| Templates are the mechanism that make it possible to use one function or class to handle many different data types. |
| A template can be used to create the family of classes or functions. |
| When template used with the functions are called function templates, when they are used with the classes then they are called class templates. |
| A template can also be considered as a kind of macro. |
| When an object of a specific type is defined for actual use, the template definition for that class is substituted with the required data type. |
| Since template is defined with a parameter that would be replaced by a specified data type at the time of actual use of the class or function, the templates are sometimes called parameterized classes or function. |