Lecture #6 - Templates

Web Resources:

Content:

1. Notice:

   Two former students, now working at FaceBook, will be interviewing during the Career Fair, Feb 2nd.
   They will have an information meeting, directed especially at students from my classes:

   FaceBook Information Meeting
   11:00 am in LSB 001, Wednesday, February 1st

   If you are interested in either an internship or permanent employment, you will be welcome.

2. Readings for Lecture #6

   Text: Study chapter 16 carefully
   Project #1
   Templates, Templates Presentation, ppt

3. Glossary of Terms

   • Template:
     A function or class whose declaration includes one or more unspecified type parameters.
     
     Templates allow us to write one function or class that use more than one type. The specific type isn't specified until an application instantiates it with a type suited for the application.
4. Syllabus
   Describes topics to be covered, reading material for you to digest before coming to class, and due dates for the assigned projects.
5. Project #1, Project #2

6. Template presentation and demo code:

   Quick overview

   Templates Presentation
   Templates are one of the terrific features of the C++ language. They are the basis of the Standard Template Library (STL) and are useful in day-to-day programming.

   fully functional C++ Properties, courtesy of templates

   First template demo

   Template Code Examples
   Basic and some more advanced template examples.

   STLContainers examples
   This code, linked on earlier slides, contains a simple example of the new Variadic Template functionality in the "inserter" project.

   STL Template-based Container Examples
   Another set of template code examples, including functors, algorithms, and several other things you need to know.

   Functor examples

   Excellent template Q&A - Marshall Cline, Excellent C++ Q&A - Marshall Cline
   If you are only going to go one place to find information to supplement class texts and notes,then go here!

7. More advanced template presentations and demo code:

   HashTable Project
   HashTables are fundamental and very useful data structures. At this time there are no hash-based containers in the STL. So here is my implementation - it's a good example of the use of templates.

   Design of Hash Table and Iterators

   Template Policies and Traits

8. New style casts:

   new-style casts: demo code

   There are four distinct things the new-style casts provide:

   • static_cast:
     1. converts a foreign type to a type defined by a class with a promotion constructor
     2. converts an instance of a type that provides a cast operator to a foreign type
   • const_cast:
     Provides a non-const reference to a const object. That allows you to apply a non-const function to a const object.
   • reinterpret_cast:
     Treat an instance of one type by the rules of another type.
   • dynamic_cast:
     Support safe downcasting from a base pointer or reference to a derived pointer or reference.
9. Namespaces
   Basic information about how namespaces work. We will discuss why you want to use them.

10. These are the most important items from today's lecture:

    Templates Presentation
    Templates are one of the terrific features of the C++ language. They are the basis of the Standard Template Library (STL) and are useful in day-to-day programming.

    Template Code Examples
    Basic and some more advanced template examples.