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From: eao@anumb.UUCP (e.a.olson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: C pointer to a function
Message-ID: <126@anumb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Sep-87 22:16:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: anumb.126
Posted: Mon Sep 28 22:16:46 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Oct-87 02:21:53 EDT
References: <501@acf3.NYU.EDU>
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Andover MA
Lines: 40

> 
> 	Consider the function foo, defined as:
> 
> 	static char *foo(name)
> 	char *name;
> 	{
> 		static char path[20];
> 		char *strcat();
> 
> 		...
> 
> 		return(strcat(path, name);
> 	}
> 
> 	and invoked in the following manner:
> 
> 	callfoo()
> 	char *name;
> 	{
> 	char *path, *foo();
> 
> 	...
> 
> 	path = foo(name);
> 
> 	...
> 
> 	}
> 
> 	The question here concerns the scope of the pointer to
> 	the function foo.
> 	Specifically, why might the pointer be defined as static?
> 	(An example of this can be found on p.23 of Marc Rochkind's
> 	book, "Advanced Unix Programming", 4th printing.)
> 	

    Well, one good reason  might be that the function is
    considered part of the data structure and that static
    is used to hide it. :-)
	7