The Pros and Cons of Templates
Explore the pros and cons of using C++ templates in programming. Understand how templates reduce code duplication and enable generic libraries, while also recognizing challenges like complex syntax, longer compile times, cryptic errors, and issues with code visibility. This lesson equips you with a balanced view to use templates effectively.
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Before we start using templates, it’s important to understand the benefits of using them as well as the disadvantages they may incur.
Advantages of templates
Let’s start by pointing out the advantages:
Templates help us avoid writing repetitive code.
Templates foster the creation of generic libraries providing algorithms and types, such as the standard C++ library (sometimes incorrectly referred to as the STL), which can be used in many applications, regardless of their type.
