Finding max element in integer map?

[hg]

Lets say we have a std::map<time_t, int>. By default the data is
sorted by first which is fine. However I would like to find the
largest element of second.
Using max_element() I can easily do that. However until now I had to
use a custom compare function which is supplied to the max_element()
function. Instead of doing that I'd like instead to have the map into
take the compare function into account so I won't have to specify it
seperately.
This means that I need to write a less function. It's quite easy to do
this since it's obvious that lhs < rhs.

However isn't there a predefined way to do this? What I found until
now is that I need to write my own class which overloads operator<.

Isn't there an easier way though?

-- Henrik

[Rolf Magnus]

[e-mail] wrote:

Lets say we have a std::map<time_t, int>. By default the data is
sorted by first which is fine.

Always, not just by default.

However I would like to find the largest element of second.
Using max_element() I can easily do that. However until now I had to
use a custom compare function which is supplied to the max_element()
function. Instead of doing that I'd like instead to have the map into
take the compare function into account so I won't have to specify it
seperately.
This means that I need to write a less function. It's quite easy to do
this since it's obvious that lhs < rhs.

But your less function can't sort by the first and second element at the
same time. It must sort by the first.