static declaration of m follows non-static declaration

Question

I am trying a small example to know about the static external variable and its uses. The static variable is of local scope and the external variable is of global scope.

Answer 1

The problem is exactly as stated in the error message. m is declared a normal int but is later defined as a static int.

extern tells the compiler/linker to look for the variable in the global table of variables.

static (outside a functon) tells the compiler to exclude the variable from the global table of variables.

Do you see the conflict?

To fix the problem, either remove the static keyword from the definition or move the definition above the inclusion of static5.h.

It should be noted that the way you have designed your files is not considered best practice. Include files don't usually contain functions.