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Generic Programming Templates in C++

- Examples

Explore practical examples of C++ template specialization covering primary, partial, and full specializations. Understand how default template arguments and type traits impact template behavior. This lesson helps you apply specialization techniques to enhance code flexibility and efficiency in generic programming.

We'll cover the following...

Example 1: Template Specialization

C++
// TemplateSpecialization.cpp
#include <iostream>
class Account{
public:
  explicit Account(double b): balance(b){}
  double getBalance() const {
    return balance;
  }
private:
  double balance;
};
template <typename T, int Line, int Column>
class Matrix{
  std::string getName() const { return "Primary Template"; }
};
template <typename T>
class Matrix<T,3,3>{
  std::string name{"Partial Specialization"};
};
template <>
class Matrix<int,3,3>{};
template<typename T>
bool isSmaller(T fir, T sec){
  return fir < sec;
}
template <>
bool isSmaller<Account>(Account fir, Account sec){
  return fir.getBalance() < sec.getBalance();
}
int main(){
  std::cout << std::boolalpha << std::endl;
  Matrix<double,3,4> primaryM;
  Matrix<double,3,3> partialM;
  Matrix<int,3,3> fullM;
  std::cout << "isSmaller(3,4): "  << isSmaller(3,4) << std::endl;
  std::cout << "isSmaller(Account(100.0),Account(200.0)): "<< isSmaller(Account(100.0),Account(200.0) ) << std::endl;
  std::cout << std::endl;
}

Explanation

In the above example, we’re modifying the codes that we have used in the previous lesson.

  • Primary template is called when we use values other than Matrix<data_type, 3, 3> (line 43).
  • Partial specialization is called when we instantiate Matrix<data_type, 3, 3> where data_type is not int
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