Storage Duration and Linkage in C and C++
summary
Explains why names are resolved per translation unit and how the linker uses external linkage to merge definitions; shows that extern without an initializer is a non‑defining declaration while extern with an initializer allocates storage. Demonstrates that static sometimes changes linkage, sometimes storage duration, and that C++ static member functions remove the implicit this parameter rather than change storage. Gives concrete examples: file‑scope totals with static vs extern, const objects having internal linkage in C++ so header constants work, and inline rules for one‑definition behavior.
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chapters (14)
- 0:00Start
- 8:43Translation Units and Object Modules
- 14:17Scope Regions in C
- 20:14Storage Class Specifiers
- 26:40Object Declarations and Definitions
- 31:26Storage Duration
- 37:09Internal Linkage
- 40:47No Linkage
- 41:48A Conceptual Model
- 43:19Storage-Class Specifiers and Functions
- 47:58The Curious Behavior of extern
- 52:10Linkage for Const Objects
- 55:02Inline Functions
- 57:23Key Points
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