Thread overview
Why can't templates with default arguments be instantiated without the bang syntax?
Sep 15, 2011
Andrej Mitrovic
Sep 15, 2011
Simen Kjaeraas
Sep 15, 2011
Christophe
Sep 15, 2011
Simen Kjaeraas
Sep 15, 2011
Jacob Carlborg
September 15, 2011
struct Foo(T = int) {}

void main()
{
    Foo foo;  // fail
    Foo!() bar;  // ok
}

It would be very convenient to be able to default to one type like this.

For example, in CairoD there's a Point structure which takes doubles as its storage type, and then there's PointInt that takes ints. The reason they're not both a template Point() that takes a type argument is because in most cases the user will use the Point structure with doubles, and only in rare cases Point with ints. So to simplify code one doesn't have to write Point!double in all of their code, but simply Point.

If the bang syntax wasn't required in presence of default arguments then these workarounds wouldn't be needed.
September 15, 2011
On Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:46:24 +0200, Andrej Mitrovic <andrej.mitrovich@gmail.com> wrote:

> struct Foo(T = int) {}
>
> void main()
> {
>     Foo foo;  // fail
>     Foo!() bar;  // ok
> }
>
> It would be very convenient to be able to default to one type like this.
>
> For example, in CairoD there's a Point structure which takes doubles
> as its storage type, and then there's PointInt that takes ints. The
> reason they're not both a template Point() that takes a type argument
> is because in most cases the user will use the Point structure with
> doubles, and only in rare cases Point with ints. So to simplify code
> one doesn't have to write Point!double in all of their code, but
> simply Point.
>
> If the bang syntax wasn't required in presence of default arguments
> then these workarounds wouldn't be needed.

How would you then pass a single-argument template as a template alias
parameter?

Example:

template Foo( ) {
    template Bar( ) {
    }
}

template Baz(alias A) {
    mixin A!();
}

void main( ) {
    mixin Baz!Foo;
}

Does this mixin Foo or Bar to main's scope?

-- 
  Simen
September 15, 2011
"Simen Kjaeraas" , dans le message (digitalmars.D.learn:29539), a
 écrit :
> On Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:46:24 +0200, Andrej Mitrovic <andrej.mitrovich@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> struct Foo(T = int) {}
>>
>> void main()
>> {
>>     Foo foo;  // fail
>>     Foo!() bar;  // ok
>> }
>>
>> It would be very convenient to be able to default to one type like this.
>>
>> For example, in CairoD there's a Point structure which takes doubles as its storage type, and then there's PointInt that takes ints. The reason they're not both a template Point() that takes a type argument is because in most cases the user will use the Point structure with doubles, and only in rare cases Point with ints. So to simplify code one doesn't have to write Point!double in all of their code, but simply Point.
>>
>> If the bang syntax wasn't required in presence of default arguments then these workarounds wouldn't be needed.
> 
> How would you then pass a single-argument template as a template alias parameter?
> 
> Example:
> 
> template Foo( ) {
>      template Bar( ) {
>      }
> }
> 
> template Baz(alias A) {
>      mixin A!();
> }
> 
> void main( ) {
>      mixin Baz!Foo;
> }
> 
> Does this mixin Foo or Bar to main's scope?

I don't get the problem. Maybe I am not used to mixin enough. Can you mixin normal templates, and not only mixin templates ?

Anyway, why would this mixin Bar ?
As I understand the proposition, only "mixin Baz!(Foo.Bar);" and of
course "mixin Baz!(Foo!().Bar)" should mixin Bar.

-- 
Christophe
September 15, 2011
On Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:46:24 -0400, Andrej Mitrovic <andrej.mitrovich@gmail.com> wrote:

> struct Foo(T = int) {}
>
> void main()
> {
>     Foo foo;  // fail
>     Foo!() bar;  // ok
> }
>
> It would be very convenient to be able to default to one type like this.
>
> For example, in CairoD there's a Point structure which takes doubles
> as its storage type, and then there's PointInt that takes ints. The
> reason they're not both a template Point() that takes a type argument
> is because in most cases the user will use the Point structure with
> doubles, and only in rare cases Point with ints. So to simplify code
> one doesn't have to write Point!double in all of their code, but
> simply Point.
>
> If the bang syntax wasn't required in presence of default arguments
> then these workarounds wouldn't be needed.

Perhaps a different approach:

struct PointT(T) {...}

alias PointT!(double) Point;

// and if so desired:

alias PointT!int PointInt;

Just a thought...

-Steve
September 15, 2011
On 2011-09-15 16:46, Andrej Mitrovic wrote:
> struct Foo(T = int) {}
>
> void main()
> {
>      Foo foo;  // fail
>      Foo!() bar;  // ok
> }
>
> It would be very convenient to be able to default to one type like this.
>
> For example, in CairoD there's a Point structure which takes doubles
> as its storage type, and then there's PointInt that takes ints. The
> reason they're not both a template Point() that takes a type argument
> is because in most cases the user will use the Point structure with
> doubles, and only in rare cases Point with ints. So to simplify code
> one doesn't have to write Point!double in all of their code, but
> simply Point.
>
> If the bang syntax wasn't required in presence of default arguments
> then these workarounds wouldn't be needed.

I've wondered the same thing, why this doesn't work:

template Foo (T = int) {}

mixin Foo;

But this works:

template Foo () {}

mixin Foo;

-- 
/Jacob Carlborg
September 15, 2011
On Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:54:19 +0200, Christophe <travert@phare.normalesup.org> wrote:

> "Simen Kjaeraas" , dans le message (digitalmars.D.learn:29539), a
>  écrit :
>> On Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:46:24 +0200, Andrej Mitrovic
>> <andrej.mitrovich@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> struct Foo(T = int) {}
>>>
>>> void main()
>>> {
>>>     Foo foo;  // fail
>>>     Foo!() bar;  // ok
>>> }
>>>
>>> It would be very convenient to be able to default to one type like this.
>>>
>>> For example, in CairoD there's a Point structure which takes doubles
>>> as its storage type, and then there's PointInt that takes ints. The
>>> reason they're not both a template Point() that takes a type argument
>>> is because in most cases the user will use the Point structure with
>>> doubles, and only in rare cases Point with ints. So to simplify code
>>> one doesn't have to write Point!double in all of their code, but
>>> simply Point.
>>>
>>> If the bang syntax wasn't required in presence of default arguments
>>> then these workarounds wouldn't be needed.
>>
>> How would you then pass a single-argument template as a template alias
>> parameter?
>>
>> Example:
>>
>> template Foo( ) {
>>      template Bar( ) {
>>      }
>> }
>>
>> template Baz(alias A) {
>>      mixin A!();
>> }
>>
>> void main( ) {
>>      mixin Baz!Foo;
>> }
>>
>> Does this mixin Foo or Bar to main's scope?
>
> I don't get the problem. Maybe I am not used to mixin enough. Can you
> mixin normal templates, and not only mixin templates ?
>
> Anyway, why would this mixin Bar ?
> As I understand the proposition, only "mixin Baz!(Foo.Bar);" and of
> course "mixin Baz!(Foo!().Bar)" should mixin Bar.

Sorry, you're right. I meant:

template Foo( ) {
    template Foo( ) {
    }
}

-- 
  Simen