The template programming features of C++ form a large and complex subject, with many books dedicated exclusively to teaching these features. In this book, we will use many of the advanced C++ generic programming features. How, then, should we prepare the reader to understand these language constructs as they make their appearance throughout this book? This chapter takes an informal approach—instead of precise definitions, we demonstrate the use of templates through examples and explain what the different language features do. If you find your knowledge lacking at this point, you're encouraged to seek a deeper understanding and read one or more of the books dedicated entirely to the C++ language that's focused on explaining its syntax and semantics. Of course, the reader wishing for more precise, formal description is referred to the C++ standard or a reference book.
The following topics will be covered in this chapter:
- Templates in C++
- Class and function templates
- Template instantiations
- Template specializations
- Overloading of template functions
- Variadic templates
- Lambda expressions