Question

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Where and why do I have to put the “template” and “typename” keywords?
map iterator in template function unrecognized by compiler

I have a template function which has std::map::iterator instantiation within it –

template <class B , class C> 
C getValue (B& myMap , C returnType) {
    map<string,C>::iterator it = myMap.find(var);
    // implementation ...
}

and it prompt errors –

In function ‘C getValue(char*, B&, C)’:
error: expected ‘;’ before ‘it’
error: ‘it’ was not declared in this scope

How should I have make it properly ?

Answer 1

It is a dependent type so you need typename:

typename map<string,C>::iterator it = myMap.find(var);

See Where and why do I have to put the "template" and "typename" keywords? for much more detail.

As commented by Zoidberg’, C++11 has auto which instructs the compiler to deduce the type. See Elements of Modern C++ Style for a brief overview (with some other features).