In Part 3 we expanded on the original buffer and it now supports any type and any size. Our RingBuffer almost behaves like any of the STL types, such as std::vector and I say almost. Consider the following code:

int main()
{
    RingBuffer<int, 10> my_buffer;
    for (int i = 0; i < 10; ++i)
    {
        my_buffer.push_back(i);
    }

    for (auto x : my_buffer)       // This line produces an error.
    {
        std::cout << x << ' ';
    }
}

This code should work, but if we actually try to run it we will get a compiler error.

In Part 2 we built a buffer that works, however it is stuck with unsigned int and size 8, but what if we wanted to use it with std::string or custom types like game events, or only store the last 4 frames? Do we write a buffer per class? We could, but that would be a nightmare, wouldn’t it?

Meet Templates

In C++, templates are a powerful mechanism for generating code. A template is a blueprint that the compiler uses to generate actual code. Think about it this way, a class is a blueprint for a thing (a type of thing), templates are blueprints for classes.

In Part 1 we covered the fundamental building blocks: classes, functions, constructors and how to organize code into header and implementation files. We created a simple Person class to illustrate these concepts and now it is time to apply what we learned to our main project: The RingBuffer. Remember, our ring buffer needs to do a few key things: store elements, track where to add the next one, and know when it’s full. Let’s begin by creating a class.

Hello! If you recall from the previous series, we built a program that handled text input, stored numbers into a vector and performed calculations. However there were some concepts in there that we used, but that I didn’t really explain. I am referring to iterators. In this new series I aim to go over what they are, how they work and how to use them, so get ready because it will be a bumpy ride and as usual, we will have to build our way there because fundamentals are always important.