Re: priority_queue help

From:
Kai-Uwe Bux <jkherciueh@gmx.net>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:58:32 -0400
Message-ID:
<48f2ffa8$0$17069$6e1ede2f@read.cnntp.org>
Joe, G.I. wrote:

Can anyone help me w/ a priority_queue. I'm generating MyEvent classes
and I put them on a priority_queue, but I don't know how to get them in
priority. The priority is the event w/ the smallest timestamp.

    // just a wrapper around priority_queue
    pq = new MyPriorityQueue();


a) There is no other use for a wrapper of a standard template than
obfuscation.

b) Why the new() ?

 

    // I generate 10 events w/ a random timestamp
    for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
       MyEvent *event = new MyEvent();
       event->set_id(idx++);
       event->set_gen_tstamp();

       pq->push_event(event);
    }


Ok: your priority queue has value_type = MyEvent*.

    // Now I need to find the event w/ the smallest timestamp
    if (pq->size() > 0) {
       MyEvent *evnt = pq->top_event();

       if (evnt->is_expired()) {


Shouldn't that if be a while ?

          // do stuff ... then remove this event

          pq->pop_event();
       }
    }

    // Not sure what I'm doing here, but I'm trying to do an overload
    // operator and have it return the priority of the smallest time. I
    // think this is where I need help.
    // Not even sure if this is the thing to do.

    bool MyEvent::operator < (const MyEvent *event)
    {
       if (_timestamp < event->_timestamp())
          return true;
       }

       return false;
    }


a) This is a type mismatch. Your queue is templated on MyEvent* not MyEvent.

b) You cannot overload operator< for pointer types.

c) Your best bet is to define a functor class:

  struct MyEventPointerCompare {

    bool operator() ( MyEvent* lhs, MyEvent* rhs ) const {
      return ( lhs->_timestamp < rhs->_timestamp );
    }

  };

Now you can have

  std::priority_queue< MyEvent*, MyEventPointerCompare > the_queue;

Best

Kai-Uwe Bux

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