When do function-level static variables get allocated/initialized?

I was curious about this so I wrote the following test program and compiled it with g++ version 4.1.2.

include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

class test
{
public:
        test(const char *name)
                : _name(name)
        {
                cout << _name << " created" << endl;
        }

        ~test()
        {
                cout << _name << " destroyed" << endl;
        }

        string _name;
};

test t("global variable");

void f()
{
        static test t("static variable");

        test t2("Local variable");

        cout << "Function executed" << endl;
}


int main()
{
        test t("local to main");

        cout << "Program start" << endl;

        f();

        cout << "Program end" << endl;
        return 0;
}

The results were not what I expected. The constructor for the static object was not called until the first time the function was called. Here is the output:

global variable created
local to main created
Program start
static variable created
Local variable created
Function executed
Local variable destroyed
Program end
local to main destroyed
static variable destroyed
global variable destroyed

The compiler will allocate static variable(s) defined in a function foo at program load, however the compiler will also add some additional instructions (machine code) to your function foo so that the first time it is invoked this additional code will initialize the static variable (e.g. invoking the constructor, if applicable).

@Adam: This behind the scenes injection of code by the compiler is the reason for the result you saw.

The memory for all static variables is allocated at program load. But local static variables are created and initialized the first time they are used, not at program start up. There's some good reading about that, and statics in general, here. In general I think some of these issues depend on the implementation, especially if you want to know where in memory this stuff will be located.

Some relevant verbiage from C++ Standard:

3.6.2 Initialization of non-local objects [basic.start.init]

1

The storage for objects with static storage duration (basic.stc.static) shall be zero-initialized (dcl.init) before any other initialization takes place. Objects of POD types (basic.types) with static storage duration initialized with constant expressions (expr.const) shall be initialized before any dynamic initialization takes place. Objects of namespace scope with static storage duration defined in the same translation unit and dynamically initialized shall be initialized in the order in which their definition appears in the translation unit. [Note: dcl.init.aggr describes the order in which aggregate members are initialized. The initialization of local static objects is described in stmt.dcl. ]

[more text below adding more liberties for compiler writers]

6.7 Declaration statement [stmt.dcl]

...

4

The zero-initialization (dcl.init) of all local objects with static storage duration (basic.stc.static) is performed before any other initialization takes place. A local object of POD type (basic.types) with static storage duration initialized with constant-expressions is initialized before its block is first entered. An implementation is permitted to perform early initialization of other local objects with static storage duration under the same conditions that an implementation is permitted to statically initialize an object with static storage duration in namespace scope (basic.start.init). Otherwise such an object is initialized the first time control passes through its declaration; such an object is considered initialized upon the completion of its initialization. If the initialization exits by throwing an exception, the initialization is not complete, so it will be tried again the next time control enters the declaration. If control re-enters the declaration (recursively) while the object is being initialized, the behavior is undefined. [Example:

      int foo(int i)
      {
          static int s = foo(2*i);  // recursive call - undefined
          return i+1;
      }

--end example]

5

The destructor for a local object with static storage duration will be executed if and only if the variable was constructed. [Note: basic.start.term describes the order in which local objects with static storage duration are destroyed. ]