Automatically identifying C++0x concepts in function templates

An automated approach to the identification of C++0x concepts in function templates is described. Concepts are part of a new language feature appearing in the next standard for C++ (i.e., C++0x). Concept identification is the enumeration of constraints on the sets of types over which templates can be instantiated. The approach analyzes template source code and computes a set of viable concept instances describing the implied data abstraction of the template parameters. The approach is evaluated on generic algorithms defined in the C++ Standard Template Library (STL). The evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of the approach. The approach can be used to assist in reengineering existing generic libraries to C++0x. Additionally, it has the potential to assist in the validation of concept hierarchies and interface definition in generic libraries.