I have a template function defined for a certain class in a cpp - not hpp. Can it be used by a child class?

Question

I used the following to write my template inside a cpp instead of the header file because i prefer to keep the code clean.

Storing C++ template function definitions in a .CPP file

In .hpp
template <class obj_class> void plotLaser(int zoom, void * obj);

In .cpp
class visualizer {...};
class annotator : public visualizer {...};
template void plotLaser<visualizer>(int zoom, void * obj) {...};

Can I use the template to call plotLaser<annotator>(...); or do I have to rewrite it?

Answer 1

you need to re-write it I think. Because your code

    template void plotLaser<visualizer>(int zoom, void * obj) {...};

is a specialization.

if you need one for annotator, you need to one specialization for it.