std::map
A sibling to the std::set container, std::map is about relationships. It connects unique keys to specific values, forming a pair. In layman’s terms, imagine a dictionary where each word (key) has a unique definition (value).
Purpose and suitability
std::map is an ordered associative container that stores key-value pairs, ensuring unique keys. Its underlying data structure is typically a balanced binary tree (such as a red-black tree (RBT)). The main advantages include the following:
- Logarithmic access, insertion, and deletion times
- Maintaining key-value pairs in sorted order by keys
Use std::map in the following scenarios:
- When you need to associate values with unique keys
- When maintaining the order of keys is important
- When frequent access, insertion, or deletion operations are required, and they need to be efficient
Ideal use cases
The following are some ideal use cases of std::map:
- Dictionary or phonebook...
