When/Why ( if ever ) should i think about doing Generic Programming/Meta Programming

Posted by hotadvice on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by hotadvice
Published on 2009-06-11T09:36:08Z Indexed on 2010/06/17 1:12 UTC
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Filed under:

c++

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templates

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metaprogramming

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generic-programming

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modern-c++

Hi there

IMHO to me OOPS, design patterns make sense and i have been able to apply them practically.

But when it comes to "generic programming /meta programming" of the Modern C++ kind, i am left confused.

-- Is it a new programming/design paradigm ?

-- Is it just limited to "library development"? If not, What design/coding situations call for using meta programming/generic programming.

-- Does using templates mean i am doing generic programming?

I have googled a lot on this topic but do not grasp the BIG PICTURE fully. Also see this post.

After reading dicussions here under, up till now, I am sure ( might still not be correct):

a) Generic programming and meta programming are two different concepts.

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