Unless a class template specialization has been explicitly instantiated ([temp.explicit]) or explicitly specialized ([temp.expl.spec]), the class template specialization is implicitly instantiated when the specialization is referenced in a context that requires a completely-defined object type or when the completeness of the class type affects the semantics of the program. The implicit instantiation of a class template specialization causes the implicit instantiation of the declarations, but not of the definitions or default arguments, of the class member functions, member classes, scoped member enumerations, static data members and member templates; and it causes the implicit instantiation of the definitions of unscoped member enumerations and member anonymous unions. However, for the purpose of determining whether an instantiated redeclaration of a member is valid according to [class.mem], a declaration that corresponds to a definition in the template is considered to be a definition. [ Example:
template<class T, class U>
struct Outer {
template<class X, class Y> struct Inner;
template<class Y> struct Inner<T, Y>; // #1a
template<class Y> struct Inner<T, Y> { }; // #1b; OK: valid redeclaration of #1a
template<class Y> struct Inner<U, Y> { }; // #2
};
Outer<int, int> outer; // error at #2
Outer<int, int>::Inner<int, Y> is redeclared at #1b. (It is not defined but noted as being associated with a definition in Outer<T, U>.) #2 is also a redeclaration of #1a. It is noted as associated with a definition, so it is an invalid redeclaration of the same partial specialization. — end example ]
Unless a member of a class template or a member template has been explicitly instantiated or explicitly specialized, the specialization of the member is implicitly instantiated when the specialization is referenced in a context that requires the member definition to exist; in particular, the initialization (and any associated side-effects) of a static data member does not occur unless the static data member is itself used in a way that requires the definition of the static data member to exist.
Unless a function template specialization has been explicitly instantiated or explicitly specialized, the function template specialization is implicitly instantiated when the specialization is referenced in a context that requires a function definition to exist. Unless a call is to a function template explicit specialization or to a member function of an explicitly specialized class template, a default argument for a function template or a member function of a class template is implicitly instantiated when the function is called in a context that requires the value of the default argument.
[ Example:
template<class T> struct Z {
void f();
void g();
};
void h() {
Z<int> a; // instantiation of class Z<int> required
Z<char>* p; // instantiation of class Z<char> not required
Z<double>* q; // instantiation of class Z<double> not required
a.f(); // instantiation of Z<int>::f() required
p->g(); // instantiation of class Z<char> required, and
// instantiation of Z<char>::g() required
}
Nothing in this example requires class Z<double>, Z<int>::g(), or Z<char>::f() to be implicitly instantiated. — end example ]
A class template specialization is implicitly instantiated if the class type is used in a context that requires a completely-defined object type or if the completeness of the class type might affect the semantics of the program. [ Note: In particular, if the semantics of an expression depend on the member or base class lists of a class template specialization, the class template specialization is implicitly generated. For instance, deleting a pointer to class type depends on whether or not the class declares a destructor, and conversion between pointer to class types depends on the inheritance relationship between the two classes involved. — end note ] [ Example:
template<class T> class B { /* ... */ };
template<class T> class D : public B<T> { /* ... */ };
void f(void*);
void f(B<int>*);
void g(D<int>* p, D<char>* pp, D<double>* ppp) {
f(p); // instantiation of D<int> required: call f(B<int>*)
B<char>* q = pp; // instantiation of D<char> required:
// convert D<char>* to B<char>*
delete ppp; // instantiation of D<double> required
}
— end example ]
If the overload resolution process can determine the correct function to call without instantiating a class template definition, it is unspecified whether that instantiation actually takes place. [ Example:
template <class T> struct S {
operator int();
};
void f(int);
void f(S<int>&);
void f(S<float>);
void g(S<int>& sr) {
f(sr); // instantiation of S<int> allowed but not required
// instantiation of S<float> allowed but not required
};
— end example ]
If an implicit instantiation of a class template specialization is required and the template is declared but not defined, the program is ill-formed. [ Example:
template<class T> class X;
X<char> ch; // error: definition of X required
— end example ]
The implicit instantiation of a class template does not cause any static data members of that class to be implicitly instantiated.
If a function template or a member function template specialization is used in a way that involves overload resolution, a declaration of the specialization is implicitly instantiated ([temp.over]).
An implementation shall not implicitly instantiate a function template, a member template, a non-virtual member function, a member class, or a static data member of a class template that does not require instantiation. It is unspecified whether or not an implementation implicitly instantiates a virtual member function of a class template if the virtual member function would not otherwise be instantiated. The use of a template specialization in a default argument shall not cause the template to be implicitly instantiated except that a class template may be instantiated where its complete type is needed to determine the correctness of the default argument. The use of a default argument in a function call causes specializations in the default argument to be implicitly instantiated.
Implicitly instantiated class and function template specializations are placed in the namespace where the template is defined. Implicitly instantiated specializations for members of a class template are placed in the namespace where the enclosing class template is defined. Implicitly instantiated member templates are placed in the namespace where the enclosing class or class template is defined. [ Example:
namespace N {
template<class T> class List {
public:
T* get();
};
}
template<class K, class V> class Map {
public:
N::List<V> lt;
V get(K);
};
void g(Map<const char*,int>& m) {
int i = m.get("Nicholas");
}
a call of lt.get() from Map<const char*,int>::get() would place List<int>::get() in the namespace N rather than in the global namespace. — end example ]
If a function template f is called in a way that requires a default argument to be used, the dependent names are looked up, the semantics constraints are checked, and the instantiation of any template used in the default argument is done as if the default argument had been an initializer used in a function template specialization with the same scope, the same template parameters and the same access as that of the function template f used at that point. This analysis is called default argument instantiation. The instantiated default argument is then used as the argument of f.
Each default argument is instantiated independently. [ Example:
template<class T> void f(T x, T y = ydef(T()), T z = zdef(T()));
class A { };
A zdef(A);
void g(A a, A b, A c) {
f(a, b, c); // no default argument instantiation
f(a, b); // default argument z = zdef(T()) instantiated
f(a); // ill-formed; ydef is not declared
}
— end example ]
[ Note: [temp.point] defines the point of instantiation of a template specialization. — end note ]
There is an implementation-defined quantity that specifies the limit on the total depth of recursive instantiations, which could involve more than one template. The result of an infinite recursion in instantiation is undefined. [ Example:
template<class T> class X {
X<T>* p; // OK
X<T*> a; // implicit generation of X<T> requires
// the implicit instantiation of X<T*> which requires
// the implicit instantiation of X<T**> which ...
};
— end example ]