Modern C++ Programming Cookbook

Static polymorphism with the curiously recurring template pattern

Polymorphism is the ability to have multiple forms for the same interface. Virtual functions allow derived classes to override implementations from a base class. They represent the most common elements of a form of polymorphism called runtime polymorphism because the decision to call a particular virtual function from the class hierarchy happens at runtime. It is also called late binding, because the binding between a function call and the invocation of the function happens late, during the execution of the program. The opposite of this is called early binding, static polymorphism, or compile time polymorphism because it occurs at compile time through functions and operators ...