An Introduction to Design Patterns in C++ with Qt 4

Chapter 10. Generics and Containers

This chapter covers more deeply the subject of generics. Generics are classes and functions that can operate just as easily on objects as primitive types. Qt container classes are generic, template-based classes, and we will see examples using lists, sets, and maps. Operators, managed containers, and resource sharing are also discussed.

10.1	Generics and Templates	214
10.2	Containers	219
10.3	Managed Containers, Composites, and Aggregates	221
10.4	Implicitly Shared Classes	224
10.5	Generics, Algorithms, and Operators	225
10.6	Serializer Pattern	227
10.7	Sorted Map Example	229

Generics and Templates

C++ supports four distinct categories of types:

1. Primitives: int, char, float, double, etc.

2. Pointers

3. Instances of class/struct

4. Arrays

Because ...