What are the differences between template specialization and overloading?

What are the differences between template specialization and overloading?

Template specialization allows you to define a specific implementation for a template type, while overloading lets you define multiple functions with the same name but different parameters.

Can you give me an example of template specialization?

Sure! If you have a template function for a generic type, you can specialize it for a specific type like this:

template <typename T>
void func(T t) {
    // Generic implementation
}

template <> 
void func<int>(int t) {
    // Specialized implementation for int
}

And what about function overloading?

Function overloading allows you to create multiple functions with the same name but different parameter types or counts. For example:

void func(int t) {
    // Implementation for int
}

void func(double t) {
    // Implementation for double
}

So, when should I use specialization over overloading?

Use specialization when you need a specific behavior for a certain type, and use overloading when you want to handle different types or numbers of parameters with the same function name.