std::lexicographical_compare

From Cppreference

Checks if the first range [first1, last1) is lexicographically less than the second range [first2, last2). The first version uses operator< to compare the elements, the second version uses the given comparison function comp.

Lexicographical comparison is a operation with the following properties:

• Two ranges are compared element by element.
• The first mismatching element defines which range is lexicographically less or greater than the other.
• If one range is a prefix of another, the shorter range is lexicographically less than the other.
• If two ranges have equivalent elements and are of the same length, then the ranges are lexicographically equal.
• An empty range is lexicographically less than any non-empty range.
• Two empty ranges are lexicographically equal.

[edit] Parameters

[edit] Return value

true if the first range is lexicographically less than the second.

[edit] Complexity

At most 2·min(N1, N2) applications of the comparison operation, where N1 = std::distance(first1, last1) and N2 = std::distance(first2, last2).

[edit] Equivalent function

template<class InputIterator1, class InputIterator2>
bool lexicographical_compare(InputIterator1 first1, InputIterator1 last1,
                             InputIterator2 first2, InputIterator2 last2)
{
    for ( ; (first1 != last1) && (first2 != last2); first1++, first2++ ) {
        if (*first1 < *first2) return true;
        if (*first2 < *first1) return false;
    }
    return (first1 == last1) && (first2 != last2);
}

template<class InputIterator1, class InputIterator2, class Compare>
bool lexicographical_compare(InputIterator1 first1, InputIterator1 last1,
                             InputIterator2 first2, InputIterator2 last2,
                             Compare comp)
{
    for ( ; (first1 != last1) && (first2 != last2); first1++, first2++ ) {
        if (comp(*first1, *first2)) return true;
        if (comp(*first2, *first1)) return false;
    }
    return (first1 == last1) && (first2 != last2);
}

[edit] Example