This is an unofficial snapshot of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG21 Core Issues List revision 114a. See http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/ for the official list.

2024-04-18

335. Allowing export on template members of nontemplate classes

Section: Clause 13  [temp]     Status: CD1     Submitter: John Spicer     Date: 30 Jan 2002

[Voted into WP at April 2003 meeting.]

The syntax for "export" permits it only on template declarations. Clause 13 [temp] paragraph 6 further restricts "export" to appear only on namespace scope declarations. This means that you can't export a member template of a non-template class, as in: 

  class A {
    template <class T> void f(T);
  };
You can, of course, put export on the definition: 
  export template <class T> void A<T>::f(T){}
but in order for the template to be used from other translation units (the whole point of export) the declaration in the other translation unit must also be declared export.

There is also the issue of whether or not we should permit this usage: 

  export struct A {
    template <class T> void f(T);
  };
My initial reaction is to retain this prohibition as all current uses of "export" are preceding the "template" keyword.

If we eliminate the requirement that "export" precede "template" there is a similar issue regarding this case, which is currently prohibited: 

  template <class T> struct B {
    export void f();
  };
My preference is still to permit only "export template".

Notes from the 4/02 meeting:

This is resolved by the proposed changes for issue 323.