A Comprehensive Guide to Static Data Members and Their Values

Introduction

Static data members in programming are used to initialize a value that will remain the same throughout the duration of a program. These members are declared with the keyword 'static' and are generally used in classes, structs, and unions. In this blog post, we will discuss a static data member, what it is, and how it can be given a value.

What is a Static Data Member?

A static data member is a type of data member that can be declared within a class, struct, or union. These members are declared by using the keyword 'static' before the data type and the name of the member. The main purpose of a static data member is to initialize a value that will remain constant and the same throughout the lifetime of the program.

How to Give a Static Data Member a Value?

A static data member can be given a value by either declaring it inside the class or by initializing it outside the class. When declaring a static data member inside the class, it must be given a value at the time of its declaration. However, when initializing a static data member outside the class, the value can be assigned to it at any time. When declaring a static data member inside the class, the value can be given the same way as any other class member. For example, if we have a class called 'MyClass' with a static data member 'x', we can assign a value to 'x' as follows:

class MyClass 
{
    static int x = 10; 
};

On the other hand, if we want to assign a value to a static data member outside the class, we can do so by using the scope resolution operator (::). For instance, if we have a class called 'MyClass' with a static data member 'x', we can assign a value to 'x' as follows:

MyClass::x = 10; 

Why Use a Static Data Member?

A static data member can be used to create a value that is common to all objects of a class. This can be useful in situations where a certain value needs to be shared among all objects of a class. For example, if we have a class called 'MyClass' that represents a bank account, we can use a static data member to store the bank’s interest rate. This way, all objects of the class will have access to the same interest rate.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a static data member is a type of data member that is declared using the keyword 'static'. These members are used to initialize a value that will remain the same throughout the lifetime of the program. A static data member can be given a value by either declaring it inside the class or by initializing it outside the class. Static data members can be used to create a value that is common to all objects of a class, which can be useful in certain situations. A static data member is given a value in order to remain constant and the same throughout the duration of a program.

Dated : 02-Feb-2023

Category : Education

Tags : Programming