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++

# Tag Dispatching
Tag Dispatching enables us to choose a function based on type characteristics.
- The decision takes place at compile-time. 
- Traits make the decision based on specific properties of an argument.
- The main benefit is performance.

The iterator categories from the Standard Template Library are a typical use-case:
```c++
struct input_iterator_tag{};
struct output_iterator_tag{};
struct forward_iterator_tag: public input_iterator_tag{};
struct bidirectional_iterator_tag: public forward_iterator_tag{}; 
struct random_access_iterator_tag: public bidirectional_iterator_tag{};
```
In the concrete case, `std::random_access_iterator` is a refinement of `std::bidirectional_iterator`, `std::birectional_iterator` is a refinement of `std::forward_iterator`, and `std::forward_iterator` is a refinement of `std::input_iterator`.

---
In the next lesson, we'll look at an example of tag dispatching in idioms and patterns.
 

In this lesson, we'll learn about tag dispatching in idioms and patterns.

Introduction

Basics

Details

Techniques

Design

Future

Conclusion

Idioms and Patterns: Tag Dispatching

Tag Dispatching