static vs constant in layman's language

[1vf9z8AR]

Please tell me the difference between static and constant in easy language.

[Peter87]

constant - read-only, value doesn't change.
static - exist during the whole run of the program, memory location doesn't change.

[1vf9z8AR]

so if declare a static variable in one function i can use it another function?

[Peter87]

No, not unless you pass it to the function or make it available by other means.

[goldenchicken]

Basically, if you create a static variable in a function, you can use it every time the function is called, and the value will still be the same as the previous time the function got executed.
An example:

#include <iostream>

void foo()
{
    static int x = 5; /*Create a static variable called x, and give it a value of 5*/
    std::cout << x << std::endl;
    ++x
}

int main()
{
    foo(); /*Prints '5'*/
    foo(); /*Prints '6', as the previous call to foo() incremented x by one.*/
    return 0;
}

[1vf9z8AR]

thanks guys.