Create StringOrdinal to allow placement of strings in sorted lists

chrome/common/string_ordinal.h

+// Copyright (c) 2011 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
+// found in the LICENSE file.
+
+#ifndef CHROME_COMMON_STRING_ORDINAL_H_
+#define CHROME_COMMON_STRING_ORDINAL_H_
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string>
+
+// A StringOrdinal represents a specially-formatted string that can be used
+// for ordering. The StringOrdinal class has an unbounded dense strict total
+// order, which mean for any StringOrdinals a, b and c:
+// a < b and b < c implies a < c (transitivity);

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

Please preserve bullets and newlines around them like I had in my comment

+// exactly one of a < b, b < a and a = b holds (trichotomy);
+// if a < b, there is a StringOrdinal x such that a < x < b (density);
+// there are StringOrdinals x and y such that x < a < y (unboundedness).
+// This means that when StringOrdinal is used for sorting a list, if

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

extra space after bullets and before this paragraph

+// any item changes its position in the list, only its StringOrinal value
+// has to change to represent the new order, all the other older values can stay

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

"order, all" -> "order, and all"

+// the same.
+class StringOrdinal {
+ public:
+  // Create a StringOrdinal from the given string. It may be valid or invalid.
+  explicit StringOrdinal(const std::string& str);

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

str -> string_ordinal

+
+  // Create an invalid StringOrdinal.
+  StringOrdinal();
+
+  bool IsValid() const;
+

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

Add comment saying all other functions can only be called if IsValid() holds

+  // Ordering Functions
+
+  // Returns true iff |*this| < |other|

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

period at end

+  bool LessThan(const StringOrdinal& other) const;
+
+  // Return true iff |*this| == |other| (ie this->LessThan(other) and

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

ie -> i.e., 

+  // other.LessThan(*this) are both false).
+  bool Equal(const StringOrdinal& other) const;
+
+  // Given |*this| != |other|, returns a StringOrdinal x such that
+  // min(|*this|, |other|).LessThan(x) holds, and

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

use min(...) < ... < max(...) like in my suggested comment. (You already do so
for LessThan and CreateBefore and CreateAfter, so we should be consistent.)

+  // x.LessThan(max(|*this|,|other|) holds. It is an error to call
+  // this function with |*this| == |other|

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

period at end.

+  StringOrdinal CreateBetween(const StringOrdinal& other) const;
+
+  // Returns a StringOrdinal x such that x < |*this|.
+  StringOrdinal CreateBefore() const;
+
+  // Returns a StringOrdinal x such that |*this| < x.
+  StringOrdinal CreateAfter() const;
+
+  std::string ToString() const;

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

// It is guaranteed that a StringOrdinal constructed from the returned string
will be valid.

+
+  // Use of copy constructor and default assignment for this class is allowed.
+
+ private:
+  std::string string_index_;

[akalin, 2011/10/18 17:59:27]

rename this variable to string_ordinal_

+  bool is_valid_;
+};
+#endif  // CHROME_COMMON_STRING_ORDINAL_H_