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Session: 10 C
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Generics
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Explain Generics
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List ways of implementing Generics
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Explain Template Function
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Explain Template Class
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List advantages and disadvantages of Generics
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 2
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Generics allow creating data members and functions,
whose the type is not specified at compile time.
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The type of the value of a generic function or variable
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is decided later based on value supplied by user.
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It allows the programmer to define the behavior of the
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class without knowing the data type.
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 3
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The figure shows an example of generics.
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 4
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It does not have a specific type attached to the
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parameters or even the return type.
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The type for the parameters is decided based on the
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value passed by the user at runtime.
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Syntax
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<access-modifier> <T> <method-name>
(<T> <parameter-name>,..) C
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{
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// processing statements
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<return-value (or expression)>
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}
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 5
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Template class consists of a generic type declaration.
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The generic type introduces a type variable named ‘T’
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which can be used anywhere inside the class.
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Syntax
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<access-modifier> class <class-name> <T>
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{
<data-members>
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<methods>
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}
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Generics allow a programmer to create classes with
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flexibility in applying the data type.
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The data type is decided when the object is created
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and not when the class is created.
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Generics allow overloading of template functions with
parameters of unspecified types. C
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The main benefit of generics is late binding of the
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types.
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The most common use of generics is the creation of
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typed Collections such as List, Stack, and Array
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The compiler determines the type associated with the
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template that can perform all the required functions
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 8
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Some compilers have poor support for templates.
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Some compilers lack in clear description when they
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detect a template error.
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The compiler usually generates additional code for
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each template type.
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Nested templates are not supported by all compilers.
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The use of ‘less-than’ and ‘greater-than’ signs as
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delimiters causes problems.
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 9
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Generics provides a way of creating general purpose
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tools for applying them to specific situations by making
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relevant changes.
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Generics is also known as templates in C++.
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A template function is a method that does not have a
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specific type attached to the parameters or even the
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return type.
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 10
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A template class introduces a type variable 'T' which
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can be used as a type with the data members and
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methods of a class.
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Generics allow overloading of template functions with
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parameters of unspecified types.
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The language C++ uses the keyword ‘template’ to
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indicate that a class is a template class using generics.
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The most common use of generics is the creation of
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typed Collections such as List, Stack, and Array.
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Version 1.0 © 2012 Aptech Limited. Object-Oriented Programming Concepts / Session 10 11
