boost::thread and template functions

Question

I am trying to run a template function on a separate thread but IntelliSense (VC++ 2010 Express) keeps giving me the error: "Error: no instance of constructor "boost::thread::thread" matches the argument list" and if I try to compile I get this error: "error C2661: 'boost::thread::thread' : no overloaded function takes 5 arguments"

The error has only occurred since I added the templates so I'm certain it has something to do with them but I don't know what.

Two of the arguments I am passing to boost::thread are template functions defined as:

template<class F> 
void perform_test(int* current, int num_tests, F func, std::vector<std::pair<int, int>>* results);

and:

namespace Sort
{

template<class RandomAccessIterator>
void quick(RandomAccessIterator begin, RandomAccessIterator end);

} //namespace Sort

I try to call boost::thread like so:

std::vector<std::pair<int, int>> quick_results;
int current = 0, num_tests = 30;
boost::thread test_thread(perform_test, &current, num_tests, Sort::quick, &quick_results);

Answer 1

The following version compiles and runs OK for me - the main change is to modify the perform_test declaration so that parameter 3 is correct in the context you intend. Also to ensure there is code behind the function templates.

typedef std::vector<std::pair<int, int>> container;

template<class F> 
void perform_test(int* current, int num_tests, 
    void(* func)(typename F, typename F), container* results) 
{
    cout << "invoked thread function" << endl;
}

namespace Sort
{
    template<class RandomAccessIterator>
    void quick(RandomAccessIterator begin, RandomAccessIterator end)
    {
        cout << "invoked sort function" << endl;
    }

} //namespace Sort

int main()
{
    container quick_results;
    int current = 0, num_tests = 30;

    boost::thread test_thread(
        &perform_test<container::iterator>, 
        &current, 
        num_tests, 
        Sort::quick<container::iterator>, 
        &quick_results);    

    test_thread.join();
    return 0;
};