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# OVERLOAD, TEMPLATE and OPERATOR extensions
Part of the [pitfalls index](../PITFALLS.md).
## OVERLOAD
- OVERLOAD is reserved and prefixes FUNCTION/PROCEDURE (after PUBLIC/PRIVATE for
methods). Every same-name definition must opt in.
- Count, canonical parameter types, array rank and (for non-VOID definitions) return
type distinguish signatures; a PROCEDURE counts as VOID. BYREF/BYVAL and array
bounds do not.
- Calls prefer exact static types, then marked IMPLICIT construction and the
existing CHAR/STRING bridge for scalar BYVAL parameters; ordinary functions
retain their existing numeric coercions. A known expected result type (assignment, BYVAL
argument, RETURN, condition, subscript, CASE comparison) must match the overload's
return type exactly; `(T) x` only prefers T and otherwise converts. Without a
context, return-only-distinct candidates need one DEFAULT return or remain ambiguous.
DEFAULT never resolves competing parameter signatures.
- Each name and canonical parameter signature permits only one DEFAULT return,
including across invisible units; different parameter signatures may each have
their own. Only non-VOID OVERLOAD functions accept RETURNS DEFAULT.
- Call visibility filters the set, but duplicate signatures (parameters and return
type) conflict across all inputs. MAIN and builtins cannot be overloaded.
- NEW supports overloads; DECLARE, fields and arrays needing default construction
require a matching no-argument NEW.
- Private access is checked after selection, never used to select a public fallback.
## TEMPLATE
- Top-level FUNCTION/PROCEDURE/CLASS only; all template parameters are types, with at
most one final pack.
- Substituted BYVAL parameters allow marked constructors and CHAR/STRING bridges,
but numeric widening still fails (`Max<REAL>(1, 2.5)` fails).
Deduction recognizes T and array element T, never the T inside Box<T>.
- When multiple ordinary/template functions share a name, every definition must
specify OVERLOAD; exact ordinary definitions win, then non-variadic templates, then
variadic templates, with same-tier ties ambiguous. An expected result type filters
ordinary definitions but not templates. Explicit arguments select templates only.
- Packs are final non-array parameters and expand only in call/constructor argument
lists; pack fields are rejected, including in variadic classes.
- Unsupported: non-type parameters, SIZEOF..., member/operator templates,
specialization, bare injected class name, pointer-alias templates, DEFAULT
returns (including methods in class templates). Pointer-linked
generic containers remain unsupported; use fixed fields or other supported value
layouts.
- Class instances follow ordinary constructor rules, so a parameterized NEW alone does
not permit `DECLARE B : Box<INTEGER>` without arguments.
- Template instances share the first requester's visibility for their cached body;
positional constants come from the template declaration. Instantiation depth is
limited to 64.
- Lexing: empty source lists `<>` are invalid and lex as inequality; `>>` remains two
tokens, but adjacent `<-` and `>=` merge. Expression lookahead treats
`A < B, C > (D)` as a template call; parenthesize comparisons to avoid that
ambiguity.
## OPERATOR
- Unary/binary operators require OVERLOAD FUNCTION, with supported arity and at least
one record/class/enum operand. Pointer aliases alone do not qualify.
- Exact-first matching considers visible globals and left-class members together,
with marked BYVAL construction after directly supported builtins. The
result type joins the match when the context supplies one; ties are errors,
including private/public ties. Without a context, return-only-distinct candidates
need a unique DEFAULT return or remain ambiguous; defaults do not resolve
global/member ties, and casts only prefer their target type.
- Comparison and logic result types are declared, not assumed BOOLEAN; a strict
BOOLEAN context requires an overload returning BOOLEAN. CASE comparisons must return
BOOLEAN. AND/OR overloads evaluate both operands.
- Temporary member receivers are destroyed at statement end, including exception
exits; ordinary DECLARE objects remain function-scoped.
- Explicit calls use OPERATOR+(a,b) or a.OPERATOR+(b).
- Assignment uses member-only OVERLOAD PROCEDURE OPERATOR<- with one explicit
parameter; it is selected before fallback same-class copying. Keyword NEW retains
its allocation/rebinding path.
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