TIPS FOR C++

[1]Use templates to express algorithms that apply to many argument types; [2]Use templates to express containers; [3]Provide specializations for containers of pointers to minimize code size; [4]Always declare the general form of a template before specializations; [5]Declare a specialization before its use; [6]Minimize a template definition's dependence on its instantiation contexts; [7]Define every specialization you declare; [8]Consider if a template needs specializations for C-style strings and arrays; [9]Parameterize with a policy object; [10]USe specialization and overloading to provide a single interface to implementations of the same concept for different types; [11]Provide a simple interface for simple cases and use overloading and default arguments to express less commom cases; [12]Debug concrete examples before generalizing to a template; [13]Remember to export template definitions that need to be accessible from other translation units; [14]Seperately compile large templates and templates with nontrival context dependencies; [15]Use templates to express conversions but define those conversions very carefully; [16]Where necessary,constrain template arguments using a constraint() member function; [17]Use explicit instantiation to minimize compile time and link time; [18]Prefer a template over derived classes when run-time efficiency is at a premium; [19]Prefer derived classes over a template if adding new variants without recompilation is important; [20]Prefer a template over derived classes when no common base can be defined; [21]Prefer a template over derived classes when bulit-in types and structures with compatibility constraints are important;