C++: 'unique vector' data structure - c++

Question

I need a data structure like std::vector or std::list whose elements will be unique. In most of time I will call push_back on it, sometimes maybe erase. When I insert an element which is already there, I need to be notified either by some boolean or exception.
And the most important property it should have: the order of insertions. Each time I iterate over it, it should return elements in the order they were inserted.
We can think other way: a queue which guarantees the uniqueness of elements. But I don't want to pop elements, instead I want to iterate over them just like we do for vector or list.
What is the best data structure for my needs?

Answer 1

You can use a std::set
It will return a pair pair<iterator,bool> when the insert method is called. The bool in the pair is false when the element already exists in the set (the element won't be added in that case).

Answer 2

Use a struct with a regular std::vector and a std::set.
When you push, check the set for existence of the element. When you need to iterate, iterate over the vector. If you need to erase from the vector, also erase from the set.
Basically, use the set as an aside, only for fast "presence of an element" check.
// either make your class a template or use a fixed type of element
class unique_vector
{
public:
// implement the various operator you need like operator[]
// alternatively, consider inheriting from std::vector
private:
std::set<T> m_set; // fast lookup for existence of elements
std::vector<T> m_vector; // vector of elements
};

Answer 3

I would prefer using std::unordered_set to stores existing elements in a std::vector and it has faster lookup time of O(1), while the lookup time of std::set is O(logn).

Answer 4

You can use Boost.MultiIndex for this:
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#include <boost/multi_index_container.hpp>
#include <boost/multi_index/sequenced_index.hpp>
#include <boost/multi_index/hashed_index.hpp>
#include <boost/multi_index/identity.hpp>
using namespace boost::multi_index;
template<typename T>
using unique_list=multi_index_container<
T,
indexed_by<
sequenced<>,
hashed_unique<identity<T>>
>
>;
#include <iostream>
int main()
{
unique_list<int> l;
auto print=[&](){
const char* comma="";
for(const auto& x:l){
std::cout<<comma<<x;
comma=",";
}
std::cout<<"\n";
};
l.push_back(0);
l.push_back(1);
l.push_back(2);
l.push_back(0);
l.push_back(2);
l.push_back(4);
print();
}
Output
0,1,2,4