is empty, the returned iterator will be equal to the iterator returned by `std_array_object.end()`.
+
+2\. For C-style arrays (using `std::begin` from the `<iterator>` header):
+
+```pseudo
+std::begin(c_style_array_name)
+```
+
+**Parameters:**
+
+  - `c_style_array_name`: The name of the C-style array.
+
+**Return Value:**
+
+Returns a pointer (which acts as an iterator for C-style arrays) to the first element of `c_style_array_name`. For an empty C-style array (0 elements, though less common), its behavior is specific to how such an array is defined.
+
+## Example
+
+Here's how `.begin()` can be used with an `std::array`:
+
+```cpp
+#include <iostream>
+#include <array> // Required for std::array
+#include <iterator> // Required for std::begin (for C-style arrays example)
+
+int main() {
+  // Example with std::array
+  std::array<int, 5> numbers = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
+
+  // Get an iterator to the first element
+  std::array<int, 5>::iterator it = numbers.begin();
+  // Or using auto for type deduction:
+  // auto it = numbers.begin();
+
+  // Access the first element
+  if (it != numbers.end()) { // Good practice: check if the array is not empty
+    std::cout << "First element of std::array: " << *it << std::endl;
+  }
+
+  // Example with a C-style array using std::begin()
+  int c_style_numbers[] = {5, 15, 25};
+  int* ptr_begin = std::begin(c_style_numbers);
+
+  // Access the first element
+  // (Assuming c_style_numbers is not empty)
+  std::cout << "First element of C-style array: " << *ptr_begin << std::endl;
+}
+```
+
+This example would output:
+
+```shell
+First element of std::array: 10
+First element of C-style array: 5
+```
+
+## Codebyte Example
+
+The following example demonstrates the use of `std::array::begin()` to access and print the first element of an `std::array`.
+
+```codebyte/cpp
+#include <iostream>
+#include <array>
+
+int main() {
+  std::array<int, 3> myArray = {100, 200, 300};
+
+  // Get an iterator to the beginning of the array
+  auto it = myArray.begin();
+
+  // Check if the array is not empty and print the first element
+  if (it != myArray.end()) {
+    std::cout << "The first element is: " << *it << std::endl;
+  } else {
+      std::cout << "The array is empty." << std::endl;
+  }
+
+  // You can also use the iterator to traverse the array
+  std::cout << "Array elements: ";
+  for (auto current_it = myArray.begin(); current_it != myArray.end(); ++current_it) {
+    std::cout << *current_it << " ";
+  }
+  std::cout << std::endl;
+
+  return 0;
+}
+```