Re: Partial Specialization Method

From:
"Sylvester Hesp" <s.hesp@oisyn.nl>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++
Date:
Mon, 7 May 2007 12:56:54 +0200
Message-ID:
<463f05ef$0$329$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl>
"MathStuf" <MathStuf@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1178467870.720044.160990@h2g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...

I have a matrix class and I would like to add a method that is only
applicable when the template type is a of another class. How can I
specialize the class to allow for the new method and hide it with any
other type?

template<class T> class Matrix
{
  public:
     Matrix();
     Matrix(Ini
&ini); // Only
applicable with MyClass
     Matrix(unsigned w, unsigned h, T &d = T());

     void ImportIni(Ini
&ini); // Only applicable
with MyClass
     void ExportIni(std::ofstream &fout, const String &val);// Only
applicable with MyClass

     void AddRow(T &d = T());
     void AddCol(T &d = T());
     bool InsertRow(unsigned pos, T &d = T());
     bool InsertCol(unsigned pos, T &d = T());
     bool DeleteRow(unsigned pos);
     bool DeleteCol(unsigned pos);

     bool Set(unsigned row, unsigned col, T &s);

     T Get(unsigned row, unsigned col);
     std::vector<T> GetRow(unsigned row);
     std::vector<T> GetCol(unsigned col);
     unsigned GetHeight();
     unsigned GetWidth();

     T operator[](Point &p);
     std::vector<T> operator[](int col);
  private:
     std::vector< std::vector<T> > matrix;
     unsigned height;
     unsigned width;
};


You can use SFINAE

template<class T> class Matrix
{
public:
    /* ... */
    template<class U>
    Matrix(U yourIntParam,
        typename enable_if_c<
            is_same<T,MyClass>::value &&
            is_convertible<U,int>::value
        , int>::type = 0);
};

Now that constructor will only be considered by the compiler if T is MyClass
(and if the passed U is convertible to int, which, alas, is the downside for
making the constructor itself a template, as that is needed for SFINAE to be
able to work). Definitions of enable_if_c<>, is_same<> and is_convertible<>
can be found in boost, but I'll provide them here for completeness' sake.

template<bool B, class T> struct enable_if_c { };
template<class T> struct enable_if_c<true, T> { typedef T type; };

template<class T, class U> struct is_same { static const bool value =
false; };
template<class T> struct is_same<T,T> { static const bool value = true; };

template<class T, class U> struct is_convertible
{
private:
    struct small { char c; };
    struct large { char c[2]; };
    static small foo(const U & u);
    static large foo(...);
public:
    static const bool value = (sizeof(foo(*(T*)1)) == sizeof(small));
};

- Sylvester Hesp

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