Re: template iterator

From:
"Doug Harrison [MVP]" <dsh@mvps.org>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.vc.language
Date:
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:50:36 -0600
Message-ID:
<sd62q318j4s6ngkmgb3059eistc27dni1f@4ax.com>
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 16:26:12 -0800 (PST), bob@coolgroups.com wrote:

Why doesn't this compile in VS 2005?

#include "stdafx.h"
#include <vector>

using namespace std;

template < typename ty >

class MyTemplateClass
{
    vector<ty> a;
    vector<ty>::iterator b;
};

int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{

    MyTemplateClass<int> test;
    return 0;
}


The "iterator" in vector<ty>::iterator depends on a template parameter and
is thus said to be a "dependent type". You have to tell the compiler that
"iterator" really is a type as opposed to a non-type member of vector<ty>.
You do this with the typename keyword:

   typename vector<ty>::iterator b;

This is required because vector<ty> could be specialized at the point of
instantiation of MyTemplateClass<ty>, such that iterator could be a type or
non-type, irrespective of its definition in the primary vector template. By
default, the compiler assumes it's a non-type, and using the typename
keyword overrides this default.

--
Doug Harrison
Visual C++ MVP

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