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    CWG Issue 1686</TITLE>
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<P><EM>This is an unofficial snapshot of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG21
  Core Issues List revision 118b.
  See http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/ for the official
  list.</EM></P>
<P>2025-09-28</P>
<HR>
<A NAME="1686"></A><H4>1686.
  
Which variables are &#8220;explicitly declared <TT>const</TT>?&#8221;
</H4>
<B>Section: </B>6.7&#160; [<A href="https://wg21.link/basic.link">basic.link</A>]
 &#160;&#160;&#160;

 <B>Status: </B>CD4
 &#160;&#160;&#160;

 <B>Submitter: </B>Daniel Kr&#252;gler
 &#160;&#160;&#160;

 <B>Date: </B>2013-05-17<BR>


<P>[Moved to DR at the November, 2014 meeting.]</P>



<P>According to 6.7 [<A href="https://wg21.link/basic.link#3">basic.link</A>] paragraph 3,</P>

<BLOCKQUOTE>

<P>A name having namespace scope (6.4.6 [<A href="https://wg21.link/basic.scope.namespace">basic.scope.namespace</A>]) has internal
linkage if it is the name of</P>

<UL>
<LI><P>...</P></LI>

<LI><P>a non-volatile variable that is explicitly declared <TT>const</TT> or
<TT>constexpr</TT> and neither explicitly declared <TT>extern</TT> nor
previously declared to have external linkage; or</P></LI>

<LI><P>...</P></LI>

</UL>

</BLOCKQUOTE>

<P>It would be more precise and less confusing if the phrase
&#8220;explicitly declared <TT>const</TT>&#8221; were replaced by saying
that its type is const-qualified.  This change would also allow
removal of the reference to <TT>constexpr</TT>, which was added by
<A HREF="1112.html">issue 1112</A> because <TT>constexpr</TT>
variables are implicitly const-qualified but not covered by
the &#8220;explicitly declared&#8221; phrasing.</P>

<P><B>Proposed resolution (September, 2013):</B></P>

<P>Change the second bullet of 6.7 [<A href="https://wg21.link/basic.link#3">basic.link</A>] paragraph 3 as
follows:</P>

<UL><LI><P>a <DEL>non-volatile</DEL> variable <DEL>that is explicitly
declared <TT>const</TT> or <TT>constexpr</TT> and</DEL> <INS>of
non-volatile const-qualified type that is</INS> neither explicitly
declared <TT>extern</TT> nor previously declared to have external linkage;
or</P></LI></UL>

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