17 Templates [temp]

17.6 Name resolution [temp.res]

17.6.5 Friend names declared within a class template [temp.inject]

1
#
Friend classes or functions can be declared within a class template.
When a template is instantiated, the names of its friends are treated as if the specialization had been explicitly declared at its point of instantiation.
2
#
As with non-template classes, the names of namespace-scope friend functions of a class template specialization are not visible during an ordinary lookup unless explicitly declared at namespace scope ([class.friend]).
Such names may be found under the rules for associated classes ([basic.lookup.argdep]).140
[ Example
: 
template<typename T> struct number {
  number(int);
  friend number gcd(number x, number y) { return 0; };
};

void g() {
  number<double> a(3), b(4);
  a = gcd(a,b);     // finds gcd because number<double> is an associated class,
                    // making gcd visible in its namespace (global scope)
  b = gcd(3,4);     // ill-formed; gcd is not visible
}
— end example
 ]
140)
Friend declarations do not introduce new names into any scope, either when the template is declared or when it is instantiated.