Exploring C++20: The Programmer's Introduction to C++

© Ray Lischner 2020

R. LischnerExploring C++20https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5961-0_71

71. Names, Namespaces, and Templates

Ray Lischner¹ 

(1)

Ellicott City, MD, USA

 

The basics of using namespaces and templates are straightforward and easy to learn. Taking advantage of argument-dependent lookup (ADL) is also simple: declare free functions and operators in the same namespace as your classes. But sometimes life isn’t so simple. Especially when using templates, you can get stuck in strange corners, and the compiler issues bizarre and useless messages, and you realize you should have spent more time studying names, namespaces, and templates beyond the basics.

The detailed rules can be excruciatingly complicated, because they must cover all the pathological ...