std::placeholders::_1, std::placeholders::_2, ..., std::placeholders::_N

From cppreference.com
< cpplrm; | utilitylrm; | functional
Function objects
Function wrappers
(C++11)
(C++11)
Bind
(C++11)
_1, _2, _3, ...
(C++11)
Function invocation
(C++17)
Identity function object
(C++20)
Reference wrappers
(C++11)(C++11)
Operator wrappers
Negators
(C++17)
Searchers
Old binders and adaptors
(until C++17)
(until C++17)
(until C++17)
(until C++17)
(until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)
(until C++20)
(until C++20)
(until C++17)(until C++17)
(until C++17)(until C++17)

(until C++17)
(until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)(until C++17)
(until C++20)
(until C++20)
Defined in header <functional>
/*see below*/ _1;

/*see below*/ _2;
.
.

/*see below*/ _N;

The std::placeholders namespace contains the placeholder objects [_1, . . . _N] where N is an implementation defined maximum number.

When used as an argument in a std::bind expression, the placeholder objects are stored in the generated function object, and when that function object is invoked with unbound arguments, each placeholder _N is replaced by the corresponding Nth unbound argument.

Each placeholder is declared as if by extern /*unspecified*/ _1;

(until C++17)

Implementations are encouraged to declare the placeholders as if by inline constexpr /*unspecified*/ _1;, although declaring them by extern /*unspecified*/ _1; is still allowed by the standard.

(since C++17)

The types of the placeholder objects are DefaultConstructible and CopyConstructible, their default copy/move constructors do not throw exceptions, and for any placeholder _N, the type std::is_placeholder<decltype(_N)> is defined and is derived from std::integral_constant<int, N>.

Example

The following code shows the creation of function objects with a placeholder argument.

#include <functional>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>

void goodbye(const std::string& s)
{
    std::cout << "Goodbye " << s << '\n';
}

class Object {
public:
    void hello(const std::string& s)
    {
        std::cout << "Hello " << s << '\n';
    }
};

int main()
{
    typedef std::function<void(const std::string&)> ExampleFunction;
    Object instance;
    std::string str("World");
    ExampleFunction f = std::bind(&Object::hello, &instance, 
                                  std::placeholders::_1);

    // equivalent to instance.hello(str)
    f(str);
    f = std::bind(&goodbye, std::placeholders::_1);

    // equivalent to goodbye(str)
    f(str);    
    return 0;
}

Output:

Hello World
Goodbye World

See also

(C++11)
binds one or more arguments to a function object
(function template)
indicates that an object is a standard placeholder or can be used as one
(class template)
placeholder to skip an element when unpacking a tuple using tie
(constant)