Templated member function into .cpp file

[katang]

With reference to

http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/general/1754/

Is there a syntax variant which allows to put templated member function in the .cpp file?

 

[maehne]

Simple answer: No. A template is a pattern, which the compiler uses to generate a concrete implementation of a class/function once you use it (i.e., at the place where you either specify the template arguments explicitly or the compiler determines them based on the arguments passed to a function call of a templatized function. Therefore, the compiler has to see at all times the definition of a templated class/function.

More information can be, e.g., found in this FAQ: https://isocpp.org/wiki/faq/templates#templates-defn-vs-decl

 

[Roman Popov]

It is possible if you know expected template parameters in advance.  http://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/class_template#Explicit_instantiation

This technique is quite often applied in mathematical libraries to reduce compile time.