std::lexicographical_compare

template< class InputIt1, class InputIt2 >
bool lexicographical_compare( InputIt1 first1, InputIt1 last1,
                              InputIt2 first2, InputIt2 last2 );

template< class InputIt1, class InputIt2, class Compare >
bool lexicographical_compare( InputIt1 first1, InputIt1 last1,
                              InputIt2 first2, InputIt2 last2,
                              Compare comp );

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.

Parameters

Return value

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

Complexity

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

Possible implementation

template<class InputIt1, class InputIt2>
bool lexicographical_compare(InputIt1 first1, InputIt1 last1,
                             InputIt2 first2, InputIt2 last2)
{
    for ( ; (first1 != last1) && (first2 != last2); first1++, (void) first2++ ) {
        if (*first1 < *first2) return true;
        if (*first2 < *first1) return false;
    }
    return (first1 == last1) && (first2 != last2);
}

template<class InputIt1, class InputIt2, class Compare>
bool lexicographical_compare(InputIt1 first1, InputIt1 last1,
                             InputIt2 first2, InputIt2 last2,
                             Compare comp)
{
    for ( ; (first1 != last1) && (first2 != last2); first1++, (void) first2++ ) {
        if (comp(*first1, *first2)) return true;
        if (comp(*first2, *first1)) return false;
    }
    return (first1 == last1) && (first2 != last2);
}

Example

#include <algorithm>
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <ctime>
 
int main()
{
    std::vector<char> v1 {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'};
    std::vector<char> v2 {'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'};
 
    std::srand(std::time(0));
    while (!std::lexicographical_compare(v1.begin(), v1.end(),
                                         v2.begin(), v2.end())) {
        for (auto c : v1) std::cout << c << ' ';
        std::cout << ">= ";
        for (auto c : v2) std::cout << c << ' ';
        std::cout << '\n';
 
        std::random_shuffle(v1.begin(), v1.end());
        std::random_shuffle(v2.begin(), v2.end());
    }
 
    for (auto c : v1) std::cout << c << ' ';
    std::cout << "< ";
    for (auto c : v2) std::cout << c << ' ';
    std::cout << '\n';
}

a b c d >= a b c d 
d a b c >= c b d a 
b d a c >= a d c b 
a c d b < c d a b

See also