another LNK2001 error problem

[ScottO]

Hello, I'm using VisualC++ version 6.0 to make a console application.

Get the following error:
sandbox.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: __thiscall Stack<int>::~Stack<int>(void)" (??1?$Stack@H@@QAE@XZ)

Actuall, get 6 similar errors, one for each member function.

If I cut and paste stack.cpp code directly into sandbox.cpp everything works fine. And stack.h and stack.cpp are in the project.

Here's the code:

sandbox.cpp

#include "../Libraries/include/stack.h"

int main() {

Stack<int> s;

return 0;

}

=======================
stack.h

template<class T> class Stack {
private:
   struct StackNode {
      T data;
      StackNode * next;

      StackNode( const T& newData,
      StackNode *nextNode ):
      data( newData ), next( nextNode ) {}
   };
   StackNode * top;
   int size;

public:
   Stack();
   ~Stack();

   int getSize() const;
   void push( const T& object );
   T pop();
};

==============================

stack.cpp

#include "include/stack.h"

template<class T>
Stack<T>::Stack(): top( 0 ), size( 0 ) {}

template<class T>
Stack<T>::~Stack() {
   while( top ) {
      StackNode * toDie = top;
      top = top->next;
      delete toDie;
   }
}

template<class T>
int Stack<T>::getSize() const {
   return size;
}

template<class T>
void Stack<T>::push( const T& object ) {
   top = new StackNode( object, top );
   ++size;
}

template<class T>
   T Stack<T>::pop() {

   StackNode * topOfStack = top;
   top = top->next;

   T data = topOfStack->data;
   delete topOfStack;
   --size;

   return data;
}

[xeddiex]

Hello, I'm using VisualC++ version 6.0 to make a console application.

Get the following error:
sandbox.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: __thiscall Stack<int>::~Stack<int>(void)" (??1?$Stack@H@@QAE@XZ)

Copy and paste the contents of stack.cpp into stack.h and then, in sandbox.cpp you include stack.h. Because of the way templates are instantiated in the code, this doesn't lead to the same errors that you would get by defining a normal function in a header. This is because templates aren't compiled at the place of definition, but are compiled as they are used by code elsewhere.

- xeddiex

[ScottO]

Ok, that makes sense. Can't compile a template ahead of time because you don't know what the type is going to be.

I decided to just put the entire implementation of the template in a single .h file, and included that. Basically what you suggested. Works fine.

Thanks xeddiex,

Scott