Compiling C++ Templates as opposed to Preprocessing them.

Hi,


        Can readers of this forum advise on whether it would be
        fruitful to consider compiling C++ templates to
        IR instead of preprocessing them?


        Consider the following snippet:


          template<class T>
          void
          foo(const T &t)
          {
                  T::i; // #1
          }


          Since the compiler cannot tell if `i' is a static member of `T',
          an extra operator needs to be introduced in the IR so that
          the `::' operator can be mapped to it. This operator would
          have no use in a non-generic scope, therefore, that operator
          is there merely to represent templates in the IR.


          I am sure professional compiler writers would have
          (many) non-trivial issues to tell.


          What I want to know is the following:


                  1) Has C++ been defined to accomodate compilation of templates?
                  2) Is name resolution unambiguously doable in template scopes
                          so that IRs that represent templates dont have to worry about
                          it at all?


Sincerely,
Seima Rao.

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