Episode

Stephan T. Lavavej: Core C++, 3 of n

In Part 3, STL digs into Overload Resolution. A function template can overload non-template functions of the same name. In this scenario, function calls are resolved by first using template argument deduction to instantiate the function template with a unique specialization (STL taught us all about TAD in Part 2). If template argument deduction fails, the other function overloads are considered to resolve the call. These other overloads, also known as the candidate set, include nontemplate functions and other instantiated function templates. If template argument deduction succeeds, then the generated function is compared with the other functions to determine the best match, following the rules for overload resolution. [source]

As STL says: "I walk through why foo(const T&) beats foo(const T *), when given int *. The reason is surprisingly subtle."

Tune in.