Has the ANSI committee accepted member function templates of
non-template classes?

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was initially thought
that problems would arise from supporting this feature, but after
further study, they were going to accept it. What's the status?

For those who see no use for this feature, here is an example:

---WITHOUT FEATURE---

class Field {
  string _buffer;
public:
  set(int value);
  set(long value);
  set(const string& value);
};

class Window {
  NamedList<Field> _list;
public:
  setField(const string& name, int value);
  setField(const string& name, long value);
  setField(const string& name, const string& value);
};

---WITH FEATURE---

class Field {
  string _buffer;
public:
  set(int value);
  set(long value);
  set(const string& value);
};

class Window {
  NamedList<Field> _list;
public:
  template<class T> setField(const string& name, const T& value);
};




--Gordie.

--------------------------------------------------------
 Gordon Tyler               NYNEX Science and Technology
 gordo@nynexst.com          Room T1-A
 voice: (914) 644-2053      400 Westchester Avenue
 fax:   (914) 644-2153      White Plains, NY  10604
--------------------------------------------------------
     "That's not a bug, it's just a hidden feature"

In article <3j0742$8fh@news.nynexst.com>,
Gordon J. Tyler <gordo@texas.nynexst.com> wrote:
>Has the ANSI committee accepted member function templates of
>non-template classes?

I believe so. For non-virtual member functions only.
>
>I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was initially thought
>that problems would arise from supporting this feature, but after
>further study, they were going to accept it. What's the status?

It's not so simple to handle virtual member templates because if the
"virtual call" is implemented through an indirection through a table
(and all implementations I've heard of do that), the table size would
become unpredictable (as would the required offsets in that table).

So, yes, for non-virtual members it is allowed.

Anyone knows a compiler that supports this?

 Daveed

>--------------------------------------------------------
> Gordon Tyler               NYNEX Science and Technology
> gordo@nynexst.com          Room T1-A
> voice: (914) 644-2053      400 Westchester Avenue
> fax:   (914) 644-2153      White Plains, NY  10604
>--------------------------------------------------------
>     "That's not a bug, it's just a hidden feature"
>
>

In article <3j0742$8fh@news.nynexst.com>,
Gordon J. Tyler <gordo@texas.nynexst.com> wrote:
>Has the ANSI committee accepted member function templates of
>non-template classes?
>
>I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was initially thought
>that problems would arise from supporting this feature, but after
>further study, they were going to accept it. What's the status?

Member templates have been in the WP since November '93.
Some vendors had not noticed (!) and raised a ruckus (TM) when
they did notice, saying they didn't know how to implement them
fully.  We may see them restricted at the March/Austin meeting,
but they will almost certainly not be removed (not least because
the standard library uses them).

Nathan Myers
myersn@roguewave.com

>>>>> Gordon J Tyler <gordo@texas.nynexst.com> writes:

> Has the ANSI committee accepted member function templates of
> non-template classes?

Yes, so long as they are non-virtual.

Jason