STATIC MEMBER VARIABLE
AND
STATIC MEMBER FUNCTION
Md. Nazirul Hasan Shawon
Static variable
Static variable
1
2
3
Note that s_id has kept its value across multiple function calls.
member variable
member variable
2
1
we have declared two Something class objects, we end up with two copies of m_value:
first.m_value, and second.m_value. first.m_value is distinct from second.m_value.
Static member variable
Member variables of a class can be made static by
using the static keyword.
Unlike normal member variables, static member
variables are shared by all objects of the class.
Static member variable
2
2
Because s_value is a static member variable, s_value
is shared between all objects of the class.
Consequently, first.s_value is the same variable as
second.s_value. The above program shows that the
value we set using first can be accessed using
second!
Static members are not associated with
class objects
Although you can access static members through
objects of the class (as shown with first.s_value and
second.s_value in the example above)
it turns out that static members exist even if no
objects of the class have been instantiated! Much
like global variables, they are created when the
program starts, and destroyed when the program
ends.
Static members are not associated with
class objects
Consequently, it is better to think of static members as
belonging to the class itself, not to the objects of the
class. Because s_value exists independently of any class
objects, it can be accessed directly using the class name
and the scope resolution operator (in this case,
Something::s_value):
Static member variable
Static member variable
When we declare a static member variable inside a
class, we’re telling the compiler about the existence of a
static member variable, but not actually defining it
(much like a forward declaration).
Because static member variables are not part of the
individual class objects (they are treated similarly to
global variables, and get initialized when the program
starts), you must explicitly define the static member
outside of the class, in the global scope.
int Something::s_value = 1; // defines the static member variable
Static member variable
int Something::s_value = 1; // defines the static member variable
This line serves two purposes:
it instantiates the static member variable.
Optionally initializes it. In this case, we’re providing the
initialization value 1. If no initializer is provided, C++
initializes the value to 0.
Static member variable
Why use static variables inside classes?
One great example is to assign a unique ID to
every instance of the class. Here’s an example of
that:
Static member variable
Static member variable
1
2
3
Because s_idGenerator is shared by all
Something objects, when a new Something
object is created, the constructor grabs the
current value out of s_idGenerator and then
increments the value for the next object. This
guarantees that each instantiated Something
object receives a unique id (incremented in the
order of creation)
Static member function
Static member function
In this case, we can’t access Something::s_value directly
from main(), because it is private.
Normally we access private members through public
member functions.
While we could create a normal public member function
to access s_value, we’d then need to instantiate an
object of the class type to use the function!
We can do better. It turns out that we can also make
functions static.
Static member function
static member functions are not attached to a particular object, they can be called directly by
using the class name and the scope resolution operator.
Like static member variables, they can also be called through objects of the class type, though
this is not recommended.
Static member functions have no *this
pointer
static member functions are not attached to an
object, they have no this pointer! This makes sense
when you think about it -- the this pointer always
points to the object that the member function is
working on. Static member functions do not work on
an object, so the this pointer is not needed.
Static member functions have no *this
pointer
static member functions can directly access other
static members (variables or functions), but not non-
static members. This is because non-static members
must belong to a class object, and static member
functions have no class object to work with!
Static member function
Static member functions can also be defined outside of the class declaration. This
works the same way as for normal member functions.
Static member function
all the data and functions in this class are static, we don’t need to instantiate an object of
the class to make use of its functionality!
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
C++ program for static data member
Static data member
The type and scope of each static member variable
must be defined outside the class definition.
This is necessary because the static data members
are stored separately rather than as a part of an
object.
Since they are associated with the class itself rather
than with any class object, they are also known as
class variables.
int Item :: countNum = 10 ;
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
Static member function
References
http://www.learncpp.com/cpp-tutorial/
“Object oriented programming with C++” – E
balagurusamy, second edition.
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/inheritance/
Web.
