Undefined reference error for static constexpr member

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This behaviour is vexing me time and again. The cause of the trouble is that your

A(int n): v(n, A::kDefaultValue) {}

odr-uses the static constexpr member, since the constructor of v takes a constant reference second argument. Odr-usage requires a definition somewhere, i.e.

const int A::kDefaultValue;

in some compilation unit (which is compiled and linked to main()). This requirement has been dropped in C++17 and the corresponding definition (as above) deprecated.

However, a definition is not always possible (for example for members of class templates) and the simplest way to avoid both the definition and your error is

A(int n): v(n, int(A::kDefaultValue)) {}

which creates a temporary to be passed to the constructor of v (but since the latter is fully inline, the compiler may optimise that away).

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