min_element

Finds the first occurrence of smallest element in a specified range where the ordering criterion may be specified by a binary predicate.

template<class ForwardIterator>
   ForwardIterator min_element(
      ForwardIterator first, 
      ForwardIterator last
   );
template<class ForwardIterator, class BinaryPredicate>
   ForwardIterator min_element(
      ForwardIterator first, 
      ForwardIterator last,
      BinaryPredicate comp
   );

Parameters

• first
  A forward iterator addressing the position of the first element in the range to be searched for the smallest element.

• last
  A forward iterator addressing the position one past the final element in the range to be searched for the smallest element.

• comp
  User-defined predicate function object that defines the sense in which one element is greater than another. The binary predicate takes two arguments and should return true when the first element is less than the second element and false otherwise.

Return Value

A forward iterator addressing the position of the first occurrence of the smallest element in the range searched.

Remarks

The range referenced must be valid; all pointers must be dereferenceable and within each sequence the last position is reachable from the first by incrementation.

The complexity is linear: (last – first) – 1 comparisons are required for a nonempty range.

Example

// alg_min_element.cpp
// compile with: /EHsc
#include <vector>
#include <set>
#include <algorithm>
#include <iostream>
#include <ostream>

using namespace std;
class CInt;
ostream& operator<<( ostream& osIn, const CInt& rhs );

class CInt
{
public:
   CInt( int n = 0 ) : m_nVal( n ){}
   CInt( const CInt& rhs ) : m_nVal( rhs.m_nVal ){}
   CInt& operator=( const CInt& rhs ) {m_nVal = 
   rhs.m_nVal; return *this;}
   bool operator<( const CInt& rhs ) const 
      {return ( m_nVal < rhs.m_nVal );}
   friend ostream& operator<<( ostream& osIn, const CInt& rhs );

private:
   int m_nVal;
};

inline ostream& operator<<( ostream& osIn, const CInt& rhs )
{
   osIn << "CInt( " << rhs.m_nVal << " )"; 
   return osIn;
}

// Return whether modulus of elem1 is less than modulus of elem2
bool mod_lesser ( int elem1, int elem2 )
{
   if ( elem1 < 0 ) 
      elem1 = - elem1;
   if ( elem2 < 0 ) 
      elem2 = - elem2;
   return elem1 < elem2;
};

int main()
{
   // Searching a set container with elements of type CInt 
   // for the minimum element 
   CInt c1 = 1, c2 = 2, c3 = -3;
   set<CInt> s1;
   set<CInt>::iterator s1_Iter, s1_R1_Iter, s1_R2_Iter;
   
   s1.insert ( c1 );
   s1.insert ( c2 );
   s1.insert ( c3 );

   cout << "s1 = (";
   for ( s1_Iter = s1.begin( ); s1_Iter != --s1.end( ); s1_Iter++ )
      cout << " " << *s1_Iter << ",";
   s1_Iter = --s1.end( );
   cout << " " << *s1_Iter << " )." << endl;

   s1_R1_Iter = min_element ( s1.begin ( ) , s1.end ( ) );

   cout << "The smallest element in s1 is: " << *s1_R1_Iter << endl;
   cout << endl;

   // Searching a vector with elements of type int for the maximum
   // element under default less than & mod_lesser binary predicates
   vector <int> v1;
   vector <int>::iterator v1_Iter, v1_R1_Iter, v1_R2_Iter;

   int i;
   for ( i = 0 ; i <= 3 ; i++ )
   {
      v1.push_back( i );
   }

   int ii;
   for ( ii = 1 ; ii <= 4 ; ii++ )
   {
      v1.push_back( - 2 * ii );
   }
   
   cout << "Vector v1 is ( " ;
   for ( v1_Iter = v1.begin( ) ; v1_Iter != v1.end( ) ; v1_Iter++ )
      cout << *v1_Iter << " ";
   cout << ")." << endl;

   v1_R1_Iter = min_element ( v1.begin ( ) , v1.end ( ) );
   v1_R2_Iter = min_element ( v1.begin ( ) , v1.end ( ), mod_lesser);

   cout << "The smallest element in v1 is: " << *v1_R1_Iter << endl;
   cout << "The smallest element in v1 under the mod_lesser"
        << "\n binary predicate is: " << *v1_R2_Iter << endl;
}

s1 = ( CInt( -3 ), CInt( 1 ), CInt( 2 ) ).
The smallest element in s1 is: CInt( -3 )

Vector v1 is ( 0 1 2 3 -2 -4 -6 -8 ).
The smallest element in v1 is: -8
The smallest element in v1 under the mod_lesser
 binary predicate is: 0

Requirements

Header: <algorithm>

Namespace: std

See Also

Reference

min_element (STL Samples)

Predicate Version of min_element

Standard Template Library

Other Resources

<algorithm> Members