Overview of STATIC Compile-Time Constants

STATIC declares a read-only value whose initializer runs during compilation. At global scope, the compiler also needs a supported way to represent that value in the generated program.

Direct constants

::point STRUCT
{
  .x VAR I32;
  .y VAR I32;
}

::origin_point STATIC point := point();
::answer STATIC I32 := 42;
::answer_pointer STATIC CONST->I32 := answer<-;

Eligible scalar values, pointers, arrays, and trivially destructible structures can be emitted directly. An empty Quxlang structure remains size zero; static eligibility does not add a synthetic byte.

Direct static representation requirements

::offset STRUCT ANTESTATAL
{
  .dx VAR I32;
  .dy VAR I32;
}

ANTESTATAL makes direct static representation part of the type's contract. Compilation fails if a field or nontrivial destructor makes that contract impossible. NONSTATIC states the opposite and rejects STATIC objects of the marked structure type.

Serialized static representation

::saved_pair STRUCT SERIALOID
{
  .first VAR BYTE;
  .second VAR BOOL;
}

::saved_default STATIC saved_pair := saved_pair();

SERIALOID uses serialization and deserialization instead of direct object representation. Quxlang can generate field-wise operations when every field supports the protocol.

Function-local STATIC is also read-only. STATIC_VAR is different: it is mutable during static expansion and runtime code observes it through SNAPSHOT.

Reference

See the STATIC Compile-Time Constants Reference for all eligible categories, dependency tracking, reconstruction order, and the rules for ANTESTATAL, SERIALOID, and NONSTATIC.