template specialization with C linkage

Template specialization with C linkage refers to the ability to specialize a C++ template function or class with C linkage. In C++, templates are typically resolved at compile-time, but when working with C code, it may be necessary to provide specialized template functions or classes that can be used from C.

To achieve template specialization with C linkage, you need to declare the specialized template function or class as extern "C". This tells the C++ compiler to generate the corresponding code compatible with C linkage conventions.

Here's an example of how to achieve template specialization with C linkage:

// Template function declaration
template <typename T>
void foo(T value);

// Template specialization with C linkage
extern "C" {
    // Specialization for int
    template <>
    void foo<int>(int value) {
        // Implementation goes here
    }
}

In the above example, the `foo` function is declared as a template function. It is then specialized for the `int` type with C linkage using the `extern "C"` declaration. The implementation of the specialized function can be provided separately.

By specializing templates with C linkage, you can ensure that the specialized functions or classes can be called from C code without any name mangling or other C++ specific features.