Re: A change from 2002 to 2005 wrt to global templatized operators?

From:
"Alex Blekhman" <xfkt@oohay.moc>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:40:15 +0300
Message-ID:
<enWM8HC4GHA.1288@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl>
"Dean Roddey" <droddey@charmedquark.com> wrote in message
news:eSfudpB4GHA.4764@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

We just upgraded from a quite old VC++ to 2005. In the
process, something has stopped working that seems like
it's completely legal. Basically we have our own very
large framework. We have the usual streaming classes (base
classes for in and out streams, from which various
specific streaming classes are derived for files, memory,
etc...) and the usual
templatized collection classes. We want our collections to
be streamable, where the instantiation element supports
it, so we provide the usual global (friend) streaming
operators with each collection type, so that streamability
isn't forced on the instantiation element types, something
like:

 //
 // A templatized collection class with friend
declarations for
 // the streaming operators
 //
 template <class T> class TFundStack : public TObject
 {
    public :
       .......

   protected :
       friend TBinOutStream& operator<<
       (
                   TBinOutStream& strmOut
           , const TFundStack<T>& fcolToStream
       );

       friend TBinInStream& operator>>
       (
                   TBinInStream& strmIn
           , TFundStack<T>& fcolToStream
       );
 }

 // In the same header, global streaming operators
 template <class T> TBinInStream&
 operator>>(TBinInStream& strmToReadFrom, TFundStack<T>&
colToStream)
 {
 }

 template <class T> TBinOutStream&
 operator<<(TBinOutStream& strmToWriteTo, const
TFundStack<T>& colToStream)
 {
 }

* TBinInStream and TBinOutStream are the base classes from
which various types of binary in/out streams are derived.

// In a test app, I'd create a stack, put something in it
TFundStack<tCIDLib::TCard4> fcolStack(4);
fcolStack.Push(1);

// Then create an memory based output stream and stream
the stack
TBinMBufOutStream strmTestOut(8192, 8192);
strmTest << fcolStack << kCIDLib::FlushIt;

The compiler doesn't find the global operators and I get
an unresolved symbol error on operator<<(TBinOutStream&,
TFundStack<tCIDLib::TCard4>), so it's not making the
connection from the streaming of the stack to the provided
global streaming operator.

Is there something I'm missing here? Is this no longer
valid in C++ or is this some quirk of VC++ 2005, or is
there some new switch I need or some such thing?


Whether it's bug or not, but declaring friend operators like
this:

    template <class T> // <-- NB!
    friend TBinOutStream& operator<<
    (
                TBinOutStream& strmOut
        , const TFundStack<T>& fcolToStream
    );

    template <class T> // <-- NB!
    friend TBinInStream& operator>>
    (
                TBinInStream& strmIn
        , TFundStack<T>& fcolToStream
    );

fixes the problem.

I'd interpret this error in favor of compiler, because

    a) the declaration of operators <</>> must specify that
it is a template (since unknown type TFundStack<T> is used),
    b) the declaration of operators <</>> is inconsistent
with corresponding definition (where template is specified).

HTH
Alex

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