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c++boostboost-graph

Find distances to vertices using BFS


using namespace boost;

typedef adjacency_list<setS, vecS, bidirectionalS,
no_property,
property<edge_weight_t, float>> Graph_type;

typedef graph_traits<Graph_type>::edge_iterator edge_iterator;


int main() {
    // create graph
    Graph_type g;
    add_edge(0,1,g);
    add_edge(1,2,g);
    add_edge(2,0,g);

    
    // output graph
    std::pair<edge_iterator, edge_iterator> ei = edges(g);
    for (edge_iterator edge_iter = ei.first; edge_iter != ei.second; ++edge_iter)
        std::cout << source(*edge_iter, g) << " - " << target(*edge_iter, g) << "\n";

    // attempt to find shortest distance from vetex 0 to all other vertices
    breadth_first_search(g,0);
    return 0;
}

I am attempting to call breadth_first_search, starting from vertex 0, and obtain the shortest distance to all other vertices in the graph. How am I calling the function incorrectly? And what container is recommended to store the result?


Solution

  • Modernizing the code first:

    #include <boost/graph/adjacency_list.hpp>
    #include <boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp>
    #include <iostream>
    
    using Graph_type =
        boost::adjacency_list<boost::setS, boost::vecS, boost::bidirectionalS,
                              boost::no_property,
                              boost::property<boost::edge_weight_t, float>>;
    
    int main() {
        // create graph
        Graph_type g;
        add_edge(0, 1, g);
        add_edge(1, 2, g);
        add_edge(2, 0, g);
    
        // output graph
        for (auto e : boost::make_iterator_range(edges(g)))
            std::cout << e << "\n";
    
        // attempt to find shortest distance from vetex 0 to all other vertices
        breadth_first_search(g, 0);
    }
    

    Clang and GCC give different diagnostics, GCC's are most elaborate:

    <source>: In function 'int main()':
    <source>:24:32: error: no matching function for call to 'breadth_first_search(Graph_type&, int)'
       24 |     boost::breadth_first_search(g, 0);
          |     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~
    In file included from <source>:2:
    /opt/compiler-explorer/libs/boost_1_78_0/boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp:123:6: note: candidate: 'template<class VertexListGraph, class SourceIterator, class Buffer, class BFSVisitor, class ColorMap> void boost::breadth_first_search(const VertexListGraph&, SourceIterator, SourceIterator, Buffer&, BFSVisitor, ColorMap)'
      123 | void breadth_first_search(const VertexListGraph& g,
          |      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    /opt/compiler-explorer/libs/boost_1_78_0/boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp:123:6: note:   template argument deduction/substitution failed:
    <source>:24:32: note:   candidate expects 6 arguments, 2 provided
       24 |     boost::breadth_first_search(g, 0);
          |     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~
    In file included from <source>:2:
    /opt/compiler-explorer/libs/boost_1_78_0/boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp:141:6: note: candidate: 'template<class VertexListGraph, class Buffer, class BFSVisitor, class ColorMap> void boost::breadth_first_search(const VertexListGraph&, typename boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_descriptor, Buffer&, BFSVisitor, ColorMap)'
      141 | void breadth_first_search(const VertexListGraph& g,
          |      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    /opt/compiler-explorer/libs/boost_1_78_0/boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp:141:6: note:   template argument deduction/substitution failed:
    <source>:24:32: note:   candidate expects 5 arguments, 2 provided
       24 |     boost::breadth_first_search(g, 0);
          |     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~
    In file included from <source>:2:
    /opt/compiler-explorer/libs/boost_1_78_0/boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp:328:6: note: candidate: 'template<class VertexListGraph, class P, class T, class R> void boost::breadth_first_search(const VertexListGraph&, typename boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_descriptor, const boost::bgl_named_params<T, Tag, Base>&)'
      328 | void breadth_first_search(const VertexListGraph& g,
          |      ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    /opt/compiler-explorer/libs/boost_1_78_0/boost/graph/breadth_first_search.hpp:328:6: note:   template argument deduction/substitution failed:
    <source>:24:32: note:   candidate expects 3 arguments, 2 provided
       24 |     boost::breadth_first_search(g, 0);
          |     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~
    Compiler returned: 1
    

    Indeed checking the documentation shows no overload that takes 2 arguments. You need at least a third, boost::named_parameters object

    Let's stick in a stub:

    breadth_first_search(g, 0, boost::no_named_parameters{});
    

    Now it should tell us which params are missing, if any: Success!

    The reason you might want to pass parameters is in case your graph doesn't have implicit property maps (like vertex_index_map) for mandatory arguments, or when you want to override the default for a UTIL/OUT, like visitor. In your case it is very likely that you want to override the it because otherwise you won't be able to access the answer to your question:

    std::vector<size_t> distances(num_vertices(g));
    auto recorder = record_distances(distances.data(), boost::on_tree_edge{});
    
    breadth_first_search(g, 0, visitor(make_bfs_visitor(recorder)));
    
    for (auto v : boost::make_iterator_range(vertices(g)))
        std::cout << "distance 0 .. " << v << ": " << distances.at(v) << "\n";
    

    Prints Live On Compiler Explorer:

    (0,1)
    (1,2)
    (2,0)
    distance 0 .. 0: 0
    distance 0 .. 1: 1
    distance 0 .. 2: 2
    

    BONUS/Caveats

    Caution: your graph model "has" edge_weight (although your example never initializes it to non-zero values). If they are relevant, then BFS is not enough. For non-negative weights you should use Dijkstra, which happens to be a bit easier to use in my opinion:

    Live

    #include <boost/graph/adjacency_list.hpp>
    #include <boost/graph/dijkstra_shortest_paths.hpp>
    #include <iostream>
    
    using G = boost::adjacency_list<boost::setS, boost::vecS, boost::bidirectionalS,
                                    boost::no_property,
                                    boost::property<boost::edge_weight_t, float>>;
    using V = G::vertex_descriptor;
    
    int main() {
        // create graph
        G g;
        add_edge(0, 1, 30, g);
        add_edge(1, 2, 43, g);
        add_edge(2, 0, 5, g);
    
        // output graph
        auto wmap = get(boost::edge_weight, g);
        for (auto e : boost::make_iterator_range(edges(g)))
            std::cout << e << " weight " << wmap[e] << "\n";
    
        // attempt to find shortest distance from vetex 0 to all other vertices
        auto s = vertex(0, g);
        assert(s == 0);
    
        std::vector<size_t> distances(num_vertices(g));
        boost::dijkstra_shortest_paths(g, s, boost::distance_map(distances.data()));
    
        for (auto v : boost::make_iterator_range(vertices(g)))
            std::cout << "distance 0 .. " << v << ": " << distances.at(v) << "\n";
    }
    

    Prints

    (0,1) weight 30
    (1,2) weight 43
    (2,0) weight 5
    distance 0 .. 0: 0
    distance 0 .. 1: 30
    distance 0 .. 2: 73