Priority Queue Text Modify (Up) Timing Test

# Priority Queue Text `modify` Timing Test - I

## Description

This test inserts a number of values with keys from an arbitrary text ([ wickland96thirty ]) into into a container then modifies each one "up" (i.e., it makes it larger). It uses `modify` for `pb_ds`'s priority queues; for the STL's priority queues, it pops values from a container until it reaches the value that should be modified, then pushes values back in. It measures the average time for `modify` as a function of the number of values.

(The test was executed with `priority_queue_text_modify_up_timing_test` thirty_years_among_the_dead_preproc.txt 200 200 2100 t)

## Purpose

The test checks the effect of different underlying data structures (see Design::Priority Queues::Implementations) for graph algorithms settings. Note that making an arbitrary value larger (in the sense of the priority queue's comparison functor) corresponds to decrease-key in standard graph algorithms [clrs2001].

## Results

Figures NPG, NPM, and NPL show the results for the native priority queues and `pb_ds` 's priority queues in g++, msvc++, and local, respectively; Figures NRTG, NRTM, and NRTL show the results for the pairing heap and thin heaps in g++, msvc++, and local, respectively,

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NPG: Native and `pb ds` priority queue `modify` timing test - g++

In the above figure, the names in the legends have the following meaning:

1. n_pq_deque- `std::priority_queue` adapting `std::deque`
2. n_pq_vector- `std::priority_queue` adapting `std::vector`
3. binary_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `binary_heap_tag`
4. rc_binomial_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `rc_binomial_heap_tag`
5. pairing_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `pairing_heap_tag`
6. binomial_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `binomial_heap_tag`
7. thin_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `thin_heap_tag`

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NPM: Native and `pb ds` priority queue `modify` timing test - msvc++

In the above figure, the names in the legends have the following meaning:

1. n_pq_deque- `std::priority_queue` adapting `std::deque`
2. n_pq_vector- `std::priority_queue` adapting `std::vector`
3. binary_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `binary_heap_tag`
4. rc_binomial_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `rc_binomial_heap_tag`
5. pairing_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `pairing_heap_tag`
6. binomial_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `binomial_heap_tag`
7. thin_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `thin_heap_tag`

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NPL: Native and `pb ds` priority queue `modify` timing test - local

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NRTG: Pairing and thin priority queue `modify` timing test - g++

In the above figure, the names in the legends have the following meaning:

1. pairing_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `pairing_heap_tag`
2. thin_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `thin_heap_tag`

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NRTM: Pairing and thin priority queue `modify` timing test - msvc++

In the above figure, the names in the legends have the following meaning:

1. pairing_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `pairing_heap_tag`
2. thin_heap- `priority_queue` with `Tag` = `thin_heap_tag`

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NRTL: Pairing and thin priority queue `modify` timing test - local

## Observations

As noted above, increasing an arbitrary value (in the sense of the priority queue's comparison functor) is very common in graph-related algorithms. In this case, a thin heap (`priority_queue` with `Tag` = `thin_heap_tag`) outperforms a pairing heap (`priority_queue` with `Tag` = `pairing_heap_tag`). Conversely, Priority Queue Text `push` Timing Test, Priority Queue Text `push` and `pop` Timing Test, Priority Queue Random Integer `push` Timing Test, and Priority Queue Random Integer `push` and `pop` Timing Test show that the situation is reversed for other operations. It is not clear when to prefer one of these two different types.

In this test `pb_ds`'s binary heaps effectively perform modify in linear time. As explained in Priority Queue Design::Traits, given a valid point-type iterator, a binary heap can perform `modify` logarithmically. The problem is that binary heaps invalidate their find iterators with each modifying operation, and so the only way to obtain a valid point-type iterator is to iterate using a range-type iterator until finding the appropriate value, then use the range-type iterator for the `modify` operation.

The explanation for the STL's priority queues' performance is similar to that in Priority Queue Text `join` Timing Test.

Priority-Queue Performance Tests::Observations discusses this further and summarizes.