Templates allow us to write functions or classes using placeholder types, so that we can stencil out identical versions of the function or class using different types. A function or class that has been instantiated is called a function or class instance. All template functions or classes must start with …
In previous lesson , we took a look at a simple templated Storage class, along with a specialization for type double: #include <iostream> template <typename T> class Storage { private: T m_value {}; public: Storage(T value) : m_value { value } { } void print() { std::cout << m_value << …
When instantiating a function template for a given type, the compiler stencils out a copy of the templated function and replaces the template type parameters with the actual types used in the variable declaration. This means a particular function will have the same implementation details for each instanced type (just …
And so our journey through C++’s inheritance and virtual functions comes to an end. Fret not, dear reader, for there are plenty of other areas of C++ to explore as we move forward. Chapter summary C++ allows you to set base class pointers and references to a derived object. This …
Consider the following program that makes use of a virtual function: #include <iostream> class Base { public: virtual void print() const { std::cout << “Base”; } }; class Derived : public Base { public: void print() const override { std::cout << “Derived”; } }; int main() { Derived d{}; Base& …
Way back in lesson , we examined the concept of casting, and the use of static_cast to convert variables from one type to another. In this lesson, we’ll continue by examining another type of cast: dynamic_cast. The need for dynamic_cast When dealing with polymorphism, you’ll often encounter cases where you …
Let’s go back to an example we looked at previously: #include <iostream> #include <string_view> class Base { protected: int m_value{}; public: Base(int value) : m_value{ value } { } virtual ~Base() = default; virtual std::string_view getName() const { return “Base”; } int getValue() const { return m_value; } }; class …
You’ve probably seen this program in a lot of textbooks and tutorials: #include <iostream> using namespace std; int main() { cout << “Hello world!\n”; return 0; } If you see this, run. Your textbook or tutorial are probably out of date. In this lesson, we’ll explore why. Tip Some IDEs …
Let’s say you are driving to a friend’s house for the first time, and the address given to you is 245 Front Street in Mill City. Upon reaching Mill City, you take out your map, only to discover that Mill City actually has two different Front Streets across town from …
To address some common challenges with inheritance, C++ has two inheritance-related identifiers: override and final. Note that these identifiers are not keywords — they are normal words that have special meaning only when used in certain contexts. The C++ standard calls them “identifiers with special meaning”, but they are often …
