Disadvantage of C++ Templates

What is the disadvantage of a template function?

A template function cannot be distributed in the obj form. This is because, the parameters with which the template function is going to be called is decided at the run time only. Therefore an obj form of a template function cannot be made by merely compiling it.

But templates have a few negative aspects that are not widely explored. First, since C++ does not have binary run-time extensibility, templates can't be linked and distributed as a library. They must be compiled at compile time, and, therefore, all implementations of a template algorithm must be included in the header files in their entirety. You can easily see this by analyzing the STL standard header files.

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Both macros and templates are expanded at compile time. Macros are always expanded inline; templates can also be expanded as inline functions when the compiler deems it appropriate. Thus both function-like macros and function templates have no run-time overhead.
However, templates are generally considered an improvement over macros for these purposes. Templates are type-safe. Templates avoid some of the common errors found in code that makes heavy use of function-like macros. Perhaps most importantly, templates were designed to be applicable to much larger problems than macros. The definition of a function-like macro must fit on a single logical line of code.
There are three primary drawbacks to the use of templates. First, many compilers historically have very poor support for templates, so the use of templates can make code somewhat less portable. Second, almost all compilers produce confusing, unhelpful error messages when errors are detected in template code. This can make templates difficult to develop. Third, each use of a template may cause the compiler to generate extra code (an instantiation of the template), so the indiscriminate use of templates can lead to code bloat, resulting in excessively large executables.
The other big disadvantage of templates is that to replace a #define like max which acts identically with dissimilar types or function calls is impossible. Templates have replaced using #defines for complex functions but not for simple stuff like max(a,b). For a full discussion on trying to create a template for the #define max, see the paper "Min, Max and More" that Scott Meyer wrote for C++ Report in January 1995.
The biggest advantage of using templates, is that a complex algorithm can have a simple interface that the compiler then uses to choose the correct implementation based on the type of the arguments. For instance, a searching algorithm can take advantage of the properties of the container being searched. This technique is used throughout the C++ standard library.

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The biggest advantage of using templates, is that a complex algorithm can have a simple interface that the compiler then uses to choose the correct implementation based on the type of the arguments.