Template Defaults

[Cactus_Hugger]

Can I set defaults in template parameters to depend on other parameters? This is what I'm trying to do:

template <typename RsrcType, typename KeyType = RsrcType::KeyType, typename HashType = RsrcType::Hash>
class RsrcCache
{
	// ...
};

The KeyType and Hash should be changable to other classes, but I want the default to be RsrcType::Hash, for example. So, if I say:

RsrcCache<MyClass>

Then KeyType = MyClass::KeyType.

This is giving compiler errors right now...

rsrc_cache.h:64: error: ` RsrcType::Hash' is not a type

(One for KeyType too.)

I could always leave the last two with no defaults, but it means more typing, and the last two are fairly dependent (KeyType moreso than Hash) on RsrcType, so the default would be nice. (I have a couple of "RsrcType" classes for different types of resources that contain subclasses of KeyType and Hash.)

[Daved]

Works for me in VC++ 2005. Perhaps:

template <typename RsrcType, typename KeyType = typename RsrcType::KeyType, typename HashType = typename RsrcType::Hash>

Are you sure the type you're using for RsrcType has a Hash typedef or inner class?

[Cactus_Hugger]

Are you sure the type you're using for RsrcType has a Hash typedef or inner class?

Ah! The magic typename keyword! (That made it work.) Thanks. Had no idea it could be used there.
Great fix... "compiler: it's not a type programmer: Yes. it. is. typename."

I actually haven't tried instantiating the template yet - these are just errors from the header. I'll probably get more errors when I try to though.
(MinGW, gcc 3.4.5)

[Elysia]

Actually, I think it is more common to make typedefs inside the class rather than take them as default template arguments. Are you sure you need them as template arguments?

[Cactus_Hugger]

Actually, I think it is more common to make typedefs inside the class rather than take them as default template arguments. Are you sure you need them as template arguments?

Hmm. I rethought this, and it's not a bad point, for KeyType. KeyType is too closely related to the RsrcType class (it's used in the constructor, so yes, it probably ought to just be a typedef in the class.

The hash function, however, should be determined with a default, with the user having the final say if they want a different function. I think I'm going to reduce this to two arguments.