C++ All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition

Chapter 5

Creating Classes with Templates

IN THIS CHAPTER

Creating class templates

Using parameters in templates

Deriving with templates

Creating function templates

If C++ programming has any big secret, it would have to be templates, which are entities that define either a family of functions or a family of classes. Templates seem to be the topic that beginning programmers strive to understand because they’ve heard about them and seem to think that templates are the big wall over which they must climb to ultimately become The C++ Guru. This chapter begins by showing you that creating and using basic templates need not be difficult.

The one thing you can be certain of is that knowing how to work with templates will open your abilities to a whole new world, primarily because the entire Standard C++ Library is built around templates. Further, understanding templates can help you understand all that cryptic code that you see other people posting on the Internet. This chapter also helps you understand how to access, use, and extend standard templates.

You don’t have to type the source ...