Hello.

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

Regards,

Myron.

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

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.