Storage Classes

• Storage classes are used for two purposes in C:

• control the visibility of a name

• specify how storage is allocated for a variable

• There are 4 storage classes:

1. auto
2. static
3. extern
4. register

Declarations and Definitions

• Recall the difference between a declaration and a
  definition

• A declaration states that a name exists and how it can
  be used - a procedure declaration gives the name of the
  procedure, its return type and optionally the types of its
  parameters

• A declaration only tells the compiler that the procedure
  or variable exists, and will be defined elsewhere--the
  compiler doesn't create the procedure or variable

• A definition contains all the information that a
  declaration does, plus it creates the procedure or variable

March3, 1998

Page 14

C201/TAM