How Can You Initialize Static Data Members in C Without a Static Constructor?

Static Constructors in C : Initializing Static Data Members

Static data members are variables declared within a class that are shared among all instances of that class. In languages like Java and C#, it is possible to use static constructors to initialize these members before any instances are created. However, C does not have a designated static constructor.

To achieve similar functionality in C , an alternative approach is to create a separate class for the static data. Here's how it works:

class StaticStuff {
  // Read-only vector of characters
  std::vector<char> letters_;

public:
  StaticStuff() {
    for (char c = 'a'; c <= 'z'; c++) {
      letters_.push_back(c);
    }
  }

  // Getter method to access letters_
  const std::vector<char>& getLetters() const { return letters_; }
};

class Elsewhere {
  static StaticStuff staticStuff_; // Initialize once
};

In this example, StaticStuff holds the static data member letters_. When the program starts, the constructor for StaticStuff will run once, automatically initializing letters_ with the correct characters. Then, instances of Elsewhere can access letters_ through the static instance of StaticStuff without needing to initialize it explicitly.

This method provides a clean and efficient way to initialize static data members in C without resorting to ugly hacks or unnecessary checks in instance constructors.

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