Thread: C++ Overloading < > == for use with char * or string

  1. #1
    &operator overload neolyn's Avatar
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    Question C++ Overloading < > == for use with char * or string

    I am trying to figure out how to overload <, >, and == to use with char * or string datatypes.

    I am trying to take set of data and put into a data structure by value of the string, so I need a way to calculate:

    dog > cat because D comes after C in the alphabet, and so on.

    Please help - I'm really new to overloaded operators.
    Thanks.

  2. #2
    & the hat of GPL slaying Thantos's Avatar
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    well if you are using a char * then you can just use strcmp.
    If you are using std::string then it already has built in comparisons

    strcmp(a,b) returns >1 if a > b, < 1 if a < b, or 0 if a==b.
    Generally i only write two comparison operators and then use those two for the other four
    Code:
    bool operator == (const char *a, const char *b)
    {
      return strcmp(a,b) == 0;
    }
    
    bool operator > (const char *a, const char *b)
    {
      return strcmp(a,b) > 1;
    }
    
    bool operator >= (const char *a, const char *b)
    {
      return (a==b) || (a>b);
    }
    Warning: I have not compiled or tested the above code and am not 100% sure it is correct, or if you can even overload the comparison between to char * in such a manner.

  3. #3
    Toaster Zach L.'s Avatar
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    Err... I don't believe you can overload operations on built in data types.
    You could make a thin structure over them and then add your operators. You could also use std::string in <string> as it already has those operators.
    The word rap as it applies to music is the result of a peculiar phonological rule which has stripped the word of its initial voiceless velar stop.

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