6.7.2 Local Types as Template Arguments

The template instantiation system relies on type-name equivalence to determine which templates need to be instantiated or reinstantiated. Thus local types can cause serious problems when used as template arguments. Beware of creating similar problems in your code. For example:

Example 6–1 Example of Local Type as Template Argument Problem

array.h
template <class Type> class Array {
        Type* data;
        int   size;
    public:
        Array(int sz);
        int GetSize();
};

array.cc
template <class Type> Array<Type>::Array(int sz)
    {size = sz; data = new Type[size];}
template <class Type> int Array<Type>::GetSize()
    {return size;}

file1.cc
#include "array.h"
struct Foo {int data;};
Array<Foo> File1Data(10);

file2.cc
#include "array.h"
struct Foo {double data;};
Array<Foo> File2Data(20);

The Foo type as registered in file1.cc is not the same as the Foo type registered in file2.cc. Using local types in this way could lead to errors and unexpected results.