Making a Convenient API With Metaprogramming - Ruslan Arutyunyan

Modern C++ gives us plenty of metaprogramming power but turning that power into an intuitive, "just works" API can sometimes be tricky. I'll run a live-coding session where we take a single, deceptively simple task - designing a constructor that accepts both explicit arguments and/or braced-init-lists - and walk it from naive attempts to a production-ready solution.

You'll see, step-by-step why straightforward ideas (parameter pack, `std::initializer_list`, C-style arrays) fall short, and how a relatively simple - yet, interesting - set of template techniques comes together to produce a much better interface with improved usability. We also explore the limits of Class Template Argument Deduction (CTAD) in this context and show how to patch the gaps with a minimal, readable deduction guide.

Attendees will keep the tricks up their sleeves and they can drop into their codebases for when meet similar tasks without a fear of using templates. Plus, I hope to give the audience a better understanding of how to use metaprogramming to make the users, not just the compiler, happy.

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There is a discord for the meetup that you can join https://discord.gg/98T5XPWcrA to help foster remote interaction!
We always plan to go to the Burns pub for social hour after the presentation.

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This month food will be supplied by Alteryx. Please answer the question so we know how many people are attending in person, and if you have any dietary needs.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Trimble for event space and soft drinks
• Alteryx for food