Exceptional C++ Style 40 New Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Solutions

Chapter 9. Export Restrictions, Part 1: Fundamentals

Difficulty: 7

The scoop on export—what some people think it does, what it actually might do, and why it's the most widely ignored major feature in the C++ standard.

JG Question

1. What is meant by the “inclusion model” for templates?

Guru Question

1. What is meant by the “separation model” for templates?

2. What are some of the major drawbacks to the inclusion model for:

   1. normal functions?

   2. templates?

3. How can the drawbacks in Question 3 be helped by the standard C++ separation model for:

   1. normal functions?

   2. templates?

Solution

The standard C++ template export feature is widely misunderstood, with more restrictions and consequences than most people at first realize. This Item and the next take a closer look at our experience ...