C++ templates that accept only certain types

Question

In Java you can define generic class that accept only types that extends class of your choice, eg:

public class ObservableList {
  ...
         


        

Answer 1

As far as I know this isn't currently possible in C++. However, there are plans to add a feature called "concepts" in the new C++0x standard that provide the functionality that you're looking for. This Wikipedia article about C++ Concepts will explain it in more detail.

I know this doesn't fix your immediate problem but there are some C++ compilers that have already started to add features from the new standard, so it might be possible to find a compiler that has already implemented the concepts feature.