13 Templates [temp]

13.8 Name resolution [temp.res]

13.8.6 Friend names declared within a class template [temp.inject]

1
#
Friend classes or functions can be declared within a class template.
When a template is instantiated, the names of its friends are treated as if the specialization had been explicitly declared at its point of instantiation.
2
#
As with non-template classes, the names of namespace-scope friend functions of a class template specialization are not visible during an ordinary lookup unless explicitly declared at namespace scope ([class.friend]).
Such names may be found under the rules for associated classes ([basic.lookup.argdep]).142
[Example 1: template<typename T> struct number { number(int); friend number gcd(number x, number y) { return 0; }; }; void g() { number<double> a(3), b(4); a = gcd(a,b); // finds gcd because number<double> is an associated class, // making gcd visible in its namespace (global scope) b = gcd(3,4); // error: gcd is not visible } — end example]
142)
Friend declarations do not introduce new names into any scope, either when the template is declared or when it is instantiated.
 ⮥