How can I create Min stl priority_queue?

Question

The default stl priority queue is a Max one (Top function returns the largest element).

Say, for simplicity, that it is a priority queue of int values.

Answer 1

You can do it in multiple ways:
1. Using greater as comparison function :

 #include 

using namespace std;

int main()
{
    priority_queue,greater >pq;
    pq.push(1);
    pq.push(2);
    pq.push(3);

    while(!pq.empty())
    {
        int r = pq.top();
        pq.pop();
        cout<

2. Inserting values by changing their sign (using minus (-) for positive number and using plus (+) for negative number :

int main()
{
    priority_queuepq2;
    pq2.push(-1); //for +1
    pq2.push(-2); //for +2
    pq2.push(-3); //for +3
    pq2.push(4);  //for -4

    while(!pq2.empty())
    {
        int r = pq2.top();
        pq2.pop();
        cout<<-r<<" ";
    }

    return 0;
}

3. Using custom structure or class :

struct compare
{
    bool operator()(const int & a, const int & b)
    {
        return a>b;
    }
};

int main()
{

    priority_queue,compare> pq;
    pq.push(1);
    pq.push(2);
    pq.push(3);

    while(!pq.empty())
    {
        int r = pq.top();
        pq.pop();
        cout<

4. Using custom structure or class you can use priority_queue in any order. Suppose, we want to sort people in descending order according to their salary and if tie then according to their age.

    struct people
    {
        int age,salary;

    };
    struct compare{
    bool operator()(const people & a, const people & b)
        {
            if(a.salary==b.salary)
            {
                return a.age>b.age;
            }
            else
            {
                return a.salary>b.salary;
            }

    }
    };
    int main()
    {

        priority_queue,compare> pq;
        people person1,person2,person3;
        person1.salary=100;
        person1.age = 50;
        person2.salary=80;
        person2.age = 40;
        person3.salary = 100;
        person3.age=40;


        pq.push(person1);
        pq.push(person2);
        pq.push(person3);

        while(!pq.empty())
        {
            people r = pq.top();
            pq.pop();
            cout<

5. Same result can be obtained by operator overloading :

   struct people
   {
   int age,salary;
   
   bool operator< (const people & p)const
   {
       if(salary==p.salary)
       {
           return age>p.age;
       }
       else
       {
           return salary>p.salary;
       }
   }};
   

   In main function :

   priority_queue pq;
   people person1,person2,person3;
   person1.salary=100;
   person1.age = 50;
   person2.salary=80;
   person2.age = 40;
   person3.salary = 100;
   person3.age=40;
   
   
   pq.push(person1);
   pq.push(person2);
   pq.push(person3);
   
   while(!pq.empty())
   {
       people r = pq.top();
       pq.pop();
       cout<