Documenting my Data Structures and Algorithms Journey

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All Optimization Code Formats in C++

ios_base::sync_with_stdio(0);
cin.tie(NULL);
cout.tie(NULL);

#pragma GCC optimize("O3")
#pragma GCC target("avx2, bmi, bmi2, lzcnt, popcnt")
static const bool __boost = []()
{
  cin.tie(nullptr);
  cout.tie(nullptr);
  return ios_base::sync_with_stdio(false);
}();

inline const auto optimize = []() {
    std::ios::sync_with_stdio(false); // 1. Disable C and C++ stream synchronization
    std::cin.tie(nullptr);            // 2. Untie cin from cout
    std::cout.tie(nullptr);           // 3. Untie cout from other output streams
    return 0;                         // 4. Return 0 from the lambda function
}();

auto init = []() {
   ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
   cin.tie(nullptr);
   return '$';
}();

//Some Optimization Libraries
#pragma GCC optimize("O3")
#pragma GCC optimize(2)
#pragma GCC optimize(3)
#pragma GCC optimize("Ofast")
#pragma GCC optimize("inline")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fgcse")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fgcse-lm")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fipa-sra")
#pragma GCC optimize("-ftree-pre")
#pragma GCC optimize("-ftree-vrp")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fpeephole2")
#pragma GCC optimize("-ffast-math")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fsched-spec")
#pragma GCC optimize("unroll-loops")
#pragma GCC optimize("-falign-jumps")
#pragma GCC optimize("-falign-loops")
#pragma GCC optimize("-falign-labels")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fdevirtualize")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fcaller-saves")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fcrossjumping")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fthread-jumps")
#pragma GCC optimize("-funroll-loops")
#pragma GCC optimize("-freorder-blocks")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fschedule-insns")
#pragma GCC optimize("inline-functions")
#pragma GCC optimize("-ftree-tail-merge")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fschedule-insnS2")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fstrict-aliasing")
#pragma GCC optimize("-falign-functions")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fcse-follow-jumps")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fsched-interblock")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fpartial-inlining")
#pragma GCC optimize("no-stack-protector")
#pragma GCC optimize("-freorder-functions")
#pragma GCC optimize("-findirect-inlining")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fhoist-adjacent-loads")
#pragma GCC optimize("-frerun-cse-after-loop")
#pragma GCC optimize("inline-small-functions")
#pragma GCC optimize("-finline-small-functions")
#pragma GCC optimize("-ftree-switch-conversion")
#pragma GCC optimize("-foptimize-sibling-calls")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fexpensive-optimizations")
#pragma GCC optimize("inline-functions-called-once")
#pragma GCC optimize("-fdelete-null-Pointer-checks")
#pragma GCC optimize("Ofast")

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Optimizing Input/Output Performance in C++

When working with performance-critical C++ code, especially in competitive programming, it’s important to optimize input and output operations to reduce execution time. The following line of code is often used to achieve this:

ios_base::sync_with_stdio(0);
cin.tie(NULL);
cout.tie(NULL);

Explanation

1. ios_base::sync_with_stdio(0);

   • Purpose: Disables synchronization between C++ standard streams (cin, cout, etc.) and C standard streams (scanf, printf, etc.).
   • Reasoning: By default, C++ streams are synchronized with C streams to ensure compatibility. However, this synchronization can slow down I/O operations. Disabling it makes cin and cout faster but means you should avoid mixing C and C++ I/O functions.

2. cin.tie(NULL);

   • Purpose: Unties cin from cout.
   • Reasoning: By default, cin is tied to cout, meaning cout is automatically flushed before every cin operation. Untying them prevents unnecessary flushing, which can enhance performance when alternating between input and output operations.

3. cout.tie(NULL);

   • Purpose: Ensures that cout is not tied to any other stream.
   • Reasoning: While this is not as commonly required, it guarantees that cout operates independently, avoiding any potential performance penalties from being tied to another stream.

Summary

Using the above lines of code optimizes input and output operations by:

• Disabling synchronization between C and C++ streams.
• Untying cin and cout to prevent automatic flushing before input operations.

This approach is highly recommended in scenarios where efficient handling of large amounts of data is critical, such as in competitive programming.

Optimization Technique - 2

Code Breakdown

inline const auto optimize = []() {
    std::ios::sync_with_stdio(false); // 1. Disable C and C++ stream synchronization
    std::cin.tie(nullptr);            // 2. Untie cin from cout
    std::cout.tie(nullptr);           // 3. Untie cout from other output streams
    return 0;                         // 4. Return 0 from the lambda function
}();

Explanation Below

1. inline const auto optimize =:

   • This declares a constant (const auto) named optimize that will hold the result of the immediately invoked lambda function ([]()).
   • The keyword inline suggests that this definition should be optimized by the compiler for inlining, but in this context, it's used to ensure the lambda is executed only once in a translation unit.

2. []() { ... }:

   • This is a lambda function in C++. The square brackets ([]) indicate that the lambda does not capture any variables. The parentheses (()) signify that the lambda takes no parameters.
   • The curly braces ({ ... }) contain the body of the lambda function, where the optimizations are performed.

3. std::ios::sync_with_stdio(false);:

   • This disables the synchronization between the C++ streams (std::cin, std::cout, etc.) and the C-style I/O functions (scanf, printf, etc.).
   • Disabling synchronization improves the performance of C++ I/O operations by avoiding the overhead of synchronizing with the C I/O functions. However, this means you cannot safely mix C-style I/O (like scanf, printf) with C++ I/O (like std::cin, std::cout).

4. std::cin.tie(nullptr);:

   • By default, std::cin is tied to std::cout, which means after every std::cin operation, std::cout is flushed to ensure output appears immediately before any input is taken.
   • Setting std::cin.tie(nullptr) unties std::cin from std::cout, which means input operations no longer cause an automatic flush of the output stream, resulting in faster I/O.

5. std::cout.tie(nullptr);:

   • Similar to std::cin.tie(nullptr), this unties std::cout from any tied output streams. It’s generally done to optimize output performance by preventing unnecessary flushes.

6. return 0;:

   • The lambda returns 0, which is assigned to the optimize variable. This is just to ensure the lambda function executes immediately when the program starts (since it's part of a global const variable initialization).

7. (); at the end:

   • This immediately invokes the lambda function, so the optimizations are applied as soon as the program runs.

Purpose

• This idiom is used to optimize I/O performance in competitive programming or situations where fast input/output is crucial. It disables unnecessary stream synchronizations and flushes, leading to a noticeable speedup in programs that heavily use I/O.

When to Use

• This optimization is particularly useful in competitive programming or performance-critical code where you are using only C++ streams (std::cin, std::cout) and want to minimize the overhead. However, after using this, you should avoid mixing C-style I/O (scanf, printf) with C++ I/O.

The code snippet you've provided is an initialization block commonly used in competitive programming to optimize input/output performance. Let’s break it down step by step:

Optimization Technique - 3

The code snippet you've provided is an initialization block commonly used in competitive programming to optimize input/output performance. Let’s break it down step by step:

Code - 3

auto init = []() {
   ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
   cin.tie(nullptr);
   return '$';
}();

Explanation - 3

1. auto init = []() { ... }();

• This part defines and immediately invokes a lambda function in C++.
• A lambda function is an anonymous function that can be defined and called in place.
• Here, the lambda function does not take any parameters ([]()), and it's executed immediately (();).
• The result of the lambda function is stored in the variable init, but the purpose of this block is mainly to set up the input/output optimizations, not to store init.

2. ios::sync_with_stdio(false);

• This line disables the synchronization between the C++ standard streams (like cin/cout) and the C standard streams (like scanf/printf).
• By default, cin and cout are synchronized with scanf and printf, which ensures compatibility between C-style and C++-style I/O. However, this synchronization adds a performance overhead.
• Disabling synchronization allows for faster input/output operations when only using C++ streams (cin, cout), but it means you should not mix C-style I/O (scanf/printf) with C++-style I/O in the same program after this point.

3. cin.tie(nullptr);

• This line unties the cin stream from cout.
• By default, cin and cout are tied together, which means every time you use cin, cout is automatically flushed (i.e., any pending output in cout is printed to the console). This ensures that the user sees the prompt before providing input.
• Untying cin from cout (by passing nullptr) means that cout will not automatically flush before cin reads input. This can improve performance by reducing unnecessary flushing of the output buffer.

4. return '$';

• This is the return value of the lambda function, which is '$', but it doesn’t really have any significant role in the performance optimization.
• The return value is just a placeholder, often used in these types of lambda blocks, and doesn't affect input/output. It's mainly to satisfy the syntax of the lambda function, as every lambda function needs a return statement if it returns something.

5. The use of init variable

• The variable init stores the return value of the lambda function (in this case, the character '$',), but this variable is not typically used later in the code. The main reason this block exists is to run the lambda function for I/O optimizations as soon as the program starts.
• This is a common idiom in competitive programming to reduce boilerplate code and keep the main() function cleaner.

Purpose - 3

The main purpose of this code block is to optimize the input/output operations in C++ programs, particularly useful in competitive programming, where speed is critical. Specifically, it:

1. Disables synchronization between C and C++ I/O streams for faster input/output.
2. Unties cin from cout to prevent automatic flushing of the output buffer, further improving performance.

Important Note

After this block of code is run, do not mix C++ I/O (cin/cout) with C I/O (scanf/printf) because they are no longer synchronized, which can lead to unexpected behavior.

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In summary, this snippet is a performance optimization for faster input/output in C++ programs, commonly used in scenarios where speed is essential, such as competitive programming.