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digitalmars.D.learn - Q: Hiding template implementation

reply Myron Alexander <someone somewhere.com> writes:
Hello.

How do you hide the template implementation when compiling a library?

Regards,

Myron.
Jun 12 2007
parent reply Kirk McDonald <kirklin.mcdonald gmail.com> writes:
Myron Alexander wrote:

 Hello.
 
 How do you hide the template implementation when compiling a library?
 
 Regards,
 
 Myron.


You can't. Templates don't compile to anything on their own. Object code 
for them is only generated when the template is instantiated. In order 
to instantiate a template, the code using the template needs full access 
to the template's source.

D's templates are very much like C++'s templates in this respect. The 
following is somewhat relevant:
http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/templates.html#faq-35.12
(Though note it is about C++ and not D, so many of the specifics are 
different.)

-- 
Kirk McDonald
http://kirkmcdonald.blogspot.com
Pyd: Connecting D and Python
http://pyd.dsource.org
Jun 12 2007
parent Myron Alexander <someone somewhere.com> writes:
Kirk McDonald wrote:

 You can't. Templates don't compile to anything on their own. Object code 
 for them is only generated when the template is instantiated. In order 
 to instantiate a template, the code using the template needs full access 
 to the template's source.
 
 D's templates are very much like C++'s templates in this respect. The 
 following is somewhat relevant:
 http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq-lite/templates.html#faq-35.12
 (Though note it is about C++ and not D, so many of the specifics are 
 different.)
 


I was hoping there was some clever option I was missing :) I eventually 
realized that the current implementation does not do what I believe 
would be a major boon for library writers and users so I started a 
thread on d.D about creating a new form of binary module.

P.S. What do you think of the changes to D-DBAPI, along the lines of 
what you wanted?

Regards,

Myron.
Jun 12 2007