Re: How to pass a third argument to compare function?

From:
Lambda <stephenhsu9@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:17:45 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID:
<6f35db13-8907-4e03-89fd-1965a25c3f3b@q24g2000prf.googlegroups.com>
On Jun 23, 10:23 pm, dizzy <di...@roedu.net> wrote:

Lambda wrote:

I defined a class:

class inverted_index
{
private:
std::map<std::string, std::vector<size_t> > index;
public:
std::vector<size_t> intersect(const std::vector<std::string>&);
};

bool compare(const std::string&, const std::string&);

vector<size_t> inverted_index::intersect(const vector<string>& query)
{
sort(query.begin(), query.end(), compare);
vector<size_t> result = index[query.front()];

return result;
}

bool compare(const string& s1, const string& s2)
{
return index[s1].size() < index[s2].size();
}

In the intersect function, I want to sort the query by the
string matching vector size. So I define a compare function fort
'sort'.

I think I can't define compare as member function of inverted_index,
there is a current object as a implicit parameter for member
functions.
And the compare will have three parameters. I think it's wrong!


Right.

But if I define compare as a nonmember function with two parameters,
how can it access the index object. Make it 'friend' is useless here.


That can't work either as you noticed. What you can do is have compare a
functor (a class type with operator()) that does work in syntax such
as "compare(string1, string2)" and that has state (has a reference to the
index it uses for compation). For example

struct compare
{
        explicit compare(std::map<std::string, std::vector<size_t>=

 > const& index)

        :index_(index) {}

        bool operator()(std::string const& s1, std::string const& =

s2) const {

                return index_[s1].size() < index_[s2].size=

();

        }

private:
        std::map<std::string, std::vector<size_t> > const& index_;=

};

Note: to have the code more clear I recommend some (nested?) typedef for
the "std::map<std::string, std::vector<size_t> >" type and using that.

In order to use this compare functor you have to construct it giving it a
reference to the index to use for ordering, like:

std::sort(begin, end, compare(some-index));

--
Dizzy


Thank you for your help!
This is the first time i use functor.

Following is my updated code:

class doc_freq_cmp :
    public std::binary_function<std::string, std::string, bool>
{
    typedef std::map<std::string, std::vector<size_t> > index_map;
public:
    explicit doc_freq_cmp(index_map const& index) : index_(index) {}
    bool operator()(std::string const& lhs, std::string const& rhs) const
    {
        return index_[lhs].size() < index_[rhs].size();
    }
private:
    index_map index_;
};

vector<size_t> inverted_index::intersect(const vector<string>& query)
{
    sort(query.begin(), query.end(), doc_freq_cmp(this->index));
    vector<size_t> result = index[query.front()];

    return result;
}

But when i compile, there are errors:
error C2678: binary '[' : no operator found
which takes a left-hand operand of type
'const doc_freq_cmp::index_map' (or there is no acceptable conversion)

What does it mean? Doesn't std::map support operator[]?

BTW, what's the difference between a functor inherits from a
binary predicate and one who does not?

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