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Parameterized Types

Templates enable you to teach the compiler how to make a list of any type of thing, rather than creating a set of type-specific lists. A PartsList is a list of parts; a CatList is a list of cats. The only way in which they differ is the type of the thing on the list. With templates, the type of the thing on the list becomes a parameter to the definition of the class.

The act of creating an object (from a class)or a specific type from a template is called instantiation, and the individual classes are called instances of the template.