Concept Checking: Binding Parametric Polymorphism in C++

Abstract

. Generic programming in C++ is characterized by the use of template parameters to represent abstract data types (or "concepts"). However, the C++ language itself does not provide a mechanism for explicitly handling concepts. As a result, it can be difficult to insure that a concrete type meets the requirements of the concept it is supposed to represent. Error messages resulting from incorrect use of a concrete type can be particularly difficult to decipher. In this paper we present techniques to check parameters in generic C++ libraries. Our techniques use standard C++ and introduce no run-time overhead. 1 Introduction A concept is a set of requirements (valid expressions, associated types, semantic invariants, complexity guarantees, etc.) that a type must fulfill to be correctly used within the context of a generic algorithm. In C++, concepts are represented by formal template parameters to function templates (generic algorithms). However, C++ has no explicit mechanism for ...