How to pass a C++ Template instance to a function? - c++

Question

How can I pass any object of an templated class to another function in C++11?
In the snippet below passInObj does not compile because it complains about Printer&. I want to pass in any Printer it does not matter which template T I have used.
How can I do this and why does the solution below not work?
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
template <typename T>
class Printer {
public:
Printer(const T& tl) : t(tl) {}
void print() const {
for (auto x : t) {
std::cout << x << std::endl;
}
}
const T &t;
};
// THIS LINE DOES NOT COMPILE
void passInObj(const Printer& p) {
p.print();
}
int main() {
std::vector<std::string> vec;
vec.push_back("ABC");
Printer<std::vector<std::string>> printer(vec);
printer.print();
passInObj(p);
return 0;
}

Answer 1

How can I do this
You need to make it into a function template:
template <class T>
void passInObj(const Printer<T>& p) {
p.print();
}
Demo
and why does the solution below not work?
Because Printer is not a type, it's only a template. For passInObj to work with any Printer<T>, you need to make the function into a function template so that it'll be instantiated for every Printer<T> which is used to call it.

Answer 2

While #TedLyngmo's answer should be your go-to by default, you can also do this via a polymorphic interface if you cannot make passInObj() a template for some reason or other.
This is done by adding a base interface class that will be derived by all Printer<> classes:
#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
class IPrinter {
public:
virtual void print() const = 0;
// Either that or public and virtual
protected:
~IPrinter() = default;
};
template <typename T>
class Printer : public IPrinter {
public:
Printer(const T& tl) : t(tl) {}
void print() const override {
for (auto x : t) {
std::cout << x << std::endl;
}
}
const T &t;
};
void passInObj(const IPrinter& p) {
p.print();
}
int main() {
std::vector<std::string> vec;
vec.push_back("ABC");
Printer<std::vector<std::string>> printer(vec);
printer.print();
passInObj(p);
return 0;
}