C++ template - error: expected initializer before '<' token

Question

I am trying to learn about templates, I want my class pair to be able to hold two objects of any type. I just want to provide an accessor function for obj1 now. But I get the following error when I try to complile:

error: expected initializer before '<' token
    T1 pair<T1,T2>::getObj1()

My code is:

#include <iostream>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

using namespace std;

template <class T1, class T2>
class pair
{
  public:
    pair(const T1& t1, const T2& t2) : obj1(t1), obj2(t2){};

    T1 getObj1();

  private:
    T1 obj1;
    T2 obj2;
};

template <class T1, class T2>
T1 pair<T1,T2>::getObj1()
{
    return obj1;
}



int main()
{
    return 0;
}

Answer 1

pair is name of a standard class and with the using namespace std, there is a collision.

Several solutions :

• Rename your class to something else.
• Dont use the using statement