#pragma priority (C++ only)

Category

Object code control

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 #pragma priority directive allows 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

Defaults

The default priority level is 0.

Parameters

number
An integer literal in the range of -2147482624 to 2147483647. A lower value indicates a higher priority; a higher value indicates a lower priority. Numbers from -2147483648 to -2147482623 are reserved for system use. If you do not specify a number, the compiler assumes 0.

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. Refer to z/OS XL C/C++ Programming Guide for further discussions on techniques used in handling DLL static object initialization.