Question

Related: what can I use as std::map keys?

I needed to create a mapping where specific key locations in space map to lists of objects. std::map seemed the way to do it.

So I’m keying a std::map on an xyz Vector

class Vector
{ 
  float x,y,z
} ;

, and I’m making a std::map<Vector, std::vector<Object*> >. So note the key here is not a std::vector, its an object of class Vector which is just a math xyz vector of my own making.

To produce a “strictly weak ordering” I’ve written the following overload for operator<:

  bool Vector::operator<( const Vector & b ) const {
    // z trumps, then y, then x
    if( z < b.z )
    {
      return true ;
    }
    else if( z == b.z )
    {
      if( y < b.y )
      {
        // z == b.z and y < b.y
        return true ;
      }
      else if( y == b.y )
      {
        if( x < b.x )
        {
          return true ;
        }
        else if( x == b.x )
        {
          // completely equal
          return false ;
        }
        else
        {
          return false ;
        }
      }
      else
      {
        // z==b.z and y >= b.y
        return false ;
      }
    }
    else
    {
      // z >= b.z
      return false ;
    }
  }

Its a bit long but basically makes it so any vector can consistently be said to be less than any other vector ((-1, -1, -1) < (-1,-1,1), and (-1, -1, 1) > (-1,-1,-1) for example).

My problem is this is really artificial and although I’ve coded it and it works, I am finding that it “pollutes” my Vector class (mathematically) with this really weird, artificial, non-math-based notion of “less than” for a vector.

But I need to create a mapping where specific key locations in space map to certain objects, and std::map seems the way to do it.

Suggestions? Out-of-box solutions welcome!!

Answer 1

Instead of defining operator< for your key class, you can give the map a custom comparator. This is a function object that takes two arguments and returns true if the first comes before the second. Something like this:

struct CompareVectors
{
    bool operator()(const Vector& a, const Vector& b)
    {
        // insert comparison code from question
    }
};

typedef std::map<Vector, Value, CompareVectors> VectorValueMap;