Explicit Specialization of Function Templates

With a function template, you can define special behavior for a specific type by providing an explicit specialization (override) of the function template for that type. For example:

template<> void MySwap(double a, double b);

This declaration enables you to define a different function for double variables. Like non-template functions, standard type conversions (such as promoting a variable of type float to double) are applied.

Example

// explicit_specialization.cpp
template<class T> void f(T t)
{
}

// Explicit specialization of f with 'char' with the
// template argument explicitly specified:
//
template<> void f<char>(char c)
{
}

// Explicit specialization of f with 'double' with the
// template argument deduced:
//
template<> void f(double d)
{
}
int main()
{
}

See also

Function Templates