-qpriority (C++ only)

Category

Object code control

Pragma equivalent

#pragma options priority, #pragma priority

Purpose

Specifies the priority level for the initialization of static objects.

The C++ standard requires that all global objects within the same translation unit be constructed from top to bottom, but it does not impose an ordering for objects declared in different translation units. The -qpriority option and #pragma priority directive allow you to impose a construction order for all static objects declared within the same load module. Destructors for these objects are run in reverse order during termination.

Syntax

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Option syntax

>>- -q--priority--=--number------------------------------------><

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Pragma syntax

>>-#--pragma--priority--(--number--)---------------------------><

Defaults

The default priority level is 65 535.

Parameters

number
An integer literal in the range of 101 to 65 535. A lower value indicates a higher priority; a higher value indicates a lower priority. If you do not specify a number, the compiler assumes 65 535.

Usage

More than one #pragma priority can be specified within a translation unit. The priority value specified in one pragma applies to the constructions of all global objects declared after this pragma and before the next one. However, in order to be consistent with the Standard, priority values specified within the same translation unit must be strictly increasing. Objects with the same priority value are constructed in declaration order.

The effect of a #pragma priority exists only within one load module. Therefore, #pragma priority cannot be used to control the construction order of objects in different load modules.

Note: The C++ variable attribute init_priority can also be used to assign a priority level to a shared variable of class type. See The init_priority variable attribute for more information.

Examples

To compile the file myprogram.C to produce an object file myprogram.o so that objects within that file have an initialization priority of 2 000, enter:
 xlc++ myprogram.C -c -qpriority=2000

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