TEMPLATES AND GENERIC PROGRAMMING

Bùi Tiến Lên

2022
Contents

1. Function Templates

2. Class templates

3. Generic programming

4. Workshop
 Introduction
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• Frequently, we have to implement the same functions or classes for
Workshop
arguments on different data types.
• The templates enable us to implement the function only once to be used for
different argument data types.

3
 The Different Types of Template Declarations
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
A template declaration can be
Workshop
• A declaration or definition of a function
• A declaration or definition of a class
• A definition of a member function or a member class of a class template
• A definition of a static data member of a class template
• A definition of a static data member of a class nested within a class template
• A definition of a member template of a class or class template

4
Function Templates
 An example
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• Overloaded functions make programming convenient because only one
Workshop
function name must be remembered for a set of functions that perform
similar operations.. Each of the functions, however, must still be written
individually, even if they perform the same operation

int Max(int a, int b) { double Max(double a, double b) {

return (a>b) ? a : b; return (a>b) ? a : b;
} }

• Templates enable us to write the function once

template <typename T>

T Max(T a, T b) {
return (a>b) ? a : b;
}

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 Function Templates
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop Concept 1
A function template is a “generic” function that can work with any data type.
The programmer writes the specifications of the function, but substitutes
parameters for data types. When the compiler encounters a call to the function, it
generates code to handle the specific data type(s) used in the call

Syntax
The format of this declaration is
template <parameter list>
function declaration

Note
The entire template code is usually located in a header file.
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 Example
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop template <class T>

void swapVars (T &var1 , T &var2) {
T temp;
temp = var1;
var1 = var2;
var2 = temp;
}

Note
All type parameters defined in a function template must appear at least once in
the function parameter list.

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Class templates
 Class templates
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop Concept 2
Templates may also be used to create generic classes and abstract data types.
Class templates allow us to create one general version of a class without having
to duplicate code to handle multiple data types.

Syntax
The format of this declaration is
template <parameter list>
class declaration

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 Listing 1
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
template <typename T>
Workshop
class CustomizableHuman {
public:
void SetAge (const T& newValue) { Age = newValue; }
const T& GetAge () const {return Age;}
private:
T Age; // T is type we choose to customize this template for!
};
void main () {
// instantiate for type int
CustomizableHuman <int > NormalLifeSpan;
NormalLifeSpan.SetAge (80);
// instantiate for type long long
CustomizableHuman <long long > LongLifeSpan;
LongLifeSpan.SetAge (3147483647);
// instantiate for type short
CustomizableHuman <short > ShortLifeSpan;
ShortLifeSpan.SetAge (40);
}

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 Template Instantiation and Specialization
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• The word instantiation normally refers to objects as instances of classes.
Workshop
• In case of templates, instantiation is the act or process of creating a specific
type from a template declaration and one or more template arguments.
CustomizableHuman <int > NormalLifeSpan ;

• The specific type created as a result of this instantiation is called a

specialization.

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 Declaring Templates with Multiple Parameters
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• The template parameter list can be expanded to declare multiple parameters
Workshop
separated by a comma.
template <typename T1 , typename T2 >
class HoldsPair {
private:
T1 Value1;
T2 Value2;
public:
// Constructor that initializes member variables
HoldsPair (const T1& value1 , const T2& value2) {
Value1 = value1;
Value2 = value2;
};
};
void main () {
// A template instantiation that pairs an int with a double
HoldsPair <int , double > pairIntDouble (6, 1.99);
// A template instantiation that pairs an int with an int
HoldsPair <int , int > pairIntDouble (6, 500);
}
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 Declaring Templates with Default Parameters
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• We could modify the previous version of HoldsPair <...> to declare int as
Workshop
the default template parameter type.
template <typename T1=int , typename T2=int >
class HoldsPair {
// ... method declarations
};
void main () {
// A template instantiation that pairs an int
// with an int ( default type)
HoldsPair <> pairIntDouble (6, 500);
}

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 Template params are not data type
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• Besides the data type params, class can have non-type arguments.
Workshop

template < class T, int size >

class Myfilebuf {
private :
T* filepos ;
static int array[size ];
public :
Myfilebuf () { /* ... */ }
~ Myfilebuf () { }
// ... Other function declarations
};

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 Template Classes and static Members
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• A static member is shared across all instances of a template class with the
Workshop
same specialization.
• Each specialization of the template class effectively gets its own static
variable.
• Note: do not forget static member initialization

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 Listing 2
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
#include <iostream >
Workshop using namespace std;
template <typename T>
class TestStatic {
private:
static int staticValue;
public:
void setValue(int value) { staticValue = value; }
int getValue () { return staticValue; }
};
// static member initialization
template <typename T> int TestStatic <T>:: staticValue;
int main () {
TestStatic <int > Int_Year;
TestStatic <int > Int_2;
TestStatic <double > Double_1;
TestStatic <double > Double_2;
cout << "Setting staticValue for Int_Year to 2011" << endl;
Int_Year.setValue (2011);
cout << "Setting staticValue for Double_2 to 1011" << endl;
Double_2.setValue (1011);
cout << "Int_2.staticValue = " << Int_2.getValue () << endl;
cout << "Double_1.staticValue = " << Double_1.getValue () << endl;
return 0;
}

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 Template inheritance
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• It is possible to inherit from a template class. All the usual rules for
Workshop
inheritance and polymorphism apply.

template <typename T> class Derived2 : public Base <int > {

class Base { public:
private: void set(int val) { Base <int >:: set(val); }
T data; };
public:
void set(T val) { data = val; } int main () {
}; Derived1 <double > obj1;
Derived2 obj2;
template <typename T> obj1.set (4.0);
class Derived1 : public Base <T> { obj2.set (1);
public: return 0;
void set(T val) { Base <T>:: set(val); } }
};

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 Variadic template
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• Variadic templates are supported by C++ (since the C++11 standard)
Workshop

Syntax
The format of this declaration is
template <typename First, typename... Rest>
function/class declaration

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 Listing 3
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop // base case

void print () {
cout << "I am empty function and called at last";
}

// recursive
template <typename T, typename ... Ts >
void print(T var1 , Ts ... var2) {
cout << var1 << endl;
print(var2 ...);
}

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Generic programming
 Generic programming
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop Concept 3
Generic programming means writing code that can be reused for objects of many
different types.

Three primary tasks:

• Categorize abstractions in a domain into concepts
• Implement generic algorithms based on concepts
• Build concrete models for the concepts

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 Characteristics of Generic Libraries
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
• Reusable: able to operate on user-defined types
Workshop
• Composable: able to operate on data types defined in another library
• Efficient: performance on par with non-generic, hand-coded implementations

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 Generic Programming Process
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop
1. The Generic Programming process focuses on finding commonality among
similar implementations of the same algorithm, then providing suitable
abstractions in the form of concepts so that a single, generic algorithm can
realize many concrete implementations.
2. This process, called lifting, is repeated until the generic algorithm has
reached a suitable level of abstraction, where it provides maximal reusability
without sacrificing performance.
3. Dual to the lifting process is specialization, which synthesizes efficient
concrete implementations for particular uses of a generic algorithm. Only by
balancing the lifting and specialization processes can we ensure that the
resulting generic algorithms are both reusable and efficient.

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 Lifting
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop
int sum(int* array , int n) {
int result = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
result = result + array[i];
return result ;
}

template < typename T>

T sum(T* array , int n) {
T result = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i)
result = result + array[i];
return result ;
}

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Workshop
 Quiz
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop
1. Why is it more convenient to write a function template than a series of
overloaded functions?
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2. Why must we be careful when writing a function template that uses
operators such as [] with its parameters?
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 Quiz (cont.)
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming
3. Do we need to specify template arguments when invoking a template
function?
Workshop

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4. How many instances of static variables exist for a given template class?
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 Exercises
Function
Templates

Class templates

Generic
programming

Workshop
1. Implement template function for search operation
2. Implement template function for sort operation

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References

Deitel, P. (2016).
C++: How to program.
Pearson.
Gaddis, T. (2014).
Starting Out with C++ from Control Structures to Objects.
Addison-Wesley Professional, 8th edition.
Jones, B. (2014).
Sams teach yourself C++ in one hour a day.
Sams.