I think todays, it is better to use, but only with C++17.
#include <type_traits>
template <typename T>
void foo() {
if constexpr (std::is_same_v<T, animal>) {
// use type specific operations...
}
}
If you use some type specific operations in if expression body without constexpr
, this code will not compile.
In C++17, we can use variants.
To use std::variant
, you need to include the header:
#include <variant>
After that, you may add std::variant
in your code like this:
using Type = std::variant<Animal, Person>;
template <class T>
void foo(Type type) {
if (std::is_same_v<type, Animal>) {
// Do stuff...
} else {
// Do stuff...
}
}
You can specialize your templates based on what's passed into their parameters like this:
template <> void foo<animal> {
}
Note that this creates an entirely new function based on the type that's passed as T
. This is usually preferable as it reduces clutter and is essentially the reason we have templates in the first place.
std::is_same()
is only available since C++11. For pre-C++11 you can use typeid()
:
template <typename T>
void foo()
{
if (typeid(T) == typeid(animal)) { /* ... */ }
}
Source: Stackoverflow.com