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From: daniel@saturn.ucsc.edu (Daniel Edelson)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: unbounded static array member
Message-ID: <11024@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Date: 8 Mar 90 21:49:20 GMT
Sender: daniel@saturn.ucsc.edu
Reply-To: daniel@saturn.ucsc.edu (Daniel Edelson)
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz; CIS/CE
Lines: 41


Is there or should there be a syntax for declaring a static array 
member whose length is determined by the length of its initializer list?

e.g.,

	struct S 
		static int array[];		// Error, bound required
	};

	int S::array[] = { 1, 2, 3, 0};

It would also be OK if the array variable were of pointer type, e.g.,

	struct S {
		static int * array;
	};

	int S::array[] = { 1, 2, 3, 0};	// Error, type mismatch int * and int []


	struct S {
		static int * array;
	};

	int * S::array = { 1, 2, 3, 0};	// Error, initializer list too long


The only way around this that I've found requires an extra variable.

	struct S {
		static int * array;
	};

	int table[] = {1, 2, 3};

	int * S::array = table;

But it would be preferable to avoid the extra variable.

daniel@cis.ucsc.edu