zlg's notepad

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======= The `static` keyword ======

In C, the ''static'' keyword means a few different things, depending on context.

===== A variable inside a function =====

If declared inside a function, the variable will retain its value between calls to that function. For example:

<file c static-variable.c>
#include <stdio.h>

void foo(void) {
    static int bar = 4;
    printf("%d\n", bar);
    bar++;
}

int main(void) {
    printf("bar will start out at 4...\n");
    foo();
    printf("... but now it'll be 5!\n");
    foo();
    return 0;
}
</file>

===== A function inside a source file =====

A ''static'' function is available only inside the translation unit (usually a source file) that it was defined in. This behavior is similar to namespaces or strong scoping in other languages, though it's less powerful. If you try to ''#include'' two different files that define the same function (even if ''static''), the compiler will yell at you!

TODO: Make an example.