Template generated copy constructor

I'm having a problem with a template class I'm writing. I suspect that what I want to do is impossible, but I just wanted to throw it out there and see if I'm just missing something.

I'm writing a template that is effectively a container, and I need to be able to construct them from like containers with compatible (static_cast-able) data types.

Something very much like this:

Code:

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export template <typename t>
class Wrapper
{
    t WrappedObject;

public:
    Wrapper();
    template <typename t2> Wrapper(const Wrapper<t2> &copy);
};

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In the case where t and t2 are the same data type, I would think that this would generate the copy constructor. My testing shows that it doesn't, and I have to explicitly write the copy constructor.

I strongly suspect that it isn't possible to generate a copy constructor by this method. Can someone show me a way to do it, or is it just plain impossible?

You have to explicitly write a non-templated copy constructor. A template is never a copy constructor. The standard says so.

Well, that was fast.

My hopes and dreams have never been shattered so quickly.

Where's the problem. It's just another constructor.

That was a joke.

Perhaps I should use glBegin(GL_JOKE); and glEnd(); next time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AverageSoftware

Well, that was fast.

My hopes and dreams have never been shattered so quickly.

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There is still, of course, a default copy constructor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brewbuck

There is still, of course, a default copy constructor.

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Yes, but that doesn't work in the actual application. I need a deep copy.

Like I said, I assumed that this wasn't possible, so my real project has both a copy constructor and the templated constructor. I just wanted to know if there was a clever workaround of some sort.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AverageSoftware

Yes, but that doesn't work in the actual application. I need a deep copy.

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Ah, but if you always hold everything by value (no references or pointers), the default copy IS a deep copy :)

Quote:

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Like I said, I assumed that this wasn't possible, so my real project has both a copy constructor and the templated constructor. I just wanted to know if there was a clever workaround of some sort.

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I suppose you could roll up the common copying actions into a template member function, and invoke that from the constructor. But that has all the normal problems associated with it of initialization inside the constructor body instead of the initialization list. It would break if you had reference members.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brewbuck

I suppose you could roll up the common copying actions into a template member function, and invoke that from the constructor. But that has all the normal problems associated with it of initialization inside the constructor body instead of the initialization list. It would break if you had reference members.

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The copy construction code is really quite trivial, the class is a dynamic matrix wrapper.

I'm just always looking for ways to slim down the code, and this looked like a possibility.