Templates

nTemplate function in C++ makes it easier to reuse classes and functions.

nA template may be viewed as a variable that can be instantiated to any data type, irrespective of whether this data type is a fundamental C++ type or a user-defined type.

 

The following program shows the weakness of strongly-typed languages:

int min(int a, int b) {

      return a < b ? a : b;

}

double min(double a, double b) {

      return a < b ? a : b;

}

 The Template Solution:

template <class Type>

Type min(Type a, Type b) {

      return a < b ? a : b;

}

main() {

  // ok: int min(int, int);

  min(10, 20);

  // ok: double min(double, double);

  min(10.0, 20.0);

}