How to initialize static pointer array of objects of same class with nullptr?

Question

I'm trying to initialize a pointer array of same class objects. Here's the class:

class Correspondent{
    private:
        static Correspondent *correspondent[maxCorrespondents];
}

I tried in contsructor. but it got initialized every time.

Correspondent::Correspondent(string n,string c) {
    name = n;
    country = c;
    for(int i=0;i<=maxCorrespondents;i++){
        correspondent[i] = NULL;
    }
}

Answer 1

In the one translation unit where this variable is defined:

Correspondent* Correspondent::correspondent[maxCorrespondents]{};

That's it. This aggregate initializes the array, which in turn default initializes each pointer. And since pointers are fundamental types, that will do zero initialization, setting them all to nullptr.

Answer 2

Objects with static storage duration are always zero-initialized. So correspondent array will be filled with zeros without writing any additional code. From [dcl.init].10

Every object of static storage duration is zero-initialized at program startup before any other initialization takes place.

Also it might be a good idea to use ::std::array wrapper and to introduce a type alias to avoid duplication in array declaration and definition:

class Correspondent
{
    private: using Correspondents = ::std::array<Correspondent *, maxCorrespondents>;
    private: static Correspondents correspondents;
};

Correspondent::Correspondents Correspondent::correspondents;