Function Template Headers Causing Error

[Aaron Vienneau]

How come when I try to compile this with G++ it fails:

#include <iostream>

template <typename T>
inline const& T printSomething(T a)
{
  std::cout << a << std::endl;
}


int main()
{
  ::printSomething("Hello");
}

max4.cpp:4:17: error: expected initializer before ‘printSomething’
 inline const& T printSomething(T a)
                 ^
max4.cpp: In function ‘int main()’:
max4.cpp:13:3: error: ‘::printSomething’ has not been declared
   ::printSomething("Hello");

But if I simply switch the function header around to

#include <iostream>

template <typename T>
inline T const& printSomething(T a)
{
  std::cout << a << std::endl;
}


int main()
{
  ::printSomething("Hello");
}

It works? (Notice I just switched the header of the printSomething function; "T" switched with "const&")

[coder777]

Because the first is wrong syntax while the second is correct.

[Aaron Vienneau]

If we were using concrete types, we could write the function like the aforementioned first example. For instance,

inline const& int printSomething(int a)
{
   std::cout << a << std::endl;
}

This above function is simply returning a constant reference to an int. Why doesn't that same syntactical logic apply for template functions?

[Ganado]

That shouldn't compile, does it for you?
a constant reference to an int would be
const int& or int const&.

[Aaron Vienneau]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's all becoming clear now, Ganado. Thank you. That was helpful. It was just a stupid misplaced &. . .