C++ Templates: The Complete Guide, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1

Function Templates

This chapter introduces function templates. Function templates are functions that are parameterized so that they represent a family of functions.

1.1 A First Look at Function Templates

Function templates provide a functional behavior that can be called for different types. In other words, a function template represents a family of functions. The representation looks a lot like an ordinary function, except that some elements of the function are left undetermined: These elements are parameterized. To illustrate, let’s look at a simple example.

1.1.1 Defining the Template

The following is a function template that returns the maximum of two values:

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basics/max1.hpp

template<typename T> T max ...