Is it a bad programming habit to...

[joelmon]

rely on templates? Meaning, do professionals in the world of programming (I am used to server side, i am curious to the methodolgy pros use in windows based apps, something I am new to) use templates and learn to work around them?

Such as those that come from my compiler that spit out windows

or is the idea to learn how to build apps without relying on them?

I figure it is still a skill to learn how to work around them and build from them, but maybe I should learn to build even those templates myself before I tackle the windows api or open gl or whever template model I have seen used that can lead to powerful apps?

Just curious how it works among the pros in this field. In php/asp it's acceptable to use templates if it's for connecting to db's and form validation, but we need to know what to do with it and add to it/depreciate it on the fly.

Oh, and do my homework

[Unregistered]

I'm no expert but I dont imagine it to be a bad thing to rely on other peoples work, especially templates. They will probably be thoroughly tested and widely used and provided that the template suits your needs thye could be your best option.

Of course, this is always true and you may want to write your own template classes/functions for more specific needs.

IMO

[adrianxw]

Before the STL was incorporated into the C++ standard, just about everybody had their own bunch of list/queue/vector/etc. routines, all different, all with different features, all with a few small bugs.

Of course, everyone thought their's was the best, and whenever a bunch of engineers was assembled to build a new project, there was either a lot of infighting as to which they should use, (followed by months of triumphant strutting by the chosen winner and months of fervent bug searching by the losers), or the alternative was that each engineer used his/her own and the code was, as a result, huge.

All the professionals I work with use the STL. When working in teams, unless you have a REALLY good reason to use something odd, you use what everyone is familiar with.

>>> will probably be thoroughly tested

Also very valid.

The whole thing with code today is re-use.

[joelmon]

So even in the corporate world, for example, using a template like my compiler comes with that makes a window by default is acceptable

That is interesting, thanks, I was just curious. It does make sense I just had no idea...

I appreciate your feedback, guys

[Fordy]

Are you refering to somthing like MFC......

If so, then yeah lots of apps use it......I have noticed lots of "off the shelf" software has the MFC runtime dlls on the disk

[joelmon]

THanks

I'm just referring to the types of default windows templates my dev c++ compilers provides that create the window, but it is up to the user to work with it and create something more robust

This is good to know, thank you

[Isometric]

The only thing is that you must know what to template is and how it works. There's no point in retyping it as long as you understand it.