Question

How can I use std::weak_ptr as key for a std::map as shown in the following code?

#include <map>
#include <memory>

int main()
{
    std::map< std::weak_ptr<int>, bool > myMap;

    std::shared_ptr<int> sharedptr(new int(5));
    std::weak_ptr<int> weakptr = sharedptr;

    myMap[weakptr] = true;

    return 0;
}

The above program doesn’t build and trying to compile it gives many error messages such as:

1>C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\include\xfunctional(125): error C2784: 'bool std::operator <(const std::_Tree<_Traits> &,const std::_Tree<_Traits> &)' : could not deduce template argument for 'const std::_Tree<_Traits> &' from 'const std::tr1::weak_ptr<_Ty>'
1>          with
1>          [
1>              _Ty=int
1>          ]
1>          C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\include\xtree(1885) : see declaration of 'std::operator <'
1>          C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\include\xfunctional(124) : while compiling class template member function 'bool std::less<_Ty>::operator ()(const _Ty &,const _Ty &) const'
1>          with
1>          [
1>              _Ty=std::tr1::weak_ptr<int>
1>          ]
1>          C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\include\map(71) : see reference to class template instantiation 'std::less<_Ty>' being compiled
1>          with
1>          [
1>              _Ty=std::tr1::weak_ptr<int>
1>          ]
1>          C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\include\xtree(451) : see reference to class template instantiation 'std::_Tmap_traits<_Kty,_Ty,_Pr,_Alloc,_Mfl>' being compiled
1>          with
1>          [
1>              _Kty=std::tr1::weak_ptr<int>,
1>              _Ty=bool,
1>              _Pr=std::less<std::tr1::weak_ptr<int>>,
1>              _Alloc=std::allocator<std::pair<const std::tr1::weak_ptr<int>,bool>>,
1>              _Mfl=false
1>          ]

The problem occurs due to the following line:

myMap[weakptr] = true;

The error messages seem to be related to operator<. Do I need to define operator< for weak_ptr? Exactly, what operators need to be defined in order to use a data type as a key for a std::map?

(I should note that I have already defined operator== in the std namespace. Also, I plan to use a weak_ptr to a custom class type and not an int.)

Answer 1

C++11 provides appropriate mechanisms for comparisons of std::weak_ptr, namely: std::owner_less.

This should be the default for maps and sets. If the C++ compiler you are using is having a hard time, try using std::owner_less if it is available. If it is not available, you will need to provide a similar mechanism as std::owner_less so you can appropriately compare std::weak_ptr objects.