CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++c
John Keubler
John Keubler

Reputation: 1

use of static keyword in c or c++

This is a general C or C++ code related question. Why would you need the static keyword for a global variable in C or C++ if it is already global throughout the program and if this program is only using one file.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 192

Answers (1)

Remy Lebeau
Remy Lebeau

Reputation: 596256

A global variable has external linkage by default. Meaning, it can be accessed by other translation units by using extern.

Declaring a global variable as static gives it internal linkage. Meaning, it can only be accessed within the translation unit that it is declared in, extern can't reach it.

If the program only has 1 translation unit (.c/.cpp file), declaring a global variable in that unit as static doesn't make any difference. But, if you have multiple translation units, it starts to make more sense to declare globals as static when you don't want to share them across translation units.

See https://en.cppreference.com/w/c/language/storage_duration for more details.

Upvotes: 4

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