C++ Function templates are those functions which can handle different data types without separate code for each of them. For a similar operation on several kinds of data types, a programmer need not write different versions by overloading a function. It is enough if he writes a C++ template based function. This will take care of all the data types.
There are two types of templates in C++, viz., function templates and class templates. This article deals with only the function templates.
There are lot of occasions, where we might need to write the same functions for different data types. A favorite example can be addition of two variables. The variable can be integer, float or double. The requirement will be to return the corresponding return type based on the input type. If we start writing one function for each of the data type, then we will end up with 4 to 5 different functions, which can be a night mare for maintenance.
C++ templates come to our rescue in such situations. When we use C++ function templates, only one function signature needs to be created. The C++ compiler will automatically generate the required functions for handling the individual data types. This is how a programmer's life is made a lot easier.
C++ Template functions - Details:
Let us assume a small example for Add function. If the requirement is to use this Add function for both integer and float, then two functions are to be created for each of the data type (overloading).
int Add(int a,int b) { return a+b;} // function Without C++ template
float Add(float a, float b) { return a+b;} // function Without C++ template
If there are some more data types to be handled, more functions should be added.
But if we use a c++ function template, the whole process is reduced to a single c++ function template. The following will be the code fragment for Add function.
template
T Add(T a, T b) //C++ function template sample
{
return a+b;
}
This c++ function template definition will be enough. Now when the integer version of the function, the compiler generates an Add function compatible for integer data type and if float is called it generates float type and so on.
Here T is the typename. This is dynamically determined by the compiler according to the parameter passed. The keyword class means, the parameter can be of any type. It can even be a class.
C++ Template functions - Applicability:
C++ function templates can be used wherever the same functionality has to be performed with a number of data types. Though very useful, lots of care should be taken to test the C++ template functions during development. A well written c++ template will go a long way in saving time for programmers.
About The Author
Muthukumar
More articles can be found at http://www.codersource.net/.
family-safe home cleaners Morton Grove ..Finally, you have some time to personalize your desktop with... Read More
Sales are all about leverage, because there is only so... Read More
... Read More
Navision Software was purchased by Microsoft and now it is... Read More
It's all about turn times in the eMedia industry! The... Read More
If you company is small or mid-size special products or... Read More
When Great Plains Software introduced the first graphical accounting application... Read More
Document Manager and Version HistoryIn previous articles I have discussed... Read More
Costs of fleet maintenance software can vary widely. It is... Read More
We've all seen the ads on TV for Netzero 3G.... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is now standard mid-market ERP application, serving... Read More
It is a well known fact that Java as a... Read More
Does Microsoft care for WebmastersIt's always been a problem with... Read More
Spyware, what it is and what it does. Basically, spyware... Read More
SOFTWARE PIRACY We regularly hear reports... Read More
Designing without tables by using CSS layouts is fast becoming... Read More
When it comes to running an office, the SOHO entrepreneur... Read More
Fleet Maintenance Management is a critical position in any company... Read More
If you have been using the Internet for any amount... Read More
Currently Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way of creating... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is one of three Microsoft Business Solutions... Read More
Shareware is software that you can try before you buy;... Read More
Background: For many organizations like ours, the interim target of... Read More
People often ask me: What image file formats will Photoshop... Read More
Program Flow is what you think it is. How the... Read More
home cleaning services Wilmette ..Microsoft Great Plains could be tuned and setup to fit... Read More
IntroductionDuring the early years of our modern computer era, very... Read More
Now there are Three Steps To Heaven Just listen and... Read More
Considering whether or not your software company should hire a... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is mid and even corporate... Read More
This article is the third of a series of articles... Read More
Are you a database professional? Do you work with a... Read More
Innovative Maintenance Systems (IMS) is one company that offers solutions... Read More
Research bears that less than 70 percent of development projects... Read More
If you look back to the history, you will see... Read More
The vast majority of us will have, at some point,... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is very good fit for... Read More
FTP stands for "file transfer protocol". FTP is basically a... Read More
There are many commands that are used in linux on... Read More
It's no secret that software companies operate in a very... Read More
The Microsoft system preparation utility for Windows 2000 is a... Read More
Microsoft Outlook is one of the most widely used software... Read More
Great Plains Fixed Assets Management module is a robust tool... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains has full-featured Manufacturing suite of modules: Capacity... Read More
Is Photoshop CS2 worth the upgrade? You bet it is!... Read More
The COSMIC FP (function point) software quality metric, is no... Read More
Microsoft CRM is CRM application, maintained and supported by Microsoft... Read More
Crystal Reports is the most flexible tool on the market... Read More
This tutorial covers OLAP solutions used by Data warehouses and... Read More
(1) Avoid using the same variable again and again for... Read More
Software |