What are some examples of operator overloading in C++ templates?

Can you explain operator overloading in C++ templates with examples?

Sure! Operator overloading allows you to define custom behavior for operators in your classes. For example, you can overload the '+' operator for a template class that represents a mathematical vector.

Can you show me a code example of that?

Absolutely! Here's a simple example:

template <typename T>
class Vector {
public:
    T x, y;
    Vector(T x, T y) : x(x), y(y) {}
    Vector operator+(const Vector& other) {
        return Vector(x + other.x, y + other.y);
    }
};

This code defines a Vector class and overloads the '+' operator to add two vectors.

What if I want to overload the '<<' operator for output?

You can do that by defining a friend function. Here's how:

template <typename T>
std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, const Vector<T>& vec) {
    return os << "(" << vec.x << ", " << vec.y << ")";
}

This allows you to print the vector using std::cout.

Thanks! Are there any limitations to operator overloading?

Yes, there are some limitations. For instance, you cannot change the precedence of operators or overload certain operators like ::, .*, and ?:. It's important to use operator overloading judiciously to maintain code readability.