What are some useful C++ templates?

What are some useful C++ templates?

C++ templates are powerful tools for creating generic and reusable code. Some useful templates include:

1. Function Templates: Allow you to create a function that can operate on different data types.
2. Class Templates: Enable the creation of classes that can handle any data type.
3. Template Specialization: Customize the behavior of templates for specific data types.
4. Variadic Templates: Allow functions and classes to accept an arbitrary number of template parameters.

Can you give me an example of a function template?

Sure! Here's a simple example of a function template that swaps two values:

template <typename T>
void swap(T &a, T &b) {
    T temp = a;
    a = b;
    b = temp;
}

You can use this function to swap integers, floats, or any other data type.

What about class templates?

Class templates allow you to define a class that can work with any data type. Here's an example of a simple stack class template:

template <typename T>
class Stack {
private:
    std::vector<T> elements;
public:
    void push(const T &element) { elements.push_back(element); }
    void pop() { elements.pop_back(); }
    T top() const { return elements.back(); }
};

This stack can store any type of elements!

How do I use template specialization?

Template specialization allows you to define a specific implementation for a particular data type. For example:

template <typename T>
class Printer {
public:
    void print(const T &value) { std::cout << value << std::endl; }
};

// Specialization for char* (C-style strings)
template <>
class Printer<char*> {
public:
    void print(char* value) { std::cout << "String: " << value << std::endl; }
};

In this case, the Printer class has a specialized version for C-style strings.