From:	kagel AT quasar DOT bloomberg DOT com
Date:	Thu, 18 Apr 1996 08:37:47 -0400
Message-Id:	<9604181237.AA03084@quasar.bloomberg.com >
To:	gaghon AT nevada DOT edu
Cc:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
In-Reply-To:	<4l2962$68b@news.nevada.edu> (gaghon@nevada.edu)
Subject:	Re: static variables
Reply-To:	kagel AT dg1 DOT bloomberg DOT com

   From: gaghon AT nevada DOT edu (GEORGE GAGHON)
   Date: 17 Apr 1996 08:12:50 GMT

   I have a silly question.  In the DJGPP compiler there is a 256k stack for 
   AUTO arrays and vars.  How is a STATIC variable different from a AUTO 
   variable, and where is it stored?

OK, automatic (local) variables reside on the stack (auto because they are
created and destroyed automatically when the function is called/returns),
static and global/extern variables reside together in the heap.  The only
difference between statics and globals (variables declared outside any function
but not static) and externs (variables defined in the current module with the
extern keyword but declared elsewhere) is name scoping.  Statics are only
visible in the compilation module within which they are declared.  If declared
at function scope the name is only visible within that function.  Declared
outside of any function the name is global to any function within that file but
is invisible to functions declared in other files.  Globals are declared
outside of any function without the static keyword and are visible to any
function.  To make a global visible to a function define it with an extern
keyword within the specific function or outside any function to make it visible
to all functions in the file.

I hope that this is what you wanted.  

-- 
Art S. Kagel, kagel AT quasar DOT bloomberg DOT com

A proverb is no proverb to you 'till life has illustrated it.  -- John Keats

- Raw text -