Template metaprogramming techniques for concept-based specialization
Scientific Programming
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Design solutions have been proposed to implement generic data structures, however such techniques dedicated to algorithms are not well known. This article discusses various recurrent problems encountered when designing reusable, extensible algorithms for operations research. It explains how to use object-oriented concepts and the notion of genericity to design algorithms that are independent of the data structures and the algorithms they use, but that can still interact deeply with them. An object-oriented design is sometimes considered to be less efficient than a classical one, and operations research is one of these scientific fields where efficiency really matters. Hence, the main goal of this article is to explain how to design algorithms that are both generic and efficient. It also discusses specific recurring design issues for operations research software and proposes solutions that improve the genericity of the algorithms. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.