Name

class keyword — Declares a class or template parameter, or elaborates a type name

Synopsis

               class-specifier ::= class-head { [member-specification] }
class-head ::= class-key [identifier] [base-clause] | 
    class-key nested-name :: identifier [base-clause] |
    class-key [nested-name ::] template-id [base-clause] class-key ::= class | 
    struct | union
member-specification ::= member-decl [member-specification] | 
    access-specifier : [member-specification]
member-decl ::= [decl-specifier-seq] [member-declarator-list] ; | 
    function-definition [;] | qualified-id ; | using-decl | template-decl
               member-declarator-list ::= member-declarator | 
    member-declarator-list , member-declarator
               member-declarator ::= declarator [= 0] | declarator [= constant-expression] |
    [identifier] : constant-expression
               base-clause ::= : base-specifier-list
               base-specifier-list ::= base-specifier | base-specifier-list , base-specifier
               base-specifier ::= [base-modifiers] [::] [nested-name ::] class-name
               base-modifiers ::= virtual [access-specifier] | access-specifier [virtual]
access-specifier ::= private | protected | public
class-name ::= identifier | template-id
               type-parm := class [identifier] [= type-id] | 
    template < template-parm-list > class [identifier] [= id-expression]
elaborated-type-specifier := class-key [::] [nested-name ::] identifier | 
    class-key [::] [nested-name ::] [template] template-id
            

The class keyword introduces a class declaration or definition, names a type template parameter (type-parm), or names a class type in an elaborated-type-specifier. In a class definition, the only difference between class and struct is that the default access level is private for class and public for struct.

When declaring a type template parameter, typename and class are interchangeable.