std::type_info::before(3)

💅 std::type_info::before

okay so this is the C++ Standard Library page (the original header says “C++ Standard Libary” — a typo icon, we stan 😭) for std::type_info::before, and bestie, it’s giving short-but-iconic energy. 🦋

🌸 NAME

std::type_info::before — literally std::type_info::before. That’s the whole name, no plot twist. 💖

✨ Synopsis

bool before( const type_info& rhs ) const;           (until C++11)
bool before( const type_info& rhs ) const noexcept;  (since C++11)

Returns true if the type of this type_info precedes the type of rhs in the implementation’s collation order. No guarantees are given — none, zero, zilch — and in particular, the collation order can change between invocations of the same program. 😭 That’s the tea: it’s implementation-defined behavior, not a promise. 💀

🎀 Parameters

• rhs — another type information object to compare to. Basically the other type_info bestie in the comparison. 🫶

👑 Return value

true if the type of this type_info precedes the type of rhs in the implementation’s collation order. ✨

🌈 Example

// Run this code

#include <iostream>
#include <typeinfo>

int main()
{
    if (typeid(int).before(typeid(char)))
        std::cout << "int goes before char in this implementation.\n";
    else
        std::cout << "char goes before int in this implementation.\n";
}

💫 Possible output

char goes before int in this implementation.

💜 See also

• operator== — checks whether the objects refer to the same type. 👯‍♀️
• operator!= — also a public member function, and it’s removed in C++20. 👋

💌 Source: http://cppreference.com · version/date: 2024.06.10 · page: std::type_info::before(3). Bye bestie, go get that collation order! 🎀