Automatically increasing variable within a class

Question

So, i'm coding one thing on c++, and i'm trying to implement a priority queue with pairing heaps. I want this priority to automatically increase over time, so that if the element (a class) has been in the heap for, say, 5 minutes, it's priority (a variable) is increased. And i have no clue how to make that happen.

I could implement a function which would check the duration for each element each set amount of time, but the problem is that it's pretty tough to check each and every element within a heap. So I think I need to do something withinin the elements, but I'm not sure what and how.

Is there any simple solution to that? I feel like i must be missing something, but if that's not the case, then I'd better drop this idea, because I have to finish this thing pretty soon.

UP: This program is meant for the human queue, so the reason for this idea is to not make people wait for too long. The priority is arbitrary, there are priority "levels" set for each element when it's added, so making the time the priority is not a solution for me.

Answer 1

You can add the elements to a linked list:

1. A new element is added to the end of the list

2. When the first element is in heap for 5 mins, its priority increased and it is moved to the end of the list.

This way you can check only the first element. Another advantage is that you can set the timer to the value the first element is to be checked in. That is, no need to do unnecessary periodical checks.