Should I Use Tuples for Struct Comparison Operators in C ?

Implementing Comparison Operators with Tuples and Ties: Pros and Cons

Writing small structs with multiple elements presents the choice between using standard types like std::pair or tuples (from Boost or C 11). While std::pair offers easy access to comparison operators, its variable names can be unwieldy. Tuples, on the other hand, lack clarity and may induce nesting issues.

To address these concerns, some developers resort to custom structs with manually implemented comparison operators. However, the cumbersome nature of the < operator can be a deterrent. One proposed solution circumvents this issue by leveraging the comparison operations defined for tuples:

bool operator<(MyStruct const& lhs, MyStruct const& rhs) {
  return std::tie(lhs.one_member, lhs.another, lhs.yet_more) <
         std::tie(rhs.one_member, rhs.another, rhs.yet_more);
}

While this approach simplifies the creation of correct comparison operators, it may come at the cost of performance. It is recommended to consider alternative approaches only if profiling reveals that the comparison operation is a bottleneck in the application. Otherwise, the ease of maintaining the tuple comparison operator should outweigh any potential performance concerns.

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