c++ operator overloading in template class

Question

I´ve developed an template class. Now I want to overload the lower than operator. I tried it normally, like with a normal class, but it doesn´t work.

Event.h

#ifndef EVENT_H
#define EVENT_H

#include<string>
#include <functional>

template<class T>
class Event
{
public:
    Event(std::string Name, std::function<T ()> fnktptr, int time, Event*resultingEvent);
    virtual ~Event();
    bool operator < (const Event &e) const;
    std::string Name;
    Event *resultingEvent;
    int time;
    std::function<T ()> fnktptr;
};

#endif // EVENT_H

Event.cpp

#include "Event.h"
#include<iostream>

using namespace std;

template<class T>
Event<T>::Event(std::string Name,std::function<T ()> fnktptr, int time, Event*resultingEvent) : Name(Name), fnktptr(fnktptr), time(time), resultingEvent(resultingEvent)
{
    //ctor
}
template<class T>
Event<T>::~Event()
{
    //dtor
}
template<class T>
bool Event<T>::operator < (const Event& e) const
{
  if(this->time < e.time) {
    return true;
  }
  else {
    return false;
  }
}

// No need to call this TemporaryFunction() function,
// it's just to avoid link error.
void TemporaryFunction ()
{
    Event<int> TempObj("",nullptr,0,nullptr);
}

main.cpp

Event<int> *event1 = new Event<int>("sadfsf", nullptr, 5, nullptr);
Event<int> *event2 = new Event<int>("sadfsf", nullptr, 4, nullptr);
if(event1 < event2) {
    cout << "event1 is lower" << endl;
}
else {
    cout << "event1 is greater" << endl;
}

The program prints "event1 is lowert". But if my overloading function would work, "event2 would be greater" (I compare the time 5 in event1 with the time 4 in event 2)

Answer 1

That's because you're not comparing what you think you're comparing:

if(event1 < event2) {

event1 and event2 both have type Event<int>* . Pointers have a builtin operator< , which does something that is entirely unrelated to what it is you want to do. If you want to compare the actual Event<int> s that are pointed to, you'll have to dereference them:

if (*event1 < *event2) {

at which point you'll run into the issue that templates can only be implemented in the header file .