Implications of template declaration & definition

Question

From what I understand template classes and template functions (for the most part) must be declared and defined in the same header file. With that said:

1. Are

Answer 1

1. Not really. The definition of the template must be available at compile time, since templates are instantiated depending on the template arguments you give them. This is why they must be placed in headers, so the compiler can have the code to write a new instantiation. You pretty much need a compiler with support for the export keyword.

2. People can see your code, if that's a drawback to you. It might also be less "neat" to some people, but I don't think that's an issue.