C++ static polymorphism (CRTP) and using typedefs from derived classes

One small drawback of using traits is that you have to declare one for each derived class. You can write a less verbose and redondant workaround like this :

template <template <typename> class Derived, typename T>
class base {
public:
    typedef T value_type;
    value_type foo() {
        return static_cast<Derived<T>*>(this)->foo();
    }
};

template <typename T>
class Derived : public base<Derived, T> {
public:
    typedef T value_type;
    value_type foo() {
        return T(); //return some T object (assumes T is default constructable)
    }
};

int main() {
    Derived<int> a;
}

In C++14 you could remove the typedef and use function auto return type deduction:

template <typename derived_t>
class base {
public:
    auto foo() {
        return static_cast<derived_t*>(this)->foo();
    }
};

This works because the deduction of the return type of base::foo is delayed until derived_t is complete.

derived is incomplete when you use it as a template argument to base in its base classes list.

A common workaround is to use a traits class template. Here's your example, traitsified. This shows how you can use both types and functions from the derived class through the traits.

// Declare a base_traits traits class template:
template <typename derived_t> 
struct base_traits;

// Define the base class that uses the traits:
template <typename derived_t> 
struct base { 
    typedef typename base_traits<derived_t>::value_type value_type;
    value_type base_foo() {
        return base_traits<derived_t>::call_foo(static_cast<derived_t*>(this));
    }
};

// Define the derived class; it can use the traits too:
template <typename T>
struct derived : base<derived<T> > { 
    typedef typename base_traits<derived>::value_type value_type;

    value_type derived_foo() { 
        return value_type(); 
    }
};

// Declare and define a base_traits specialization for derived:
template <typename T> 
struct base_traits<derived<T> > {
    typedef T value_type;

    static value_type call_foo(derived<T>* x) { 
        return x->derived_foo(); 
    }
};

You just need to specialize base_traits for any types that you use for the template argument derived_t of base and make sure that each specialization provides all of the members that base requires.