Re: static functions

[Ken Paul <ken@rbl.reno.nv.us>]

>>int anotherFunction()
>>{
>>  static int beenHere; // declared in same memory segment as "foofoo"
>>                       // but is only available to this function.  It
>>                       // is not on the stack, and retains its value
>>                       // between invocations of this function.  Also, it
>>                       // is not initialized until the first call to
>>                       // this function.
>>}
>>
>
>
>Not true. Because it is static, by definition it will be initialized to 0
>(zero) before main() is called.
>
>Cheers,
>Scott.

Actually, the first description is correct. Static locals only get
initialized/constructed when the thread of execution passes through them
for the first time. They are destroyed/destructed when the program exits.
(see The C++ Programming Language, 3rd ed., Bjarne Stroustrup, section
10.4.8 - Local Static Store, pg 251.)

Static globals are, however, initialized as Scott described...

On the issue of static functions within classes, the only thing I can add
is that static member functions don't have the 'this' pointer implicitly
passed into the function when it is called, as is normally the case when a
non-static member function is called.

HTH,
Ken