How define template with "exception" cases?

I have a template function that works for 99% of the cases and want a different one for the 1%. The problem is that the template case is too "vague" and thus the compiler tries to use it for everything.

Code:

template <typename T> T get(T a)
{
    ...
}

//The one case I want diff.
std::string get(SomeClass a)
{
 ...
}

int main()
{
    std::string name( "Jeff" );

    //This is correct
    std::string val = get( name );

    SomeClass a;

    //Won't compile, says:
    //cannot convert 'SomeClass' to 'std::string' in initialization
    std::string val = get( a );
}

Template Specialization and Partial Template Specialization

http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial...alization.html

Originally Posted by medievalelks

http://www.cprogramming.com/tutorial...alization.html

But that doesn't work. it just tells me that the specializing template does not match any template declaration.

I think it's because the original template declaration takes and returns the same type and the specialization takes and returns different types. Any ideas?

This actually works for me as long as the second version indeed returns a string and not a SomeClass.

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

class SomeClass
{
};

template <typename T> T get(T a)
{
    std::cout << "Template\n";
    return a;
}

//The one case I want diff.
std::string get(SomeClass a)
{
    std::cout << "String_get\n";
    return "String";
    //return a;
}

int main()
{
    std::string name( "Jeff" );

    //This is correct
    std::string val = get( name );

    SomeClass a;

    std::string val2 = get( a );
}