(C++) template function

A template function is a function with template arguments.

Example: abs

Suppose you want to write a function that returns the absolute value of a number, for both int and double. The absolute value of a number is its value without regard to its sign: The absolute value of 3 is 3 and the absolute value of -3 is also 3.

These functions could be written like below:


int Abs(const int n)

{

  return (n < 0 ? -n : n);

}


double Abs(const double n)

{

  return (n < 0 ? -n : n);

}

The body of these are identical, yet for every data type you will need to write a different function.

Instead, a template function can be used:


template <class T>

T Abs(const T n)

{

  return (n < 0 ? -n : n);

}

Note that this example is similar to std::abs.

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