How can I create my own comparator for a map?

Question

typedef map<string, string> myMap;

When inserting a new pair to myMap, it will use the key string to compare by its own string comparator. Is it possible to override that comparator? For example, I'd like to compare the key string by its length, not by the alphabet. Or is there any other way to sort the map?

Answer 1

Since C++11, you can also use a lambda expression instead of defining a comparator struct:

auto comp = [](const string& a, const string& b) { return a.length() < b.length(); };
map<string, string, decltype(comp)> my_map(comp);

my_map["1"]      = "a";
my_map["three"]  = "b";
my_map["two"]    = "c";
my_map["fouuur"] = "d";

for(auto const &kv : my_map)
    cout << kv.first << endl;

Output:

1
two
three
fouuur

I'd like to repeat the final note of Georg's answer: When comparing by length you can only have one string of each length in the map as a key.

Code on Ideone

Answer 2

Yes, the 3rd template parameter on map specifies the comparator, which is a binary predicate. Example:

struct ByLength : public std::binary_function<string, string, bool>
{
    bool operator()(const string& lhs, const string& rhs) const
    {
        return lhs.length() < rhs.length();
    }
};

int main()
{
    typedef map<string, string, ByLength> lenmap;
    lenmap mymap;

    mymap["one"] = "one";
    mymap["a"] = "a";
    mymap["fewbahr"] = "foobar";

    for( lenmap::const_iterator it = mymap.begin(), end = mymap.end(); it != end; ++it )
        cout << it->first << "\n";
}

Answer 3

std::map takes up to four template type arguments, the third one being a comparator. E.g.:

struct cmpByStringLength {
    bool operator()(const std::string& a, const std::string& b) const {
        return a.length() < b.length();
    }
};

// ...
std::map<std::string, std::string, cmpByStringLength> myMap;

Alternatively you could also pass a comparator to maps constructor.

Note however that when comparing by length you can only have one string of each length in the map as a key.