🪴 Avril Chen

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Template (C++)

Used quite frequently. For example, C++ Standard Template Library.

Function templates allow us to operate with generic types, so that the function we implement can be adapted to more than one type or class without repeating the entire code for each type. This is the idea behind Template Method Design Pattern.

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In C++ this can be achieved using template parameters. The format for declaring function templates with type parameters is:

template <class identifier> function_declaration;  
template <typename identifier> function_declaration;

Difference between keyword class and keyword typename?

There is no difference. Its use is indistinct, since both expressions have exactly the same meaning and behave exactly the same way.

Class Template

Below is an incomplete implementation of a linkedList (full code in a2q1 of CS247).

template<typename T> class List {
  struct Node {
    T data;
    Node *next;
  };
public:
  template<typename ReturnType> class MyIterator {
    MyIterator<ReturnType> &operator++() {...};
    ReturnType operator*() const {...}
    friend List<T>;
  };
 
public:
  List(const List<T>& other): listSize{other.listSize} {};
  List(List<T> &&other) {...}
  • Notice that you only need to declare template<typename T> at the beginning of the class, and then you’re able to use the type T inside the class as much as you’d like
  • Also, notice that every time you use the class name, you need to use List<T> or MyIterator<ReturnType>

Warning

Template definition of methods must be written in the Header File, because the template needs to know the next field exists.

You should understand how templates are actually implemented at compiler level (more below).

Function Template

For example, to create a template function that returns the greater one of two objects we could use:

template <typename T>
T GetMax (T a, T b) {
T result;
result = (a>b)? a : b;
return (result);
}

We can also define function templates that accept more than one type parameter, simply by specifying more template parameters between the angle brackets. For example:

template <typename T, typename U>
T GetMin (T a, U b) {
  return (a<b?a:b);
}

How do Template work? (briefly, seen in CS247)

For each use of MyIterator<T>, compiler generates another copy of the class with T substituted where necessary. Afterwards, compiles as usual.

No runtime const using templates, its as if we wrote our own Iterator / ConstIterator.

Class Template

I think this is the part that gets me the most confused. No, it’s just that you need to define these in the Header File. And just start with declaring template <typename T>

Resources:

Variadic Template

A variadic template is a class or function template that supports an arbitrary number of argument.

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