How to index and query STL map containers by multiple keys? - c++

Question

I came across one requirement where the record is stored as
Name : Employee_Id : Address
where Name and Employee_Id are supposed to be keys that is, a search function is to be provided on both Name and Employee Id.
I can think of using a map to store this structure
std::map< std:pair<std::string,std::string> , std::string >
// < < Name , Employee-Id> , Address >
but I'm not exactly sure how the search function will look like.

Answer 1

Boost.Multiindex
This is a Boost example
In the above example an ordered index is used but you can use also a hashed index:
#include <boost/multi_index_container.hpp>
#include <boost/multi_index/member.hpp>
#include <boost/multi_index/ordered_index.hpp>
#include <boost/multi_index/hashed_index.hpp>
#include <string>
#include <iostream>
struct employee
{
int id_;
std::string name_;
std::string address_;
employee(int id,std::string name,std::string address):id_(id),name_(name),address_(address) {}
};
struct id{};
struct name{};
struct address{};
struct id_hash{};
struct name_hash{};
typedef boost::multi_index_container<
employee,
boost::multi_index::indexed_by<
boost::multi_index::ordered_unique<boost::multi_index::tag<id>, BOOST_MULTI_INDEX_MEMBER(employee,int,id_)>,
boost::multi_index::ordered_unique<boost::multi_index::tag<name>,BOOST_MULTI_INDEX_MEMBER(employee,std::string,name_)>,
boost::multi_index::ordered_unique<boost::multi_index::tag<address>, BOOST_MULTI_INDEX_MEMBER(employee,std::string,address_)>,
boost::multi_index::hashed_unique<boost::multi_index::tag<id_hash>, BOOST_MULTI_INDEX_MEMBER(employee,int,id_)>,
boost::multi_index::hashed_unique<boost::multi_index::tag<name_hash>, BOOST_MULTI_INDEX_MEMBER(employee,std::string,name_)>
>
> employee_set;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,id>::type employee_set_ordered_by_id_index_t;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,name>::type employee_set_ordered_by_name_index_t;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,name_hash>::type employee_set_hashed_by_name_index_t;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,id>::type::const_iterator employee_set_ordered_by_id_iterator_t;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,name>::type::const_iterator employee_set_ordered_by_name_iterator_t;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,id_hash>::type::const_iterator employee_set_hashed_by_id_iterator_t;
typedef boost::multi_index::index<employee_set,name_hash>::type::const_iterator employee_set_hashed_by_name_iterator_t;
int main()
{
employee_set employee_set_;
employee_set_.insert(employee(1, "Employer1", "Address1"));
employee_set_.insert(employee(2, "Employer2", "Address2"));
employee_set_.insert(employee(3, "Employer3", "Address3"));
employee_set_.insert(employee(4, "Employer4", "Address4"));
// search by id using an ordered index
{
const employee_set_ordered_by_id_index_t& index_id = boost::multi_index::get<id>(employee_set_);
employee_set_ordered_by_id_iterator_t id_itr = index_id.find(2);
if (id_itr != index_id.end() ) {
const employee& tmp = *id_itr;
std::cout << tmp.id_ << ", " << tmp.name_ << ", " << tmp .address_ << std::endl;
} else {
std::cout << "No records have been found\n";
}
}
// search by non existing id using an ordered index
{
const employee_set_ordered_by_id_index_t& index_id = boost::multi_index::get<id>(employee_set_);
employee_set_ordered_by_id_iterator_t id_itr = index_id.find(2234);
if (id_itr != index_id.end() ) {
const employee& tmp = *id_itr;
std::cout << tmp.id_ << ", " << tmp.name_ << ", " << tmp .address_ << std::endl;
} else {
std::cout << "No records have been found\n";
}
}
// search by name using an ordered index
{
const employee_set_ordered_by_name_index_t& index_name = boost::multi_index::get<name>(employee_set_);
employee_set_ordered_by_name_iterator_t name_itr = index_name.find("Employer3");
if (name_itr != index_name.end() ) {
const employee& tmp = *name_itr;
std::cout << tmp.id_ << ", " << tmp.name_ << ", " << tmp .address_ << std::endl;
} else {
std::cout << "No records have been found\n";
}
}
// search by name using an hashed index
{
employee_set_hashed_by_name_index_t& index_name = boost::multi_index::get<name_hash>(employee_set_);
employee_set_hashed_by_name_iterator_t name_itr = index_name.find("Employer4");
if (name_itr != index_name.end() ) {
const employee& tmp = *name_itr;
std::cout << tmp.id_ << ", " << tmp.name_ << ", " << tmp .address_ << std::endl;
} else {
std::cout << "No records have been found\n";
}
}
// search by name using an hashed index but the name does not exists in the container
{
employee_set_hashed_by_name_index_t& index_name = boost::multi_index::get<name_hash>(employee_set_);
employee_set_hashed_by_name_iterator_t name_itr = index_name.find("Employer46545");
if (name_itr != index_name.end() ) {
const employee& tmp = *name_itr;
std::cout << tmp.id_ << ", " << tmp.name_ << ", " << tmp .address_ << std::endl;
} else {
std::cout << "No records have been found\n";
}
}
return 0;
}

Answer 2

If you want to use std::map, you can have two separate containers, each one having adifferent key (name, emp id) and the value should be a pointer the structure, so that you will not have multiple copies of the same data.

Answer 3

Example with tew keys:
#include <memory>
#include <map>
#include <iostream>
template <class KEY1,class KEY2, class OTHER >
class MultiKeyMap {
public:
struct Entry
{
KEY1 key1;
KEY2 key2;
OTHER otherVal;
Entry( const KEY1 &_key1,
const KEY2 &_key2,
const OTHER &_otherVal):
key1(_key1),key2(_key2),otherVal(_otherVal) {};
Entry() {};
};
private:
struct ExtendedEntry;
typedef std::shared_ptr<ExtendedEntry> ExtendedEntrySptr;
struct ExtendedEntry {
Entry entry;
typename std::map<KEY1,ExtendedEntrySptr>::iterator it1;
typename std::map<KEY2,ExtendedEntrySptr>::iterator it2;
ExtendedEntry() {};
ExtendedEntry(const Entry &e):entry(e) {};
};
std::map<KEY1,ExtendedEntrySptr> byKey1;
std::map<KEY2,ExtendedEntrySptr> byKey2;
public:
void del(ExtendedEntrySptr p)
{
if (p)
{
byKey1.erase(p->it1);
byKey2.erase(p->it2);
}
}
void insert(const Entry &entry) {
auto p=ExtendedEntrySptr(new ExtendedEntry(entry));
p->it1=byKey1.insert(std::make_pair(entry.key1,p)).first;
p->it2=byKey2.insert(std::make_pair(entry.key2,p)).first;
}
std::pair<Entry,bool> getByKey1(const KEY1 &key1)
{
const auto &ret=byKey1[key1];
if (ret)
return std::make_pair(ret->entry,true);
return std::make_pair(Entry(),false);
}
std::pair<Entry,bool> getByKey2(const KEY2 &key2)
{
const auto &ret=byKey2[key2];
if (ret)
return std::make_pair(ret->entry,true);
return std::make_pair(Entry(),false);
}
void deleteByKey1(const KEY1 &key1)
{
del(byKey1[key1]);
}
void deleteByKey2(const KEY2 &key2)
{
del(byKey2[key2]);
}
};
int main(int argc, const char *argv[])
{
typedef MultiKeyMap<int,std::string,int> M;
M map1;
map1.insert(M::Entry(1,"aaa",7));
map1.insert(M::Entry(2,"bbb",8));
map1.insert(M::Entry(3,"ccc",9));
map1.insert(M::Entry(7,"eee",9));
map1.insert(M::Entry(4,"ddd",9));
map1.deleteByKey1(7);
auto a=map1.getByKey1(2);
auto b=map1.getByKey2("ddd");
auto c=map1.getByKey1(7);
std::cout << "by key1=2 (should be bbb ): "<< (a.second ? a.first.key2:"Null") << std::endl;
std::cout << "by key2=ddd (should be ddd ): "<< (b.second ? b.first.key2:"Null") << std::endl;
std::cout << "by key1=7 (does not exist): "<< (c.second ? c.first.key2:"Null") << std::endl;
return 0;
}
Output:
by key1=2 (should be bbb ): bbb
by key2=ddd (should be ddd ): ddd
by key1=7 (does not exist): Null

Answer 4

If EmployeeID is the unique identifier, why use other keys? I would use EmployeeID as the internal key everywhere, and have other mappings from external/human readable IDs (such as Name) to it.

Answer 5

C++14 std::set::find non-key searches solution
This method saves you from storing the keys twice, once one the indexed object and secondly on as the key of a map as done at: https://stackoverflow.com/a/44526820/895245
This provides minimal examples of the central technique that should be easier to understand first: How to make a C++ map container where the key is part of the value?
#include <cassert>
#include <set>
#include <vector>
struct Point {
int x;
int y;
int z;
};
class PointIndexXY {
public:
void insert(Point *point) {
sx.insert(point);
sy.insert(point);
}
void erase(Point *point) {
sx.insert(point);
sy.insert(point);
}
Point* findX(int x) {
return *(this->sx.find(x));
}
Point* findY(int y) {
return *(this->sy.find(y));
}
private:
struct PointCmpX {
typedef std::true_type is_transparent;
bool operator()(const Point* lhs, int rhs) const { return lhs->x < rhs; }
bool operator()(int lhs, const Point* rhs) const { return lhs < rhs->x; }
bool operator()(const Point* lhs, const Point* rhs) const { return lhs->x < rhs->x; }
};
struct PointCmpY {
typedef std::true_type is_transparent;
bool operator()(const Point* lhs, int rhs) const { return lhs->y < rhs; }
bool operator()(int lhs, const Point* rhs) const { return lhs < rhs->y; }
bool operator()(const Point* lhs, const Point* rhs) const { return lhs->y < rhs->y; }
};
std::set<Point*, PointCmpX> sx;
std::set<Point*, PointCmpY> sy;
};
int main() {
std::vector<Point> points{
{1, -1, 1},
{2, -2, 4},
{0, 0, 0},
{3, -3, 9},
};
PointIndexXY idx;
for (auto& point : points) {
idx.insert(&point);
}
Point *p;
p = idx.findX(0);
assert(p->y == 0 && p->z == 0);
p = idx.findX(1);
assert(p->y == -1 && p->z == 1);
p = idx.findY(-2);
assert(p->x == 2 && p->z == 4);
}