Explore the power of C++ templates, from function and class basics to advanced features like instantiation and concepts, enhancing code flexibility, reusability, and abstraction without performance loss.

cpp17.tar.gz

C++17

C++20

Templates are one of the many powerful features of Modern C++ programming. And with each new C++ standard, they become more important. 

Templates provide an efficient way to make your code more flexible and reusable, this way you can avoid repeating code that would otherwise be identical except for different types. Templates also give you the ability to provide abstraction without a performance penalty.

However, templates can be difficult to apply, can be counterintuitive, and have tricky error messages.

This course gives you the necessary information to overcome these hurdles and dive into the advanced topics. You’ll visit the basics such as function and class templates, and then explore the details to templates such as instantiation and fold expressions. Our journey also includes techniques based on templates, the design, and future directions of templates such as concepts. Based on this exhaustive tour of templates, a basic understanding of C++ is sufficient to master this course.

Let’s get started!

Generic Programming Templates in C++

// TemplatesTagDispatching.cpp

#include <iterator>
#include <forward_list>
#include <list>
#include <vector>
#include <iostream>

template <typename InputIterator, typename Distance>
void advance_impl(InputIterator& i, Distance n, std::input_iterator_tag) {
	std::cout << "InputIterator used" << std::endl; 
    while (n--) ++i;
}

template <typename BidirectionalIterator, typename Distance>
void advance_impl(BidirectionalIterator& i, Distance n, std::bidirectional_iterator_tag) {
	std::cout << "BidirectionalIterator used" << std::endl;
    if (n >= 0) 
        while (n--) ++i;
    else 
        while (n++) --i;
}

template <typename RandomAccessIterator, typename Distance>
void advance_impl(RandomAccessIterator& i, Distance n, std::random_access_iterator_tag) {
	std::cout << "RandomAccessIterator used" << std::endl;
    i += n;
}

template <typename InputIterator, typename Distance>
void advance_(InputIterator& i, Distance n) {
    typename std::iterator_traits<InputIterator>::iterator_category category;    
    advance_impl(i, n, category);                                                
}
  
int main(){
    
}


## Explanation

The expression `std::iterator_traits::iterator_category` category in line 32 determines the iterator category at compile-time. Based on the iterator category, the most specific variant of the function template `advance_impl(i, n, category)` is used in line 33. Each container returns an iterator of the iterator category which corresponds to its structure. 


Let's have a look at an example of tag dispatching.

Introduction

Basics

Details

Techniques

Design

Future

Conclusion

- Example

Example: Templates Tag Dispatching

Explanation