What is the advantage of declaring void pointer in C?

Why we use void pointers? We use void pointers because of its reusability. Void pointers can store the object of any type, and we can retrieve the object of any type by using the indirection operator with proper typecasting.

What are the advantages of templates over macros?

Templates are type-safe. Templates avoid some of the common errors found in code that makes heavy use of function-like macros. Perhaps most importantly, templates were designed to be applicable to much larger problems than macros. The definition of a function-like macro must fit on a single logical line of code.

What is void or generic pointers in C?

The void pointer in C is a pointer which is not associated with any data types. It points to some data location in the storage means points to the address of variables. It is also called general purpose pointer. In C, malloc() and calloc() functions return void * or generic pointers.

How are generic pointers different from pointer variables?

When a variable is declared as being a pointer to type void, it is known as a generic pointer. Since you cannot have a variable of type void, the pointer will not point to any data and therefore cannot be dereferenced. It is still a pointer though, to use it you just have to cast it to another kind of pointer first.

Why do templates benefit programmers?

Advantages. C++ templates enable you to define a family of functions or classes that can operate on different types of information. Because their parameters are known at compile time, template classes are more typesafe, and could be preferred over run-time resolved code structures (such as abstract classes).

How C++ templates differ from macro functions in C programming?

Macro are used in C and C++ for replacement of numbers, small inline functions etc. Template is only available in C++ language. It is used to write small macro like functions etc.

Why template function is needed in programming?

Function templates are special functions that can operate with generic types. This allows us to create a function template whose functionality can be adapted to more than one type or class without repeating the entire code for each type. In C++ this can be achieved using template parameters.

Why are void pointers bad?

Void pointers have too little information meaning that you literally can’t do anything with them. You can only cast them to another pointer based on extra data. If you find some code that casts a void pointer unconditionally to another pointer, there should have never been a void pointer in the first place.