std::ranges::less

 

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Operator wrappers plus minus negate multiplies    divides modulus bit_and bit_or bit_not (C++14)   bit_xor equal_to not_equal_to greater less greater_equal less_equal logical_and logical_or logical_not	Transparent operator wrappers plus<> (C++14) minus<> (C++14) negate<> (C++14) multiplies<> (C++14)   divides<> (C++14) modulus<> (C++14) bit_and<> (C++14) bit_or<> (C++14) bit_not<> (C++14) bit_xor<> (C++14) equal_to<> (C++14) not_equal_to<> (C++14) greater<> (C++14) less<> (C++14) greater_equal<> (C++14) less_equal<> (C++14) logical_and<> (C++14) logical_or<> (C++14) logical_not<> (C++14)
Negators not_fn (C++17) Searchers default_searcher (C++17) boyer_moore_searcher (C++17) boyer_moore_horspool_searcher (C++17)	Constrained comparators ranges::equal_to (C++20) ranges::not_equal_to (C++20) ranges::greater (C++20) ranges::less (C++20) ranges::greater_equal (C++20) ranges::less_equal (C++20) compare_three_way (C++20)
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unary_function (until C++17*) binary_function (until C++17*) ptr_fun (until C++17*) pointer_to_unary_function (until C++17*) pointer_to_binary_function (until C++17*) mem_fun (until C++17*) mem_fun_tmem_fun1_tconst_mem_fun_tconst_mem_fun1_t (until C++17*)(until C++17*)(until C++17*)(until C++17*) not1 (until C++20*) not2 (until C++20*)	binder1stbinder2nd (until C++17*)(until C++17*) bind1stbind2nd (until C++17*)(until C++17*) mem_fun_ref (until C++17*) mem_fun_ref_tmem_fun1_ref_tconst_mem_fun_ref_tconst_mem_fun1_ref_t (until C++17*)(until C++17*)(until C++17*)(until C++17*) unary_negate (until C++20*) binary_negate (until C++20*)

 

Defined in header <functional>
struct less;		(since C++20)

Function object for performing comparisons. Deduces the parameter types of the function call operator from the arguments (but not the return type).

Implementation-defined strict total order over pointers

The function call operator yields the implementation-defined strict total order over pointers if the < operator between arguments invokes a built-in comparison operator for a pointer, even if the built-in < operator does not.

The implementation-defined strict total order is consistent with the partial order imposed by built-in comparison operators (<=>, <, >, <=, and >=), and consistent among following standard function objects:

• std::less, std::greater, std::less_equal, and std::greater_equal, when the template argument is a pointer type or void

• std::ranges::equal_to, std::ranges::not_equal_to, std::ranges::less, std::ranges::greater, std::ranges::less_equal, std::ranges::greater_equal, and std::compare_three_way

Member types

Member type	Definition
is_transparent	/* unspecified */

Member functions

operator()

checks if the first argument is less than the second (public member function)

std::ranges::less::operator()

template< class T, class U >     requires std::totally_ordered_with<T, U> // with different semantic requirements constexpr bool operator()(T&& t, U&& u) const;

Compares t and u, equivalent to return std::forward<T>(t) < std::forward<U>(u);, except when that expression resolves to a call to a built-in operator< comparing pointers.

When a call would not invoke a built-in operator comparing pointers, the behavior is undefined if std::totally_ordered_with<T, U> is not modeled.

When a call would invoke a built-in operator comparing pointers of type P, the result is instead determined as follows:

• Returns true if the (possibly converted) value of the first argument precedes the (possibly converted) value of the second argument in the implementation-defined strict total ordering over all pointer values of type P. This strict total ordering is consistent with the partial order imposed by the built-in operators <, >, <=, and >=.
• Otherwise, returns false.

The behavior is undefined unless the conversion sequences from both T and U to P are equality-preserving.

Equality preservation

Expressions declared in requires-expressions of the standard library concepts are required to be equality-preserving (except where stated otherwise).

Notes

Unlike std::less, std::ranges::less requires all six comparison operators <, <=, >, >=, == and != to be valid (via the totally_ordered_with constraint).

Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR	Applied to	Behavior as published	Correct behavior
LWG 3530	C++20	syntactic checks were relaxed while comparing pointers	only semantic requirements relaxed

See also

less	function object implementing x < y (class template)