Re: operator< for algorithms

From:
James Kanze <james.kanze@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Fri, 3 Apr 2009 01:11:11 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID:
<d5c43473-5157-459d-b2d9-7bb701a6c875@3g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>
On Apr 2, 2:17 pm, "Hicham Mouline" <hic...@mouline.org> wrote:

namespace NS1 { namespace NS2 {

template <typename T1, typename T2>
class C {
public:
  typedef T1::xType xType;
  typedef T1::yType yType;


You are, presumably, using an older compiler. The above
shouldn't compile (and won't with most newer compilers); you
need an additional typename.

...
private:
  typedef std::pair< xType, yType> EntryType;
  boost::array< EntryType , size > ContainerType;
  ....

};
...
}}

I need to use std::lower_bound and sorting algorithms on my
ContainerType.


That could be tricky if either xType or yType don't support
comparison. And if they both support <, then your EntryType
already has an operator<, which you don't want to change (since
that would confuse any reader). And if EntryType supports <,
then boost::array should as well. (I've not verified the
latter, but as far as I know, boost::array adheres to the
requirements of a container in the standard.)

Where (which namespace) and how can I define the operator<
comparing 2 EntryType for the std:: algorithms to use that
operator?

Note I use these std::algorithms only in member functions of
the C template. So I wish to define the operator< in a way
that is specific and visible only to C template.


That's a tricky one. The correct answer is: in the namespace
where one of the actual types was defined, i.e. where the T1 of
the instantiation was defined. Except that, as mentionned, you
can't define an operator< for EntryType or ContainerType, since
the standard already defines one.

If the standard operator isn't appropriate, then There are two
simple solutions:

 -- Drop std::pair. Using it is probably an error anyway---do
    the two components really have a semantic of "first" and
    "second"? (There are cases where they do, but in those
    cases, the standard operator is appropriate.) Just define a
    nested class (or simply a struct) with the two types, and
    the operator< defined as you want.

 -- Don't use <. All of the functions involving order (sort,
    lower_bound, etc.) have a overload taking an additional
    argument specifying the ordering function. So you provide a
    nested class (fuctional object) which defines the ordering
    you want, and pass an instance of it to the function each
    time.

--
James Kanze (GABI Software) email:james.kanze@gmail.com
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