How do I make an unreferenced object load in C++?

Question

I have a .cpp file (let\'s call it statinit.cpp) compiled and linked into my executable using gcc. My main() function is

Answer 1

It is not exactly clear what the problem is:

C++ does not have the concept of static initializers.
So one presume you have an object in "File Scope".

• If this object is in the global namespace then it will be constructed before main() is called and destroyed after main() exits (assuming it is in the application).
• If this object is in a namespace then optionally the implementation can opt to lazy initialize the variable. This just means that it will be fully initialized before first use. So if you are relying on a side affect from construction then put the object in the global namespace.

Now a reason you may not be seeing the constructor to this object execute is that it was not linked into the application. This is a linker issue and not a language issue. This happens when the object is compiled into a static library and your application is then linked against the static library. The linker will only load into the application functions/objects that are explicitly referenced from the application (ie things that resolve undefined things in the symbol table).

To solve this problem you have a couple of options.

• Don't use static libraries.
  • Compile into dynamic libraries (the norm nowadays).
  • Compile all the source directly into the application.
• Make an explicit reference to the object from within main.